Famous Olympians

Paul Elvstrom Sailing A Danish sailing legend, Paul Elvstrom won four Olympic gold medals over his 40-year Games career. Steve Redgrave Rowing Steve Redgrave was the first athlete to win gold medals at five successive Olympic Games in an endurance sport. Mia Hamm Football The most dominant women's football player of the 1990s, Mia Hamm has been an inspiration to young players around the world. Teresa Edwards Basketball Teresa Edwards holds the record as both the youngest and the oldest Olympic gold medallist in women’s Basketball. Mark Spitz Swimming One of the greatest swimmers of all time, Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the Munich 1972 Games, each in a world-record time. Maria Grozdeva Shooting Maria Grozdeva is among Bulgaria’s most successful athletes at the Olympics Games, winning a total of five medals in four Games. Carl Lewis Athletics One of only four Olympians to win nine gold medals, Carl Lewis was among the greatest Olympic idols of the 20th century. Darrell Pace Archery A four-time Olympian, Darrell Pace broke five Olympic records at the 1976 and 1984 Games and won two Individual titles. Sun Hee Lee Taekwondo Sun made history at Sydney 2000 by becoming the first Olympic Taekwondo champion. Yaping Deng Table Tennis Yaping Deng overcame her diminutive stature to dominate female table tennis during the 1990s. Olga Brusnikina Synchronised Swimming A synchronised swimmer since the age of nine, Brusnikina once said: ‘After so many years of training, I feel at home in the water. I'm used to living upside down.’ Jenny Thompson Swimming Jenny Thompson’s 12 Olympic medals make her the most successful female Olympian to ever compete in the pool. Ralf Schumann Shooting Ralf Schumann’s competitive shooting career began in 1977 and he was still competing at the highest level at Beijing 2008, 31 years later. Shirley Robertson Sailing Shirley Robertson is one of the greatest female Olympic sailors in history, competing in four Olympic Games. Elizabeta Oleniuc-Lipa Rowing The only rower to win Olympic gold medals 20 years apart, Elisabeta Oleniuc-Lipa represented Romania at six Olympic Games, winning at least one medal at each. Stephanie Cook Modern Pentathlon Stephanie Cook has the honour of being the first ever female Olympic gold medallist in Modern Pentathlon. Ryoko Tani Judo Ryoko Tani was only 16 years old when she won a silver medal in the 48kg event at Barcelona 1992. David Douillet Judo David Douillet’s amazing natural physique combined with his competitive nature translated into a glittering Olympic career in the Heavyweight event. Rechelle Hawkes Hockey Rechelle Hawkes made her Olympic debut at Seoul 1988 and won the first of three gold medals as Australia beat the Republic of Korea in the final. Dhyan Chand Hockey Dhyan Chand came to prominence with the Indian army team in 1926 before going on to score over 1,000 goals in a career spanning 22 years. Andrey Lavrov Handball Andrey Lavrov was the first three-time Olympic Handball champion and is the only athlete to have won Olympic gold medals for three different national teams. Anja Andersen Handball Widely considered to be among the best handball players of all time, Anja Andersen won a gold medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Alexander Moskalenko Trampoline Alexander Moskalenko won the first gold medal in men’s Trampoline when the discipline was added to the Olympics in 2000 – despite having retired four years earlier. Karen Cockburn Trampoline Karen Cockburn has won a medal at every Olympic Trampoline competition since its introduction in 2000. Steffi Graf Tennis This German tennis legend was ranked world number one for a record 378 weeks – just one of her many achievements. Nicholas Massu Tennis Nicholas Massu completed an impressive double at the Athens 2004 Games when he won both the Singles and Doubles competitions. Alina Kabaeva Gymnastics - Rhythmic Alina Kabaeva is one of the most decorated rhythmic gymnasts in the history of the discipline. Kate Allen Triathlon Kate Allen secured her place as an Olympic legend when she won the Triathlon at the Athens 2004 Games. Simon Whitfield Triathlon Simon Whitfield made history when he won the first Olympic men’s Triathlon event at Sydney 2000. Regla Torres Volleyball At 1.91m tall, Regla Torres seemed a natural for the sport of volleyball. Charles Kiraly Volleyball Regarded as one of the greatest volleyball players ever, Kiraly won Olympic gold medals in both of the sport’s disciplines. Brenda Villa Water Polo One of the most decorated players in the history of women’s water polo, Brenda Villa has won a medal at each of the three Water Polo competitions since 2000. Nikolai Andrianov Gymnastics - Artistic Before Michael Phelps’ heroics at Beijing 2008, Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov had tasted Olympic success more times than any other male athlete in history. Larissa Latynina Gymnastics - Artistic One of the greatest Olympians ever, Larissa Latynina won 18 medals between Melbourne 1956 and Tokyo 1964. Patrick Mboma Football Patrick Mboma led Cameroon on a thrilling and unexpected run during Sydney 2000 to take the men's Football gold medal. Ilona Elek Fencing Ilona Elek competed in her first Olympic Games at Berlin 1936 and took home a gold medal in the Foil event. Edoardo Mangiarotti Fencing The most decorated fencer in the history of the sport, Edoardo Mangiarotti won a record 13 medals in a 24-year Olympic Games career. Hans Günter Winkler Equestrian Hans Günter Winkler is the only jumper to ever wn five Olympic gold medals and one of only four athletes to compete and win medals at six Games. Reiner Klimke Equestrian Reiner Klimke's six gold and two bronze Dressage medals over six different Games make him the most decorated rider in Olympic history. Chen Yanqing Weightlifting Chen Yanqing was the first woman to win gold medals in Weightlifting in two consecutive Olympic Games. Blyth Tait Equestrian Blyth Tait competed in four Olympic Games, winning a total of four medals. Pyrros Dimas Weightlifting At the Barcelona 1992 Games the 20-year-old, competing in the 82.5kg weight class, won Greece’s first Olympic Weightlifting gold since 1904. Lis Hartel-Holst Equestrian Denmark’s Lis Hartel-Holst was a pioneer for women’s Dressage at the Olympic Games. Fu Mingxia Diving Fu Mingxia competed at Barcelona 1992 and became the youngest ever medal winner at the age of just 13. Irini Merleni Wrestling Irini Merleni became the first women’s Wrestling gold medal winner when the sport debuted on the Olympic programme at Athens 2004. Aleksandr Karelin Wrestling Aleksandr Karelin is one of only four male wrestlers to have won three Olympic gold medals. Gregory Louganis Diving Regarded as one of the greatest divers of all time, Gregory Louganis’ Olympic medals sit alongside 47 national championships and six world championships. Felicia Ballanger Cycling - Track A triple Olympic champion, Felicia Ballanger was among the strongest track sprinters of the 1990s. Jens Fiedler Cycling - Track Jens Fiedler’s five medals make him one of the most decorated Olympic cyclists of all time. Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel Cycling - Road Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel dominated women’s cycling during the 1990s, but had to wait until Sydney 2000 before landing her first Olympic gold medals. Paolo Bettini Cycling - Road Paolo Bettini of Italy won the men’s Individual Road Race at Athens 2004 to take his place among the greatest Olympic road cyclists of all time. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja Cycling - Mountain Bike A multiple European and World Championship winner, Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja won the women’s Mountain Bike competition at Athens 2004. Julien Absalon Cycling - Mountain Bike Julien Absalon is the only man to have won two gold medals in Olympic Mountain Bike. Anne-Caroline Chausson Cycling - BMX Anne-Caroline Chausson won the inaugural women’s Olympic BMX event at the Beijing 2008 Games. Maris Strombergs Cycling - BMX Maris Strombergs was the winner of the first ever men’s Olympic BMX event, which took place at the Beijing 2008 Games. Birgit Fischer Canoe Sprint Birgit Fischer’s achievements in kayaking makes her one of the greatest Olympians of all time. Gert Fredriksson Canoe Sprint The most successful male canoeist in history, Sweden’s Gert Fredriksson won a total of eight Olympic medals. Štěpánka Hilgertová Canoe Slalom Štěpánka Hilgertová has competed in the K1 event at five Olympic Games, winning gold medals at two of them. Peter and Pavol Hochschorner Canoe Slalom Twin brothers Pavol and Peter Hochschorner have won Olympic gold at three consecutive Olympic Games in the men's C2 Slalom event. Cassius Clay Boxing Before boxer Muhammad Ali became one of the most famous people in the world, he won gold in the Light Heavyweight event at the Rome 1960 Games. Teofilo Stevenson Boxing Teofilo Stevenson is one of only three men to win three Olympic Games Boxing gold medals, with triumphs in the Heavyweight division at consecutive Games. Natalie Cook Beach Volleyball Cook first competed in a Games at Atlanta 1996, with Kerri Pottharst. They became the first team to win an Olympic Beach Volleyball medal when they won bronze. Ricardo Santos Beach Volleyball Nicknamed ‘The Wall’, Ricardo Santos has won more medals than anyone else in men’s Beach Volleyball, marking him out as a true star. Michael Jordan Basketball Michael Jordan’s remarkable achievements throughout a long and illustrious career make him one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Zhang Ning Badminton Zhang Ning is a double Olympic gold medallist and the only player to win consecutive Badminton Singles titles at the Games. Alan Budikusuma Badminton Alan Budikusuma was among the leading badminton players in the world from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, picking up numerous titles including Olympic gold. Kim Soo-Nyung Archery Kim Soo-Nyung is recognised as one of the outstanding female archers of her generation and is the most decorated woman in the sport’s history. Fanny Blankers-Koen Athletics One of the finest all-round athletes in history, Fanny Blankers-Koen remains the only woman to win four Athletics gold medals at a single Olympic Games. Kyong Hyun Kim Taekwondo Kyong Hyun Kim won the inaugural +80kg Taekwondo event at the Sydney 2000 Games. Guoliang Lui Table Tennis Guoliang Lui broke into the Chinese national table tennis team at the age of just 15 and went on to become a double Olympic champion. Sarah and Karen Josephson Synchronised Swimming Identical twins Sarah and Karen Josephson won every synchronised swimming title available during their illustrious careers. Andras Balczo Modern Pentathlon Regarded as one of the greatest male pentathletes of all time, Andras Balczo won three Olympic gold medals as well as 10 World Championship titles. Natalia Lavrova Gymnastics - Rhythmic Natalia Lavrova was Russia's first rhythmic gymnast to win two Olympic gold medals. Dezső Gyarmati Water Polo Dezső Gyarmati is widely considered one of the greatest water polo players of all time.