Just the list for the hurried among us.
149 people have won gold in the same event in three Olympiads (152 occurences) : (listed in chronological order)
17 people have gone on for a fourth title (1, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26, 35, 42, 53, 60, 73, 81, 86, 97, 98, 106, 125)
Pál Kovács and Dr. Reiner Klimke have added a fifth title, but Aladár Gerevich holds the record with six Olympic titles in the same event (the Team Sabre), over a stretch of 28 years!
36 people achieved it in an individual event (1&2,
3, 4, 5,
11, 13, 14,
23, 24, 26,
33, 34, 35,
40, 48, 58,
60, 63, 66,
67, 73, 74,
75, 77, 78,
82, 92, 93,
96, 109, 110,
111, 112, 122,
126, 128, 133,
134).
Paul Elvstrøm, Al Oerter and
Carl Lewis have four individual titles.
Ray Ewry, Larissa Latynina and Jenny Thompson have achieved this remarkable feat in two events.
I did not want to include Tom Jager, who has three gold medals for the 4x100 m free-style. His first, in 1984, he received for swimming in the heats. I do not believe those medals are 'earned' and I did not include him in a first version of this list. J. Brian Carberry does include him and I follow suit. Jenny Thompson similarly has three gold medals for the 4x100 medley, so she was origianlly not twice on this list (she has always been included for the 4x100 free-style). Ian Crocker and Jason Lezak also have three gold medals for the medley relay, one of which was earned in the heats.
Ratko Rudic is not on this list but he should be. He was the coach of the gold winning teams of Waterpolo in 1984, 1988 (Yugoslavia) and 1992 (Italy). Coaches don't get gold medals.
Valentina Vezzali could easily have been twice on this list, but her event (the team foil) was scrapped in Athina - she won three individual titles though.
I am currently reviewing 2 people who may have to disappear from this list : Lilia Izquierdo Aguirre and Idalmis Gato Moya who did not play in Sydney, although they were certainly in the team at those games. It is not clear whether or not they received a gold medal for this.
J. Brian Carberry also keeps a list like this, he calls them 3-peaters. His list has only 142 entries (plus 3 doubles) since he does not list the 2 team members above, and he does not recognise five people who are in my list, but who have won their gold medals in different weight categories (13, 24, 48, 96, 111)
Finally, maybe Gigolo ought to be on this list as well.
Here are some further interesting statistics about this list.
not yet anyone
1) Track & Field Men / Standing Long Jump - 1900, 1904,
1906 (25/4), 1908
Ray Ewry
2) Track & Field Men / Standing High Jump - 1900, 1904, 1906 (1/5),
1908
Ray Ewry
3) Track & Field Men / Hammer Throw - 1900, 1904, 1908
(14/7)
John Flanagan
4) Track & Field Men / Discus Throw - 1904, 1906, 1908
(16/7)
Martin Sheridan
5) Track & Field Men / Javelin Throw - 1906, 1908, 1912
(6/7)
Eric Lemming
6) Water Polo - 1900, 1908, 1912 (16/7)
George Wilkinson (England)
7,8) Water Polo - 1908, 1912, 1920
Paul Radmilovic,
Charles Smith (England)
9,10) Gymnastics, Team - 1912 (Prescribed apparatuses), 1920 (European system),
1924
Giorgio Zampori,
Luigi Maiocco (Italy)
11) Figure Skating Men - 1920 (in Antwerpen !), 1924, 1928
Gillis Grafström
12) Rowing Men / Double Sculls - 1920, 1924, 1928
Paul Costello (nephew and partner in '20 and
'24 of John Kelly, father to Grace)
13) Wrestling Greco-Roman - 1920 (middleweight (-75 kg)),
1924 (light-heavyweight (-82,5 kg)), 1932 (heavyweight (+81 kg))
Carl Westergren
14) Figure Skating Women - 1928, 1932, 1936
Sonja Henie
15) Track & Field Men / 4x100 metres - 1928, 1932, 1936 (9/8)
Frank Wykoff (USA)
16,17) Hockey - 1928, 1932, 1936 (14/8)
Richard Allen,
Dhyan Chand Bais
(British-India)
18) Fencing Men / Sabre Team - 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960 (6 times)
Gerevich Aladár (Hungary)
19) Fencing Men / Sabre Team - 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960 (5 times)
Kovács Pál (Hungary)
20, 21) Fencing Men / Sabre Team - 1936, 1948, 1952
Berczelly Tibor,
Rajcsányi
László (Hungary)
22) Fencing Men / Epee Team - 1936, 1952, 1956 (28/11), 1960 (4 times)
Edoardo Mangiarotti (Italy)
23) Canoeing Men / 1000 m K1 - 1948, 1952, 1956 (1/12)
Gert Frederiksson
24) Boxing - 1948 (middleweight (-73kg)), 1952, 1956 (1/12)
(light middleweight (-71kg))
Papp László
25) Fencing Men / Sabre Team - 1948, 1952, 1956 (3/12), 1960 (4)
Kárpáti Rudolf (Hungary)
26) Yachting / Solo - 1948 (Firefly), 1952, 1956 (5/12), 1960 (Finnjoll)
(4 times)
Paul Elvstrøm (Denmark)
27,28,29,30) Hockey - 1948, 1952, 1956 (6/12)
Randhir Singh Gentle,
Leslie Walter Claudius,
Balbir Singh,
Rangananandhan Francis (India)
31,32) Fencing Men / Epee Team - 1952, 1956, 1960
Carlo Pavesi,
Giuseppe Delfino (Italy)
33) Swimming Women / 100 m Free-style - 1956, 1960, 1964 (13/10)
Dawn Fraser
34) Rowing / skiff - 1956, 1960, 1964 (15/10)
Vyacheslav Ivanov
35) Track & Field Men / Discus - 1956, 1960, 1964 (15/10), 1968 (4)
Alfred A Oerter Jr (USA)
36,37) Water polo - 1952, 1956, 1964 (18/10)
Gyarmati Deszö,
Kárpáti
György (Hungary)
38,39) Gymnastics Women / Team - 1956, 1960, 1964 (20/10)
Polina Astakhova,
Larissa Latynina
(Soviet-Union)
40) Gymnastics Women / Floor Exercises 1956, 1960, 1964 (23/10)
Larissa Latynina
41) Hockey - 1952, 1956, 1964 (23/10)
Udham Singh (India)
42) Equestrianism / Prix des Nations Team - 1956, 1960, 1964 (24/10), 1972
(4)
Hans-Günther Winkler (Germany)
43) Gymnastics Men / Team - 1960, 1964, 1968
Yukio Endo (Japan)
44,45,46,47) Ice Hockey - 1964, 1968, 1972
Vitali Davidov, Anatoli
Firsov, Viktor Kuzkin,
Alexander Ragulin (Soviet-Union)
48) Wrestling Free-style - 1964 (light-heavyweight (-97
kg)), 1968 (heavyweight (+97 kg)), 1972 (31/8)(super-heavyweight (+100 kg))
Oleksander Medvid
49,50,51) Fencing Women / Foil Team - 1960, 1968, 1972 (8/9)
Tatyana Samusenko-Petrenko,
Alexandra Sabelina, Galina
Goroshova (Soviet-Union)
52) Fencing Men / Epee Team - 1964, 1968, 1972 (9/9)
Kulcsár Gyözö (Hungary)
53) Biathlon Men / Team - 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980 (4)
Alexander Tikhonow (Russia)
54) Gymnastics Women / Team - 1968, 1972, 1976 (19/7)
Lyudmila Turishcheva (Soviet-Union)
55,56,57) Gymnastics Men / Team - 1968, 1972, 1976 (20/7)
Sawao Kato, Mitsuo
Tsukahara, Eizo Kenmotsu (Japan)
58) Diving Men / Highboard - 1968, 1972, 1976 (27/7)
Klaus Dibiasi
59) Fencing Women / Foil Team - 1968, 1972, 1976 (28/7)
Elena Belova-Novikova (Soviet-Union)
60) Equestrianism / Dressage Team - 1964, 1968, 1976 (29/7), 1984, 1988 (5)
Dr. Reiner Klimke (Germany)
61) Track & Field Men / Triple jump - 1968, 1972, 1976 (30/7)
Viktor Saneev
62) Figure Skating / Pairs - 1972 (with Ulanov), 1976, 1980 (18/2) (with
Zaitsev)
Irina Rodnina
63) Nordic Combination - 1972, 1976, 1980 (19/2)
Ulrich Wehling
64,65) Fencing / Sabre - team - 1968, 1976, 1980 (29/7)
Viktor Sidiak, Vladimir
Nazlymov (Soviet-Union)
66) Boxing / heavyweight - 1972, 1976, 1980 (2/8)
Teofilo Stevenson
67) Ice Hockey - 1972, 1976, 1984
Vladislav Tretiak (Soviet-Union)
68) Rowing Skiff - 1976, 1980, 1984 (5/8)
Pertti Karppinen
69) Canoeing - Canadian C2 1000 m - 1968, 1980, 1984 (11/8)
Ivan Patzaichin
no additions
70) Ice Hockey - 1984, 1988, 1992
Andrei Chomutov (Soviet-Union / CIS)
71,72) Swimming Men / 4 x 100 m free-style - 1984, 1988, 1992
Matt Biondi, Tom Jager
73) Track & Field Men / Long Jump - 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 (4)
Carl Lewis
74) Track & Field Women / 4x100m - 1984, 1988, 1992
Evelyn Ashford
75) Speed Skating Women / 500 m - 1988, 1992, 1994
Bonnie Blair
76) Weight-Lifting - 1988, 1992, 1996 (22/7)
Naim Suleymanoglu
77) Wrestling / Greco-Roman - 1988, 1992, 1996 (22/7)
Alexander Karelin
78) Swimming / 200 m back-stroke - 1988, 1992, 1996 (25/7)
Egerszegi Krisztina
79) Rowing / Coxless Two - 1988, 1992, 1996 (27/7)
Stephen Redgrave
80) Equestrianism / Dressage Team - 1988, 1992, 1996 (27/7)
Monica Theodorescu
81) Basketball / Women - 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000
Teresa Edwards
82) Luge / Men's singles - 1992, 1994, 1998
Georg Hackl
83,84) Nordic Skiing / 4x5km - 1992, 1994, 1998
Larissa Lazutina, Elena
Välbe
85) Nordic Skiing / 4x5km - 1988, 1994, 1998
Nina Gavriljuk
86) Biathlon / 4x7,5 km - 1992, 1994, 1998, 2006
Ricco Groß
87) Swimming / 4 x 100 m freestyle relay - 1984, 1992, 2000 (16/9)
Dara Torres
88) Swimming / 4 x 100 m freestyle relay - 1992, 1996, 2000 (16/9)
Jenny Thompson
89) Equestriansm / 3-day event, team - 1992, 1996, 2000 (19/9)
Andrew Hoy
90) Archery / Women's Team - 1988, 1992, 2000 (21/9)
Kim Soo-Nyung
91) Fencing / Women's Foil Team - 1992, 1996, 2000 (23/9)
Giovanna Trillini
92) Weightlifting - 1992, 1996, 2000 (23/9)
Piros Dimas
93) Track and Field, Javelin - 1992, 1996, 2000 (23/9)
Jan Zelezny
94) Swimming / 4 x 100 m medley relay - 1992, 1996, 2000 (23/9)
Jenny Thompson
95) Fencing - team Sabre - 1992, 1996, 2000 (24/9)
Stanislaw Pozdnyakov
96) Weightlifting - 1992, 1996, 2000 (24/9)
Akakios Kakiasvilis
97) Equestrianism, dressage, team - 1992, 1996, 2000 (26/9),
2008
Isabell Werth on
Gigolo
98) Equestrianism, jumping, team - 1988, 1996, 2000 (28/9),
2004
Ludger Beerbaum
99) Hockey, women - 1988, 1996, 2000 (29/9)
Rechelle Hawkes
100-105) Volleyball : 1992, 1996, 2000 (30/9)
Marleny Costa Blanco,
Mireya Luis Hernandez,
Lilia Izquierdo Aguirre,
Idalmis Gato Moya, Regla
Bell McKenzie, Regla Torres Herrera
106) Canoeing, women's K4 - 1988, 1996, 2000 (30/9), 2004
Birgit Fischer-Schmidt
107) Boxing : 1992, 1996, 2000 (30/9)
Felix Savon
108) Handball, men's team - 1988, 1992, 2000
Andrei Lavrov
109) Speed Skating, 5000 m - 1994, 1998, 2002
Claudia Pechstein
110) Judo, -60kg - 1996, 2000, 2004 (14/8)
Tadahiro Nomura
111) Weightlifting - (-56 kg) - 1996, 2000, 2004 (15/8)
Halil Mutlu
112) Shooting - Rapid-Fire Pistol - 1992, 1996, 2004
(21/8)
Ralf Schumann
113) Rowing - lightweight double sculls women - 1996, 2000, 2004 (22/8)
Constanta Burcica
114-117) Rowing - eights 1996, 2000, 2004 (22/8)
Elisabeta Lipa,
Liliana Gafencu, Doina
Ignat, Elena Georgescu
118-121) Softball - 1996, 2000, 2004 (23/8)
Lisa Fernandez, Leah
O'Brien-Amico, Laura Berg,
Lori Harrigan
122) Athletics - 50 km Walk 1996, 2000, 2004 (27/8)
Robert Korzeniowski
123-125) Basketball - women - 1996, 2000, 2004 (29/8)
Dawn Staley, Sheryl
Swoopes, Lisa Leslie
126) Alpine Skiing - Super-G - 1992, 2002, 2006
Kjetil-André Aamodt
127) Biathlon - 4 x 7.5 km - 1994, 1998, 2006
Sven Fischer
128) Fencing - women - Individual Foil - 2000, 2004, 2008
(11/8)
Valentina Vezzali
129,130) Canoe Slalom - C2 - 2000, 2004, 2008 (15/8)
Pavol Hochschorner, Peter
Hochschorner
131) Rowing - pairs - 2000, 2004, 2008 (16/8)
Georgeta (Andrunache-)Damian
132) Rowing - lightweight fours - 1996, 2004, 2008 (17/8)
Eskild Balschmidt Ebbesen
133,134) Swimming - 4x100m medley realy - 2000, 2004, 2008 (17/8)
Ian Crocker, Jason
Lezak
135) Equestrianism - Dressage individual - 2000, 2004,
2008 (19/8)
Anky Van Grunsven
136) Wrestling Freestyle -74 kg - 1996, 2004, 2008 (20/8)
Buvaysa Saytiev
137) Canoeing - K4 500 m women - 2000, 2004, 2008 (22/8)
Katrin Wagner-Augustin
138) Basketball - women - 2000, 2004, 2008 (23/8)
Katie Smith
139-144) Waterpolo men - 2000, 2004, 2008 (24/8)
Benedek Tibor, Kasas
Tamas, Szecsi Zoltan,
Kiss Gergely, Molnar
Tamas, Biros Peter
145-152) Ice Hockey women - 2002, 2006, 2010 (25/2)
Jayna Hefford, Jennifer
Botterill, Hayley Wickenheiser,
Becky Kellar, Cherie
Piper, Caroline Ouellette,
Colleen Sostorics, Kim
St-Pierre
Some other interesting statistics
People who have won more than three are included in all combinations.
I have compiled these lists by myself. I do not claim they are complete, but they have been checked in all possible sources, using complete listings, so they should be, barring oversights, complete. Errors are gladly corrected.
You should also check out how these people perform in my general Top-2400 of Olympians.
Check my Home Page for my other intrest (including two non-olympic Sports, Bridge and Cricket)
Written 1996-03-01 - last modified 2010-07-30
This page is part of the site "Full Olympians" by Herman De Wael. See here for a full Introduction.