The Olympic Games represent the pinnacle of sporting excellence, where athletes strive for glory at their sport’s peak. From Michael Phelps’ success at swimming to Usain Bolt’s unparalleled sprinting ability – each athlete has left their mark on these Games.

Birgit Fischer earned a stunning 12 Olympic medals over six Olympics. Her unwavering dominance and technical mastery of her sport make her one of the greatest Olympians ever.

Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps came into the 2004 Olympic Games with a singular aim in mind – breaking swimmer Mark Spitz’s record of winning seven gold medals at one Olympic Games. Not only was that goal met but so was much more.

American distance swimmer Michael Phelps holds the most decorated Olympic record with 22 total medals – 23 gold – to his name, including five world titles and 20 Guinness World Records.

Larisa Latynina

Latynina may have missed the 1959 European Championships due to her pregnancy, yet still made history at Rome 1960 Olympics by winning gold medals in team competition, floor exercise, uneven bars/balance beam and vault.

Her 18 Olympic medals set an unprecedented standard for gymnastics that has yet to be broken, and helped propel it from niche status into a top Olympic event.

Marit Bjorgen

Marit Bjorgen holds an astounding 15 medals to her credit from Winter Olympian competitions – eight gold. In 2010, Vancouver Games she triumphed, taking gold medals in sprinting, skiathlon, and 4×5 km relay events.

Bjorgen achieved great success due to her unflinching work ethic; during her career she amassed over 14,300 hours of training time – data analysis has unlocked the secret behind Bjorgen’s extraordinary accomplishment.

Nikolai Andrianov

Nikolai Andrianov made history at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal by winning gold medals for floor exercise, rings and vault. He remains the only male gymnast ever to do so at one Olympic Games.

He won 28 Olympic and world medals during his career. Following retirement after the 1980 Games, he established a gymnastics school in Vladimir, Russia before passing away three months later due to multiple system atrophy (MSA).

Ole Einar Bjorndalen

Few athletes have done as much to revolutionise their sport as Ole Einar Bjorndalen has, the legendary Norwegian biathlete having captured every World Championship medal since 1997.

At the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, he competed as part of Norway and earned two medals – matching Marit Bjorgen’s Olympic record of most career medals in snowboarding. However, his season had different beginning and endpoints.

Boris Shakhlin

Boris Shakhlin stands as one of the greatest gymnasts in Olympic history. He won 13 medals between 1956, 1960, and 1964 Olympic Games.

Shakhlin was exceptionally tall for a gymnast, which gave him an advantage on certain events such as horizontal bar but posed problems when competing in others such as floor exercise.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee became one of the greatest female track and field athletes of all time with her extraordinary performances in the heptathlon.

Edoardo Mangiarotti

Edoardo Mangiarotti was an Italian fencer who won 13 medals at the Olympic Games. His two gold medals in epee at Berlin were especially noteworthy; additionally, he carried his country’s flag for Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960.

Paavo Nurmi earned nine Olympic gold medals for middle and long distance running at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest runners ever.

Ireen Wust

Wust holds 13 Olympic medals – six gold – as a speed skater and now mentors athletes through Dutch athlete development organization TalentNED alongside coaches such as Gerard Kemkers.

Ray Ewry earned eight medals between 1900, 1904, and 1908 Olympic Games for high jump, long jump, and triple jump events – cementing his legacy in track and field.

Takashi Ono

Takashi Ono was a Japanese artistic gymnast who won five gold, four silver, and one bronze at each Olympic Games from 1952 through 1964. At each one, he also took the Olympic Oath.

Jesse Owens may not have won as many medals in track and field competition, but his triumph against Hitler at the 1936 Olympic Games stands as proof of his determination and perseverance against racism and prejudice.

Matt Biondi

Biondi arrived at the Seoul Olympic Games with high hopes that he would equal or exceed Mark Spitz’s record seven gold medals, but instead earned five – setting or breaking four world records along the way!

As a swimmer, his dominance was unparalleled. As a physique enthusiast, he lived a balanced lifestyle without ever losing focus of his purpose; an icon for humility and consistency alike.