New No. 1: Simone Biles becomes most decorated US Olympic gymnast of all time (2024)

Simone Biles was the gymnastics GOAT long before she arrived in Paris for the 2024 Olympics.

However, there are still names above her in the Olympic record books.

Biles is up to nine career Olympic medals following her gold medal win in the individual all-around Thursday.

Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.

Biles in Paris still has three more events on her schedule -- and three more opportunities to add to her medal collection.

Where does she rank among all gymnasts in Olympic history? Here's a look at the Olympians with the most gymnastics medals in each event:

Most Olympic gymnastics medals

Biles could rise as high as No. 2 in all-time women's Olympic gymnastics medals if she completes a sweep in Paris, but she's still not even halfway to the top spot.

Here are the men's and women's gymnasts with the most Olympic medals all-time:

Women's

  • Larisa Latynina, Soviet Union: 18 (9 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze)
  • Věra Čáslavská, Czechoslovakia: 11 (7 gold, 4 silver)
  • Ágnes Keleti, Hungary: 10 (5 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)
  • Polina Astakhova, Soviet Union: 10 (5 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze)
  • Nadia Comăneci, Romania: 9 (5 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)
  • Ludmilla Tourischeva, Soviet Union: 9 (4 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)
  • Simone Biles, United States: 9 (6 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)
  • Margit Korondi, Hungary: 8 (2 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze)
  • Sofia Muratova, Soviet Union: 8 (2 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze)

Team USA took two more medals Thursday after Simone Biles won gold and Suni Lee took bronze in the women’s individual all-around.

Men's

  • Nikolai Andrianov, Soviet Union: 15 (7 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze)
  • Boris Shakhlin, Soviet Union: 13 (7 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze)
  • Takashi Ono, Japan: 13 (5 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze)
  • Sawao Kato, Japan: 12 (8 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)
  • Alexei Nemov, Russia: 12 (4 gold, 2 silver, 6 bronze)
  • Viktor Chukarin, Soviet Union: 11 (7 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)
  • Akinori Nakayama, Japan: 10 (6 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
  • Vitaly Scherbo, Belarus/Unified Team: 10 (6 gold, 4 bronze)
  • Alexander Dityatin, Soviet Union: 10 (3 gold, 6 silver, 1 bronze)

Most Olympic individual all-around medals

Latynina is the only gymnast to win three individual all-around medals at the Olympics with two golds and one silver. Čáslavská is the only other women's gymnast to win multiple golds, while seven others have multiple medals in the event.

Japan's Sawao Kato and Kōhei Uchimura are the leading men in the event, having earned two golds and one silver apiece.

Most Olympic vault medals

Latynina leads all women with three Olympic vault medals, but Čáslavská is the only woman to win two golds on the apparatus.

Nikolai Andrianov is the only man with three Olympic vault medals, taking home two golds and a bronze.

2024 Paris OlympicsJul 27

Women's gymnastics at the 2024 Olympics: Full schedule, how to watch, TV and streaming channels

2024 Paris OlympicsJul 30

Redemption! Simone Biles, Team USA win gymnastics team gold

USA GymnasticsJul 30

WATCH: Team USA's gymnastics routines that clinched gold at the women's all-around final

Most Olympic floor exercise medals

Latynina earned three straight golds in the floor exercise from 1956 to 1964. No other woman's gymnast has three medals of any kind in the event.

Like vault, Andrianov is the only three-time Olympic medalist in the men's floor event.

Most Olympic balance beam medals

Biles (two bronze) and fellow American Shannon Miller (one gold, one silver) are among eight women to win multiple Olympic medals in balance beam. Biles has a chance to become the first three-time balance beam medalist in Paris.

Comăneci is the only woman with multiple gold medals in balance beam.

Most Olympic uneven bars medals

Astakhova, Svetlana Khorkina and Aliya Mustafina each won two gold medals in uneven bars.

Four other gymnasts have multiple Olympic medals in the event.

Most Olympic pommel horse medals

Great Britain's Max Whitlock jumped into the record books at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he won his second straight gold medal and third medal overall in pommel horse.

Boris Shakhlin, Miroslav Cerar and Zoltán Magyar also won back-to-back golds in the event during their careers.

Most Olympic rings medals

Albert Azaryan and Akinori Makayama have the most Olympic rings golds with two apiece.

Twelve others have multiple medals in the event.

Most Olympic parallel bars medals

Li Xiaopeng's three parallel bars medals are the most in Olympic history.

He is joined by Kato as the only gymnasts to win two golds in the event.

Most Olympic high bar medals

Fabian Hambüchen has the most high bar medals at the Olympics with three.

Takashi Ono and fellow Japanese gymnast Mitsuo Tsukahara have the most golds with two each.

Team USA’s Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Simone Biles started the women’s gymnastics team event with high scores on vault.

New No. 1: Simone Biles becomes most decorated US Olympic gymnast of all time (2024)

FAQs

New No. 1: Simone Biles becomes most decorated US Olympic gymnast of all time? ›

Biles is not far behind. In Paris, the 27-year-old has won gold in the all-around and team final, giving her six career gold medals and nine Olympic medals overall to become the most-decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast.

Who is the most decorated American gymnast in history? ›

Biles is the first American gymnast to win the sport's highest individual honor twice. Simone Biles has been to the mountaintop, but getting back to the summit is even harder.

Who is the most decorated female US Olympian of all time? ›

Team USA. With Nine Olympic Gold Medals and 14 Total, Katie Ledecky Becomes The Most Decorated U.S. Female Olympian.

Is Simone Biles Still the best gymnast in the world? ›

Simone Biles' second Olympic all-around gold leaves no doubt: She's greatest gymnast ever. The Olympic gold medal Simone Biles earned Thursday in the women's all-around was solid proof. Hard — and hard-won — evidence that Biles is the single greatest gymnast in history.

Why is Simone Biles the greatest gymnast of all time? ›

She is the third woman to capture more than one Olympic all-around title and the first to do so in non-consecutive Olympics. Biles now has six Olympic gold medals and nine medals total. Her tally of world and Olympic medals is a jaw-dropping 39 -- 29 of them gold.

Who is the most decorated athlete of all time Simone Biles? ›

Simone Biles has a total of 10 Olympic medals: 7 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze. At the Paris Olympics, Biles has picked up three gold medals in the vault, all-around and team events. At the Tokyo Olympics, Simone won a silver in the team event and a bronze on the balance beam.

Who is the best American female gymnast of all time? ›

Biles now has 6 gold medals in her Olympic career, the most of any U.S. gymnast, male or female. "That's what greatness is," announcer Rich Lerner said. "I can't believe it," Biles mouthed after finishing her routine. Biles' U.S. teammate, Suni Lee, took home the bronze.

Who is the greatest gymnast right now? ›

Simone Biles wins Olympic individual all-around gymnastics title Biles, who won gold earlier this week as part of the team all-around final, now has six Olympic gold medals (plus a silver and two bronze). Those nine Olympic medals are the most by any U.S. gymnast.

Who is the greatest Olympic gymnast? ›

Simone Biles shows why she is best gymnast of all time with comeback to win all-around gold in Paris. By Danielle Lerner, Staff writerUpdated Aug 1, 2024 1:47 p.m.

Did Simone Biles win anything? ›

Simone Biles wins Olympic gold with the vault named after her The Yurchenko double pike, the most difficult vault in women's gymnastics, was named after Biles when she first landed it in international competition in 2023. Now, it has won her an Olympic gold.

Who is the most decorated male American gymnast? ›

Hamm is the most successful American male gymnast in history, one of only two American gymnasts (along with Simone Biles) to win the all-around title at both the Olympics and the World Championships, and the only male American gymnast to do so.

Who is the most decorated athlete of all time? ›

Though it's been eight years since he competed at the Olympic level, Michael Phelps remains the most decorated Olympian of all-time in any sport, capturing an unrivaled 28 medals over his career.

Who was the first American woman gymnast to win gold? ›

While her peers were busy learning how to drive, 16-year-old gymnast Mary Lou Retton was making history at the 1984 Olympic Games. During a time when the sport was dominated by Eastern European countries, she became the first American woman to win a gold medal in individual all-around gymnastics.

What gymnast has been to the most Olympics? ›

Women have competed in artistic gymnastics at the Olympic Games since 1928. While many women artistic gymnasts have competed in multiple Olympic Games, only five have competed in at least four separate Games: Oksana Chusovitina (8), Daniele Hypólito (5), Olga Tass (4), Vanessa Ferrari (4), and Ellie Black (4).

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 6341

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.