The 15 Greatest Single-Games Performances in Olympic History
Two weeks of work, judged forever. Several of these hauls have never been matched, and one belonged to a first-timer.
1Simone Biles, Rio 2016Four golds and a bronze in her first Olympics, at 19 years old.
2Michael Phelps, Beijing 2008Eight golds in eight events, seven of them in world-record time.
3Jesse Owens, Berlin 1936Golds in the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay in nine days.
4Mark Spitz, Munich 1972Seven swimming golds, all in world-record time, a record that stood 36 years.
5Vitaly Scherbo, Barcelona 1992Six gymnastics golds in a single Games, four of them on one day.
6Carl Lewis, Los Angeles 1984Four golds that matched Owens' 1936 programme event for event.
7Usain Bolt, Beijing 2008World records in the 100m, 200m and relay, the 100m set while easing up.
8Nadia Comaneci, Montreal 1976Seven perfect 10s and three golds at 14 years old.
9Eric Heiden, Lake Placid 1980Five individual speed skating golds, from 500m to 10,000m, in one Games.
10Jim Thorpe, Stockholm 1912Won both the pentathlon and the decathlon, reportedly in mismatched shoes.
11Fanny Blankers-Koen, London 1948Four track golds at 30, while a mother of two, in the first post-war Games.
12Katie Ledecky, Rio 2016Four golds and a silver, with the 800m won by more than eleven seconds.
13Kristin Otto, Seoul 1988Six swimming golds, the most by a woman at a single Games.
14Aleksandr Dityatin, Moscow 1980Eight medals in eight gymnastics events, still the record for one Games.
15Emil Zatopek, Helsinki 1952Won the 5,000m, the 10,000m and a marathon he had never run before.
Comments
Mark Spitz won seven golds in Munich; four is the ceiling for a gymnast under the current event programme, and Rio 2016 reached it: https://youpick.best/articles/simone-biles-ranked-many-ways
