Who has won the most Olympic medals in Summer Games history?

Michael Phelps has won the most Olympic medals in Summer Games history.

The American swimmer earned 28 Olympic medals between Athens 2004 and Rio de Janeiro 2016. His total includes 23 gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals, making him the most decorated Olympian overall.

Phelps specialized in events ranging from butterfly and individual medley races to freestyle and relay competitions. At Beijing 2008, he won eight gold medals, breaking Mark Spitz’s previous record of seven golds at one Games.

Phelps’s overall medal record is often mixed up with the record for Olympic gold medals at a single Games. His eight Beijing golds are a separate achievement from his career total of 28 medals. Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina previously held the overall medal record with 18 medals before Phelps surpassed her at the 2012 London Olympics. Phelps retired after Rio 2016, ending a four-Games Olympic career.