18 Olympic medals — a record that stood for 48 years until Michael Phelps broke it at London 2012. The Soviet gymnast won nine gold medals across Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964, dominating women's gymnastics for nearly a decade. Her blend of technical perfection and expressive grace defined what artistic gymnastics aspired to be for generations. She remains the most decorated female Olympic athlete in history by total medals won.
Larisa Semyonovna Latynina was born in Kherson, Ukrainian SSR in 1934. She won 18 Olympic medals (nine gold, five silver, four bronze) across 1956, 1960 and 1964 — the most by any athlete in Olympic history until Michael Phelps surpassed it in 2012. She won 14 individual World Championship titles. Her gymnastics combined technical excellence with artistic expression in a style that dominated the sport for eight years. She was a member of the Soviet Communist Party and served as the gymnastics coach of the Soviet national team after retirement. She is the most decorated female Olympian in history.
Olympic Gold 9x
Career Honours
- Olympic Gold 9x
- Olympic Medals 18
- World Champion 9x