Most Individual Olympic Gold Medals

In many sports, Olympic gold is the ultimate goal. Winning the gold symbolizes being the very best in the world, making it the most coveted thing in the athletic universe. Many people have won Olympic gold over the years, but almost no one has captured it very often.

There are many opportunities to win gold in the Summer Olympic Games, but it takes a wide spectrum of talents to take home very many of them. Here are those select few who have succeeded the most:

Men:

14 - PHELPS, Michael (USA), aquatics, 2004-2008
9 - LEWIS, Carl (USA), athletics, 1984-1996
9 - NURMI, Paavo (FIN), athletics, 1920-1928
9 - SPITZ, Mark (USA), aquatics, 1968-1972
8 - BIONDI, Matthew (USA), aquatics, 1984-1992
8 - EWRY, Ray (USA), athletics, 1900-1908
8 - KATO, Sawao (JPN), gymnastics, 1968-1976

Women:

9 - LATYNINA, Larisa (URS), gymnastics, 1956-1964
8 - THOMPSON, Jenny (USA), aquatics, 1992-2004
8 - FISCHER-SCHMIDT, Birgit (GDR-GER), canoe / kayak, 1980-2004
7 - CASLAVSKA, Vera (TCH), gymnastics, 1960-1968
6 - OTTO, Kristin (GDR), aquatics, 1988

Source: olympic.org