2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
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American swimmer Caeleb Dressel won his 8th gold medal on Saturday evening at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, tying names like American swimmers Jenny Thompson and Matt Biondi and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt with the 6th-most gold medals on the all-time list.
They all trail swimmer Michael Phelps, whose 23 gold medals is more-than-double anybody else in history.
In Paris on Saturday, Dressel swam the anchor leg of what wound up being a dominant American 400 free relay, splitting 47.53. The Americans won in 3:09.28 in spite of Australian Kyle Chalmers digging back almost a second on Dressel with his 46.59 anchor leg.
All 8 of Dressel’s Olympic medals are gold, which matches Bolt’s 8-0-0 tally. Ray Ewry, an American runner who competed on the US Olympic Teams in 1900, 1904, and 1908 in the standing long jump, high jump, and triple jump, also is 8-0-0. Prior to Michael Phelps in 2008, Ewry held the record for the most individual Olympic gold medals for 100 years.
Unlike Bolt and Ewry, though, Dressel’s 8 gold medals are not from just 8 events. Dressel’s lone blemishes are from the mixed 400 medley relay in Tokyo that placed 5th, and in the individual 100 free at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games where he placed 6th.
This was a triumphant return to the Olympics for Dressel in a new role for him as the free relay anchor – for most of his career, with the world’s best flat-start, he has served as the leadoff leg of relays.
After leaving the 2022 World Championships midway through the meet and going radio silent for almost a year with what we now know were mental health issues, Dressel has been slowly rebuilding to these Olympic Games.
He won the Olympic gold medal individually in the 100 free in Tokyo in 2020, but was 3rd at US Trials to earn just a relay spot in Paris. He still has several more opportunities for gold later in the meet – he will swim the 50 free and 100 fly individually, presumably a leg on the American 400 medley relay, and possibly a leg of the American mixed medley relay, both of which have strong chances for gold medals.
Dressel’s American teammate Katie Ledecky, with 7 Olympic gold medals, is expected to join the list later in the meet with wins in the 800 and 1500 frees, though after she added 2.5 seconds in the 400 free at least the 800 gains just shades of competitive doubt in spite of entering as the three-time defending champion.
German equestrian Isabell Werth, who is competing in a 7th Olympics, is the other 7-time gold medalist who is competing in these Games.
Olympic Athletes With 8 or More Gold Medals
Swimmers in bold.
| No. | Athlete | Nation | Sport | Years | Games | Gender | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Michael Phelps | United States | Swimming | 2004–2016 | Summer | M | 23 | 3 | 2 | 28 |
| 2 | Larisa Latynina | Soviet Union | Gymnastics | 1956–1964 | Summer | F | 9 | 5 | 4 | 18 |
| 3 | Paavo Nurmi | Finland | Athletics | 1920–1928 | Summer | M | 9 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | Mark Spitz | United States | Swimming | 1968–1972 | Summer | M | 9 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 5 | Carl Lewis | United States | Athletics | 1984–1996 | Summer | M | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| 6 | Marit Bjørgen | Norway | Cross-country skiing | 2002–2018 | Winter | F | 8 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
| 7 | Ole Einar Bjørndalen | Norway | Biathlon | 1998–2014 | Winter | M | 8 | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| 8 | Bjørn Dæhlie | Norway | Cross-country skiing | 1992–1998 | Winter | M | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| 8 | Birgit Fischer | East Germany/Germany | Canoeing | 1980-2004 | Summer | F | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| 10 | Sawao Kato | Japan | Gymnastics | 1968–1976 | Summer | M | 8 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 10 | Jenny Thompson | United States | Swimming | 1992–2004 | Summer | F | 8 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 12 | Matt Biondi | United States | Swimming | 1984–1992 | Summer | M | 8 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 13 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Athletics | 2008–2016 | Summer | M | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 13 | Ray Ewry | United States | Athletics | 1900–1908 | Summer | M | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 13 | Caeleb Dressel | United States | Swimming | 2016-2024 | Summer | M | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Bjørn Identity. All 3 Norwegians in the list have some version of the name Bjørn…
Caleb still has a shot at 2 more golds in the men’s 400m medley relay and the mixed medley relay if he is picked
Actually love to see that it’s not all swimming / T&F. I imagine in some circles Birgit Fischer is a legend
Natalie Coughlin and Dara Torres missing from the ’12’ group
Hope he gets 11 by the end of the Olympics (with men’s medley relay, mixed medley relay and 100 fly gold)
100% success rate
How many drug tests is that Carl Lewis failed?
Carl Lewis, the track and pool legend.