The Olympic Games bring together thousands of athletes from multiple sports disciplines every four years, but only a few return home with a medal. Winning an Olympic medal is the greatest achievement a professional athlete can achieve in his career and, as you can imagine, winning a good handful of them is something that exceeds anyone's expectations. In this article, we will discuss the Olympic facts about athletes who have the most consecutive Olympic gold medals.

Also Read: Olympic Facts: From Youngest to Oldest to most successful medalists and more

Olympic Facts: Most Consecutive Olympic Gold Medals

7. Paul Elvstrøm (Sailing) | 4 

Danish yachtsman, Paul Elvstrøm, who is considered the greatest sailor in Olympic history, dominated Finn-class sailing between 1948 and 1960. He is one of only three Olympians to win the same individual event four times in a row. Elvstrøm is also one of only four athletes to compete in eight or more editions of the Games. He was the first Olympic athlete to take individual golds in four consecutive Games.

Elvstrøm won the Firefly sailing class in 1948. This class evolved into the Finn monotype class, which Elvstrøm then won in 1952, 1956, and 1960. After being a reserve on the Danish team in 1964, he competed in 1968 and 1972. Although he did not win a medal, he did place fourth in the 1968 Star class competition.

6. Alfred Oerter (Discus Throw) | 4

An Olympic legend, American discus thrower Alfred Oerter was the first track and field athlete to win four successive Olympic titles, a feat since equaled only by Carl Lewis in the long jump.

Oerter took the four consecutive Olympic gold medals in the discus in 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968, setting a new Olympic record on each occasion, although he was never the favorite to win the event. His third victory in 1964 was remarkable for the fact that he overcame the handicap of neck and rib injuries, but still managed to set a career best.

Oerter retired after the Olympic Games of 1968 but returned to full-time competition in 1977 with the goal of making the 1980 Olympic Games and winning a fifth gold medal. His comeback was derailed by the 1980 Olympic boycott by the United States, but Oerter did post the longest throw in the world in 1980.

5. Carl Lewis (Long Jump) | 4

American former track and field athlete, Carl Lewis won four consecutive gold medals in the long jump at Los Angeles in 1984, Seoul in 1988, Barcelona in 1992, and Atlanta in 1996. 

Making his Olympic debut at the age of 23, Lewis won 10 medals, including eight golds, at the World Outdoor Championships. He is one of two athletes (the other being Paavo Nurmi) to win nine Olympic gold medals. Similarly, he is one of two (the other being Al Oerter) to win four golds in the same event. Lewis is now a full-time assistant coach at the University of Houston.

Also Read: 8 unbreakable Olympic records: Bolt, Phelps, Kim and more

4. Kaori Icho (Wrestling) | 4

Japanese freestyle wrestler Kaori Icho is the first female wrestler to win four consecutive Olympic gold medals, having won the event in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. Icho is also the first woman to win an individual gold medal in four straight Olympics, having started her historic run at the inaugural women's tournament in Athens in 2004. Multiple men have accomplished that feat, including American swimmer Michael Phelps.

Over the years, Icho had been a linchpin for Japan's historically dominant women's wrestling team. Ever since women's divisions were added to the Olympic wrestling program in 2004, she had earned gold in her weight class. In addition to her Olympic hardware, Icho has accrued 10 world titles and won 189 consecutive matches over a 13-year period from 2003-2016.

3. Katie Ledecky (Swimming) | 4

After winning the 800m freestyle event at the Paris 2024 Games, Katie Ledecky became the seventh Olympian to win four consecutive gold medals in the same event, and the second swimmer after Michael Phelps (who won the 200 IM in four consecutive Olympiads).

At the Paris 2024, Ledecky won her ninth gold medal and more deeply etched her name into the Olympic annals. She is now the most decorated female Olympian from the United States. Ledecky also ties with Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina for most Olympic gold medals won by a woman. Latynina won nine golds between 1956-1964.

2. Michael Phelps (Swimming) | 4

Michael Phelps is the first sportsperson to win four consecutive Olympic gold medals in the same event. He is an American former elite swimmer and the most successful and decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals. He has an all-time high for Olympic gold medals (23), Olympic gold medals at individual events (13), and Olympic medals at individual events (16). 

When Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, he smashed Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven first-place finishes at a single Olympic Games. At the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, Phelps won six gold and two bronze medals for a total of eight medals of any color at one of the Events. He won four gold and two silver medals at the 2012 London Summer Olympics and five gold and one silver medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.

Also Read: Top 10 athletes in the world with the most Olympic medals

1. Mijain Lopez (Wrestling) | 5 

Cuban great Mijain Lopez became the first athlete in history to win the most consecutive Olympic gold medals. He won the title in the Olympic event five times.

Superstar of Greco-Roman wrestling and already crowned Olympic champion in the 130kg class in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2021, Cuban Mijain Lopez has pulled off an unprecedented tour de force. By winning (6-0) his bout against Chile's Yasmani Acosta Fernandez in the Paris Olympics 2024 final, the wrestler validated his domination of the Olympic event for the fifth consecutive edition. A feat that no other wrestler has achieved in any discipline.

At the last Olympics, Lopez became the first male wrestler to win four Olympic gold medals when he dominated in the Tokyo Olympics, blowing through the field unscored upon in four matches. He gave up two points in four matches this time.

Competing on the grandest stage of them all, the Olympic Games, is an aspiration for athletes worldwide. Earning a single medal by getting ahead of the best around the world is a massive deal. But not just one win, imagine multiple medals in a single edition of Olympics? That's an extraordinary achievement.

For a nation like India, despite centuries of sporting heritage, this monumental feat has only been achieved by two athletes. 

Get ready to delve into the stats for most medals by an Indian in a single Olympics.

Read Also: Olympic Facts: Most Consecutive Olympic Gold Medals

Norman Pritchard: India's first Olympic medalist and multi-medal pioneer

• Sport: Athletics
• Olympic Edition: 1900 Paris Olympics
• Medals Won: 2
• Event: Men's 200m sprint, Men's 200m hurdles

Hailing from Kolkata, West Bengal, Norman Pritchard was a British-Indian athlete who marked India's debut in the Olympic Games with huge success. He not only holds the record of being the first-ever Olympic medalist from India, but also one of the only 2 athletes to win multiple medals in a single Olympics.

At the 1900 Paris Olympics, Pritchard secured two silver medals in athletics (Men's 200m and Men's 200m hurdles), setting the bar high and inspiring the future generations. His multi-medal success was the only standing record for over a century.

Read Also: Olympic Facts: From Youngest to Oldest to most successful medalists and more

Manu Bhaker: A modern-day multi medallist, 124 years later

• Sport: Shooting
• Olympic Edition: 2024 Paris Olympics
• Medals Won: 2
• Event: Women's 10m air pistol, Mixed 10m air pistol team

More than a century after Pritchard's historic record, 2024 Paris Olympics witnessed another extraordinary individual brilliance from an young Indian athlete. Manu Bhaker, a professional shooter from Haryana, stunned everyone with her multi-medal feat.

Bhaker became the second Indian athlete to win multiple medals in a single Olympics with her 2 Bronze medals in shooting. She won the first one at an individual event (Women's 10m air pistol) and the second one alongside Sarabjot Singh in mixed 10m air pistol team.

Acknowledging the nuance regarding Pritchard's British roots and the ongoing debate about his nationality despite the IOC crediting India, Manu Bhaker is widely considered the first Indian athlete in the post-independence era to win most medals in a single Olympics.

Wherever Neeraj Chopra goes, he does not return empty-handed. This series started in 2016 when this rising star made a record for the first time at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships. From that day itself, we got a glimpse of the future to come, in which many records were to be made and broken one after the other.

On Friday night of 16 May, Neeraj maintained the same trend in Doha Diamond League 2025 and got his name registered in history, becoming the first Indian to breach the 90m mark in the sport. So, it's time we take a look at every Neeraj Chopra records that he has made in his tremendous career so far.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

Every Neeraj Chopra records you should know

• First Indian to breach the 90m mark: Neeraj Chopra’s best throw is 90.23m, achieved at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, 2025. The mark stands as the men’s national record in India and Neeraj Chopra’s personal best. It was the first time an Indian had breached the 90m-mark in the javelin.
• First Indian to win Olympic medal in athletics: At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Neeraj Chopra produced a historic performance in the men's javelin throw event. Neeraj won the gold medal in the final with a throw of 87.58m, giving India its first Olympic medal in athletics. With this win, Neeraj Chopra also became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track and field event at the Olympics.
• First Indian to win silver at World Athletics Championships: Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a historic silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. He recorded a throw of 88.13m in his fourth attempt to claim the second spot. Chopra thus is the first Indian to win a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships and only the second medallist from the country after Anju Bobby George in 2003.
• First Indian track and field athlete to win world championship: Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. With this win, the then 18-year-old Neeraj became the first Indian track and field athlete to become a world champion in any event and any age level.
• First Indian World Record holder in track & field: Neeraj Chopra Threw 86.48m at the junior championships in Poland to win the title. With this, he set the new under-20 world record, beating the 84.69m mark established by the previous holder, Latvia's Zigismunds Sirmais. Neeraj’s 86.48m attempt at Bydgoszcz still stands as both the U20 world record as well as the U20 Asian record in the javelin throw.
• Indian national javelin throw record holder: Neeraj Chopra’s best attempt to date came at the Stockholm Diamond League 2022 in Sweden on June 30, 2022, where he managed his personal best of 89.94m to establish the new national record.
• First Indian to win javelin throw gold at Asian Games: Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian javelin thrower to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. Before him, Gurtej Singh was the only men’s javelin thrower from the country to win a medal – bronze at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games. Neeraj threw  88.06m to claim the 2018 Asian Games title.
• First Indian to win a Diamond League meet: Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a Diamond League meet after he topped the field in Lausanne in 2022. With a depleted field that had world champion Anderson Peters missing, the Indian comfortably led the charts with an 89.08m throw, in his first attempt. 
• First Indian to become Diamond League champion: Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian athlete in history to clinch the Diamond League trophy, by winning the Zurich Diamond League 2022 Final. The Indian ace recorded a best throw of 88.44m to beat Tokyo 2020 silver medallist and 2016 champion Jakub Vadlejch to the title.
• First Indian to become world champion: Neeraj Chopra became India's first world champion after he clinched the gold medal in the men's javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest with an effort of 88.17m. It was Neeraj Chopra's second straight medal at the world championships after his silver at Oregon 2022.

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's Olympic medal tally by every edition

Neeraj Chopra Records: Best throws at major competitions

Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra bettered his throw of 89.94m with a season-best throw of 90.23m at the at the Doha Diamond League 2025. After this, he became the first Indian to breach the 90m mark in the sport.

Read Also: Every Neeraj Chopra Records You Should Know 

Despite the historic achievement, Chopra missed out on the top podium spot at the Doha Diamond League, where Germany’s Julian Weber stole the show with a massive throw. Chopra’s previous best was 89.94m, set on June 30, 2022, at the Stockholm Diamond League — a mark that stood as both his personal best and the men’s national record.

Neeraj achieved his target

• Neeraj Chopra’s best throw is 90.23m, achieved at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, 2025. The mark stands as the men’s national record in India and Neeraj Chopra’s personal best.
• The second-best throw of Neeraj Chopra's career is 89.94m. Neeraj had thrown this throw in the Stockholm Diamond League on 30 June 2022. This throw is a national record and one of Neeraj Chopra's best throws.
• Neeraj Chopra's third-best throw of 89.49m came at the Lausanne Diamond League 2024This is Chopra's best throw ever at a global championship and his third-best overall.
• Neeraj Chopra's fourth-best throw in javelin throw came at Paris Olympics 2024 where he bagged the silver medal with an 89.45m throw. 
• His fifth best throw came in Paavo Nurmi Games in 2022 where he went close to that 90m mark once again.
• In the Lausanne Diamond League 2022, held in the month of August, Neeraj Chopra had thrown the sixth-best throw of his career. Neeraj had thrown the javelin 89.08 meters.
• Neeraj's seventh-best throw came in the Asian Games 2023 held in Hangzhou. In this round, Neeraj had achieved a distance of 88.88m.
• Neeraj Chopra's eighth-best throw came in the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest. In this competition which was held on August 25, 2023, Neeraj showed excellent performance and achieved a distance of 88.77m.
  

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's Olympic medal tally by every edition

Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom expressed disappointment over the poor performance of Indian boxers in the Paris Olympics 2024. She said that being a medal winner, it is natural that she feels bad.

Also Read: Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

India had sent a team of six boxers to the Paris 2024, which included two men and four women. It also included Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain and world champion Nikhat Zareen.

Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing

Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing, stating, "I am planning to make a comeback.I will try to make a comeback in pro-boxing." In the same event, she shared her happiness in participating in sports-promoting events but remained concerned about India's performance at the Olympics. 

'We will assess what needs to be done'

Mary Kom told IANS during the Army Sports Conclave, "Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal in the 2024 Olympics. We will assess what needs to be done moving forward and what shouldn’t be done,"

India's boxing campaign was disappointing 

Lovlina (women's 75kg) missed out on a historic second medal at the Paris Olympics and lost to China's Li Qian in the quarterfinals. At the same time, in the men's 71 kg category, Nishant Dev had reached the quarter-finals, but he had to face defeat from Marco Verde of Mexico.

Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (women's 50kg), Commonwealth Games champion Amit Panghal (men's 51kg) and Preeti Pawar (women's 54kg) lost in the round of 16 in their respective categories. Jasmine Lamboria (women's 57 kg) was eliminated in the round of 32. Overall, India's Paris Olympics boxing campaign was disappointing.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

"As a world champion and medallist myself, its natural to feel disappointed. We'll focus on more practice and hard work for the upcoming tournaments," Mary Kom added.

Only three boxers achieved olympic medal

Notably, so far only three Indian boxers have won medals in the Olympics – Vijender Singh (bronze in Beijing 2008), Mary Kom (bronze in London 2012) and Lovlina Borgohain (bronze in Tokyo 2020).

A lot of instances have seen cricket being differentiated from other sports. Especially, in South Asian countries, where cricket rules a fraternity, "sports" look doomed. An established "Cricket versus Sports" league is not a 2-month long tournament. It's an age-long duel with apparent results. But, is cricket guilty?

If we look back, Cricket was not as big as it is now. Restricted within the allies of a colonized country, cricket was just a time pass. 36 years to Independence, but a famous singer (Lata Mangeshkar) had to arrange a charity musical show to gather prize money for the 1983 World Cup Winners.

India gained some confidence since then. the biggest boost came after the win in the inaugurating T20 World Cup Win. 2007, 24the September, exactly 20 years back, the seed of the cash-rich league got sown. 

Indian Premier League, started in 2008, is the biggest source of money earning for BCCI. Keeping aside BCCI, the neighbouring cricketing nations have their cricket board more powerful than the other boards. But is this a fault of Cricket?

"Athletes" ignites the fire of "Cricket versus Sport" League

India won its second T20I World Cup after ending its 11 years of drought. The fans who were frustrated for a decade finally got one thing to celebrate. The Marine Drive got flooded with people. The Wankahde Stadium showed all its suppresed love to the team.

Felicitations came from their respective state governments. BCCI provided a huge lump of prize money to the players and the support staff.

But this has triggered athletes from different sports. Names like Chirag Shetty and Saina Nehwal came into the limelight criticizing the sport. When Shetty wanted equal recognition for India's win in the last Uber Cup, Saina went a step ahead. Her view was simple- people wouldn't even hate cricket even if she did so. But, why would someone hate cricket?

This is not a once or twice-told story. This widespread competition with cricket is not new. But is cricket a foe to other sports? Here are a few stories of "influence" and "idolization" in the recent past, not only from India but from neighbors too.

Sri Lanka Cricket funded CWG participating athletes.

The pre-2022 Commonwealth Games has seen an economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Not just economic, but the life on the island was distressed. The then Prime Minister Rajadhakshya fled from the country. Sri Lanka since its independence faced their record crisis.

The country fell short of food and fuel. The pandemic had already hit the Sports authorities. The crisis increased the hardships. They ran out of money. The situation was so pathetic that the boards couldn't manage transport to send the accessories to the athletes

At a point, the country thought of withdrawing its name from the Birmingham CWG. But at that very moment, Sri Lanka Cricket stepped in.

The board contributed 22 million Sri Lankan Rupees to the athletes participating. They hosted Australia and gathered the amount, despite the fears of the crowd ruining it.

Cricket Sri Lanka tried to cover all the funds. However, the athletes still had limited athleisure. CWG authorities too came in help for the athletes. Sri Lanka finished the CWG Campaign with four medals (one silver and three bronze).

Pakistan Cricket Board- the unsung sponsor for Arshad Nadeem

The Paris Olympics Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem was initially an age-group cricket player, His focus later shifted to javelin through which Pakistan got its first medal after 1992.

Arshad Nadeem registered a monstrous throw of 92.97 metres sealing the gold for his country. Earlier he won the silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Budapest, with a throw of 87.82 meters. He gave Pakistan’s first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.

But what did Pakistan give him? ignorance! The Commonwealth champion earlier expressed that he has been using a javelin for the last 8 years. His bosom friend and admirer Neeraj Chopra from India tweeted, urging the Pakistan Government to buy Nadeem news javelins.

Nadeem hails from Punjab's Miyan Channu village. Struggling themselves, the villagers funded him for his Olympic campaign. Added, that it was the Pakistan Cricket Bard who sponsored him.

PCB also financed Nadeem and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt's air tickets.

Read also: A Bronze costs just USD 100: Trembling Future of Pakistan Hockey Team

BCCI's baby steps for Olympians

Earlier BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced financial aid for the Olympians.BCCI granted Rs. 8.5 Crores (approximately $1.03 million) to the Indian Olympic Association for their Olympics campaign.

Recently a new NCA (National Cricket Academy) is near completion. The old existing facilities at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city center will be upgraded to a multi-sport training facility.

Apart from the cricketers, it will open doors for the Olympians too. NCA will have new facilities that will let them train there.

The new facilities will have World-Class Playing Grounds will have:

• 45 Practice Pitches: A variety of pitches to cater to different training needs.
• Indoor Cricket Facilities: For year-round practice and skill development.
• Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool: To aid in recovery and cross-training for athletes.
• State-of-the-Art Training and Recovery Facilities: Equipped with the latest sports science technology to help athletes maintain peak physical condition and recover efficiently from injuries.

Cricketer- "athlete" collaboration

When one section came forward criticizing the fame, the other one took it handy to make their own.

Mahi's influence

Speaking about Swapnil Kusale, he himself mentioned that he doesn't follow any other sport apart from shooting. But he follows Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kusale, who is an Indian Railways employee is a ticket checker like Dhoni. It took him 12 years to feature in the Olympics. And take India's first ever 10m Rifle position 3 medal. The Asian Games Champion accepted that MS's calm personality helps him to stay calm in chaos.

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The Kohli aggression

One of the biggest heartbreak for any badminton fan was Lakshya Sen's exit from the Olympics without a medal. The Chinese Lee Zii Jia shattered Sen's bronze medal dream. 

But Sen's popularity is still unmatched in the sports arena. Even though he is "big," he still wants to "be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in coming years." In "The Ranveer Show" podcast he expressed his admiration for Kohli.

The other name that comes in the list is Nitesh Kumar. The Olympic Champion in the Men's Singles SL3 category is a Kohli fan. His winning celebration had some glimpses of Kohli's aggression.

But Nitesh's love for Kohli is not limited to celebrations. After succumbing to a deadly injury in Vizag, he started upgrading his badminton skills. Not only that, he delved himself into fitness, inspired by the 2013 version of Kohli.

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The Wall looks upon The Wall

Soon after retirement, Indian Men's Hockey team goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh was assigned to train the junior hockey team. The two-time Olympic Bronze medallist was delighted to get this role. he not only talked about the future prospects but did mentioned about Rahul Dravid.

"The Wall" of Indian Hockey looked upon "The Wall" of Indian Cricket when it came to coaching. The way Dravid devoted himself to training the cricketing juniors, Seejesh is looking forward to doing the same for his sports.

Read also: Hockey India decides to retire jersey No. 16 in honor of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

Cricket is another sport

The 2028 Olympics will feature Cricket after 128 years. The brand value of Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in the addition of cricket. But as Sunil Chhetri, the Indian former captain of Indian Football once said, Cricket excelling is great for that country. Then, how does that justify other sports not getting the "love" cricket gets?

How does that justify Chirag Shetty repeatedly slipping down on the court, in the Olympics quarterfinal, having his partner Sattwikraj Rankireddy as the lone warrior? 

How does that justify the associations not getting enough funds and definitely investing to find talent?

How does that justify archers failing to read the wind in bigger stages?

It's an open-ended question. Is it cricket the enemy, or the system? Is cricket actually an enemy or a friend in need?