Greatest Olympic Athletes of All Time - Fan Voted Rankings 2026
Who are the greatest Olympic athletes of all time? 10,000 fans have voted - from Michael Phelps to Usain Bolt. See the full fan voted rankings at Ultimate Rankings.
Every four years, the world stops.
Different countries. Different sports. Different languages. But for two weeks, everyone watches the same thing.
The Olympics is the only sporting event on earth where a swimmer and a weightlifter and a gymnast and a sprinter can all be considered the greatest athlete in the world - on the same day.
At Ultimate Rankings, we asked 10,000 fans one question. Who are the greatest Olympic athletes of all time? The debate was enormous. The results were fascinating.
Here is what fans decided.
Greatest Olympic Athletes of All Time - Fan Voted Results
1. Michael Phelps — The Numbers Nobody Will Ever Match
Michael Phelps has 23 Olympic gold medals.
Stop and think about that number. 23 gold medals. The next closest person has 9.
● 23 Olympic gold medals — the most of any athlete in history by a massive margin
● 28 Olympic medals total across four Olympic Games (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012)
● Won 8 gold medals at a single Olympics in Beijing 2008 — the most by any athlete at one Games
● World record holder in multiple events simultaneously — something that had never happened before
● Retired as the most decorated Olympian in the history of the Games
Fans on Ultimate Rankings placed Phelps first by the widest margin of anyone on this list. One comment appeared more than any other: 'This record will never be broken in our lifetime.' It is hard to argue.
2. Usain Bolt — The Fastest Human Being Ever
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he crossed the finish line of the 100m final while looking to his side, slapping his chest, smiling. And he still broke the world record.
● 8 Olympic gold medals across three Olympic Games
● World record holder in both the 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19s) — both records still stand
● Three consecutive Olympic titles in both sprints — nobody had ever done this before
● His relay teams also broke world records — he made everyone around him faster
● Named the greatest sprinter in history by the International Association of Athletics Federations
3. Simone Biles — The Greatest Gymnast Who Ever Lived
Simone Biles has skills named after her. In gymnastics, when a move is so difficult and so new that nobody else has performed it, it gets named after the first person to do it in competition.
● 7 Olympic medals including 4 gold — the most by any American gymnast ever
● 37 World Championship medals — the most of any gymnast in history, male or female
● 4 gymnastics skills named after her — moves so difficult the governing body rated some at lower difficulty to stop others from attempting them
● Returned to competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics after withdrawing in Tokyo for mental health — won gold
● Considered by gymnastics coaches to be the most talented gymnast in the history of the sport
4. Jesse Owens — The Most Courageous Performance in Olympic History
Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
● 4 gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics — 100m, 200m, long jump, 4x100m relay
● Set three world records and tied another in a single afternoon during the 1935 Big Ten Championships
● His performance in Berlin was called by sportswriters 'the greatest individual performance in the history of the Games'
● Returned home to America to face racial segregation despite being the most celebrated athlete in the world
5. Nadia Comaneci — The First Perfect 10
In gymnastics, a perfect score is 10. It had never been given in an Olympic competition before 1976.
Nadia Comaneci was 14 years old when she became the first person to score a perfect 10 at the Olympics. Then she did it six more times at the same Games.
● 9 Olympic medals including 5 gold across two Olympic Games (1976 and 1980)
● First gymnast in Olympic history to receive a perfect score of 10
● The scoreboard at the 1976 Montreal Olympics was not programmed to show 10.00 — it showed 1.00 because nobody expected it
● Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century
6. Carl Lewis — The Complete Track Athlete
Carl Lewis won 9 Olympic gold medals across four different Olympic Games spanning.
At 35 years old, he won his fourth Olympic long jump gold medal.
● 9 Olympic gold medals — 100m, 200m, long jump, 4x100m across four Games
● His long jump world record of 8.87m set in 1991 stood for 23 years
● Matched Jesse Owens' achievement of four gold medals at a single Olympics in 1984
● Sports Illustrated named him the Olympian of the Century in 1999
7. Larisa Latynina — The Record Holder for 48 Years
Before Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history was a Soviet gymnast most people outside gymnastics had never heard of.
Larisa Latynina won 18 Olympic medals between 1956 and 1964.
● 18 Olympic medals — 9 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze
● Held the record for most Olympic medals of any athlete for 48 years — from 1964 until Michael Phelps broke it in 2012
● Won medals at three consecutive Olympics (1956, 1960, 1964)
● Competed in seven individual events at the 1960 Rome Olympics and won medals in all seven
Latynina held the all-time record for 48 years. That is how extraordinary her achievement was.
8. The Debate That Never Ends
Fans on Ultimate Rankings cannot agree on the remaining spots. Current contenders:
● Katie Ledecky — The most dominant female swimmer in history. Still competing and still breaking records.
● Mark Spitz — Won 7 gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The record Phelps was chasing.
● Eliud Kipchoge — Two Olympic marathon gold medals and the first person to run a marathon in under two hours.
● Serena Williams — Four Olympic gold medals. The greatest female tennis player in history.
Your vote decides. Head to Ultimate Rankings right now.
Your Vote Decides Who Is Greatest - Cast It Now
Is Phelps really number one? Should Bolt be higher? Does Simone Biles deserve the top spot?
Also read: "Who Are the Greatest Athletes of All Time? 10,000 Fans Have Voted — Here Are the Results" — Olympic legends meet athletes from every sport. See where Phelps, Bolt and Biles rank against the all-time greats.
Also read: "Best Boxers of All Time — 10,000 Fans Have Voted Muhammad Ali was also an Olympic champion. See where he ranks among boxing's greatest.
Cast your vote now at Ultimate Rankings
FAQ
Who is the greatest Olympic athlete of all time?
Based on fan votes at Ultimate Rankings, Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympic athlete of all time with 23 gold medals and 28 total medals — the most of any athlete in Olympic history by a huge margin.
Who has the most Olympic gold medals?
Michael Phelps holds the record with 23 Olympic gold medals. The next closest athlete has 9. His total medal count of 28 is also the highest ever. Fans on Ultimate Rankings rank him first by the widest margin of any athlete on the platform.
Is Usain Bolt the greatest sprinter ever?
Yes. Usain Bolt holds the world records in both the 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19s) and is the only sprinter to win both events at three consecutive Olympics. He is ranked second among the greatest Olympic athletes of all time by fans on Ultimate Rankings.
Why is Simone Biles considered the greatest gymnast?
Simone Biles has 4 gymnastics moves named after her — awarded when a move is so new and difficult that no one else has performed it in competition. She has 37 World Championship medals and 7 Olympic medals. Fans on Ultimate Rankings rank her third among the greatest Olympians ever.
Where can I vote for the greatest Olympic athlete of all time?
Cast your vote at Ultimate Rankings (ultimaterankings.com/sports) — the fan-powered platform where your vote updates live sports rankings every single day.