Top 5 Summer Olympians

Top 5 Summer Olympians

#5 Teofilo Stevenson - Boxing, Cuba

Credit: Associated Press

Olympic History:
• 1972 - 81KG (Heavyweight): Gold
• 1976 - 81KG (Heavyweight): Gold
• 1980 - 81KG (Heavyweight): Gold

After winning gold in Moscow (1980), Stevenson became the first (and remains the only) Olympic boxer to win three gold medals in the same division.

 

#4 Carl Lewis - Track & Field, USA

Olympic History:
• 1984: Gold - Long Jump, 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay
• 1988: Gold - Long Jump, 100m / Silver - 200m
• 1992: Gold - Long Jump, 4x100m relay
• 1996: Gold - Long Jump

After winning the long jump in Atlanta, Lewis joined two other athletes in Olympic history to win the same event four times. Lewis broke the Olympic record in the 100m and 200m and was a member of the relay that broke the 4x100m relay world record in '88 and again in '92. 

 

#3 Larisa Latynina - Gymnastics, Soviet Union

• 1956: Gold - Individual All-Around, Team All-around, Floor Exercise, Vault / Silver - Uneven Bars / Bronze - Team Portable Apparatus
• 1960: Gold - Individual All-Around, Team All-around, Floor Exercise / Silver - Uneven Bars, Balance Beam / Bronze - Vault
• 1964: Gold - Team All-around, Floor Exercise / Silver - Individual All-Around, Vault / Bronze - Uneven Bars, Balance Beam

Latynina was the first gymnast ever to earn a perfect score. Till Phelps broke her record in 2012, Latynina held the record for most Olympic medals (18).

 

#2 Usain Bolt - Track & Field, Jamaica

Credit: Associated Press

• 2008 - Gold: 100m, 200m, 4x100m
• 2012 - Gold: 100m, 200m, 4x100m
• 2016 - Gold: 100m, 200m, 4x100m

Bolt is a no-brainer on this list. Bolt ran in three races in three olympics. That's nine races. How many gold medals did he win? NINE. Sure, the Olympic Committee stripped Bolt's relay of their 2008 relay gold, but the race was held and Bolt led his team to gold. Bolt has a near flawless Olympic record, losing only once and it was in the qualifying rounds for the 200m in Beijing. 

 

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#1 Michael Phelps - Swimming, USA
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Reuters

• 2000: Did not place in 200m Butterfly
• 2004: Gold - 4x200m Freestyle relay, 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly, 200m Individual Medley, 400m Individual Medley, 4x100m Medley relay / Bronze - 200m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle relay
• 2008: Gold - 200m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle relay, 4x200m Freestyle relay, 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly, 200m Individual Medley, 400m Individual Medley, 4x100m Medley relay
• 2012: Gold - 4x200m Freestyle relay, 100m Butterfly, 200m Individual Medley, 4x100m Medley relay / Silver - 4x100, Freestyle relay, 200m Butterfly
• 2016: Gold - 4x100, Freestyle relay, 200, Butterfly, 4x200m Freestyle relay, 200m Individual Medley, 4x100m Medley relay / Silver - 100m Butterfly

Top 5 MLB Players of All Time

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Top 5 U.S. Summer Olympians of All Time

Top 5 U.S. Summer Olympians of All Time