Paris 2024 Olympics: Who has won the most gold medals in athletics? What is Usain Bolt's Olympic medal tally?

Sprinting greats Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have etched their names in the history books with their extensive medal collection, but who has won the most Olympic medals in athletics? With contenders like Carl Lewis and Paavo Nurmi, we've listed the athletes with the most Olympic medals in athletics history as we now enjoy the Paris 2024 Games.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 20: Gold medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaica stands on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men's 4 x 100 meter Relay on Day 15 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 20, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Image credit: Getty Images

Track and field is stacked with exceptional athletes both past and present, though a distinguished few have achieved best-ever status with an outstanding Olympic medal count to show for it.

The athletics events represent the pinnacle of the Games. We run through the athletes with the most Olympic medals in track and field and their medal tallies...

USAIN BOLT (8)

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Bolt, the fastest man ever, was a show-stopper whenever he stepped on the starting line.

In 2008, the Jamaican first gained Olympic success in Beijing with emphatic wins over the 100m and 200m. Bolt also claimed gold in the 4x100m relay which was later stripped after his team-mate tested positive for a banned substance.

Bolt replicated his success in Beijing at the London 2012 Games, though this time, he and his 4x100m relay team set a world record in the 4x100m relay on their way to gold.

The legendary sprinter mirrored his performance in London by winning the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Bolt became the first and only sprinter to achieve an unprecedented triple-double, earning gold medals in the 100m and 200m at three consecutive Olympics.

The eight-time Olympic gold medallist ended his extraordinary career as the greatest sprinter ever.

Medal tally: Eight golds

SHELLY-ANN FRASER PRYCE (8)

Widely considered one of the sprinting greats, Fraser-Pryce is a three-time Olympic gold medallist with a personal best of 10.60s - making her the third-fastest woman in history.

At her debut Olympics in Beijing 2008, Fraser Pryce won the 100m title and successfully defended it four years later at the London Olympic Games in 2012.

Known for her explosive block starts, Fraser-Pryce earned a plethora of golds, silvers, and a bronze medal across four Olympic Games in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay, to bring her medal count to eight.

And with Fraser-Pryce heading to her fifth and final Olympics at the Paris 2024 Games, the "Pocket Rocket" could be set to build on her medal tally.

Medal tally: Three golds, four silvers, and one bronze

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce fährt nach Paris

Image credit: Getty Images

CARL LEWIS (10)

American sprinter, Lewis is the ultimate track and field performer. Lewis' achievements in the sprint events and the long jump branded him the "Sportsman of the Century".

Lewis achieved the unthinkable in his debut Olympic Games in 1984, taking the title in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and long jump - emulating the achievement of Jesse Owens in 1936.

The American was unlike any competitor, dominating the sprints and the field events. Lewis achieved five more Olympic golds and one silver medal in the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympics.

Medal tally: Nine golds and one silver

TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 07: Allyson Felix of Team United States poses with her medal after winning gold in the Women's 4x400m Relay final on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 07, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Image credit: Getty Images

Allyson Felix (11)

Allyson Felix is the most decorated woman in Olympic track and field history, earning a total of 11 medals across five consecutive Olympic Games.

Despite being 18, Felix made her mark in her debut Olympics in Athens 2004, earning a silver medal in the 200m. Four years later, in Beijing, she earned another silver medal in the 200m and a gold medal in the 4x400m relay.

Felix clinched three gold medals in the 200m, 4x100m, and the 4x400m relays at the London Olympics in 2012. This achievement made her the first American woman to win three golds at an Olympics since Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Olympic Games.

Most impressively, Felix proved herself to be a versatile sprinter by shifting to the 400m and earning a silver medal in the event at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

Felix earned two more gold medals in Rio and paired a gold with a bronze medal in Tokyo 2020, bringing her medal haul to 11 Olympic medals.

Medal tally: Seven golds, three silvers, and one bronze

Paavo Nurmi (12)

Finnish distance runner, Nurmi - often dubbed "The Phantom Finn", was a formidable athlete in the 1920s.

He is considered one of the greatest middle and long-distance runners in Olympic history, earning a historic 12 Olympic medals, including nine golds across three Olympic Games.

Nurmi's record for the most Olympic medals won in track and field history only scratches the surface of his incredible career. He also set a staggering 22 official world records at various distances between 1500m and 20km.

Now, 100 years on from his remarkable victories at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, his record number of five gold medals remains the most ever won by one athlete at a single Games in athletics history.

Nurmi's stunning record of 12 Olympic medals earned in athletics still stands today.

Medal tally: Nine golds and three silvers

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