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.

1

Simone Biles, Rio 2016

Four golds and a bronze in her first Olympics, at 19 years old.

2

Michael Phelps, Beijing 2008

Eight golds in eight events, seven of them in world-record time.

3

Jesse Owens, Berlin 1936

Golds in the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay in nine days.

4

Mark Spitz, Munich 1972

Seven swimming golds, all in world-record time, a record that stood 36 years.

5

Vitaly Scherbo, Barcelona 1992

Six gymnastics golds in a single Games, four of them on one day.

6

Carl Lewis, Los Angeles 1984

Four golds that matched Owens' 1936 programme event for event.

7

Usain Bolt, Beijing 2008

World records in the 100m, 200m and relay, the 100m set while easing up.

8

Nadia Comaneci, Montreal 1976

Seven perfect 10s and three golds at 14 years old.

9

Eric Heiden, Lake Placid 1980

Five individual speed skating golds, from 500m to 10,000m, in one Games.

10

Jim Thorpe, Stockholm 1912

Won both the pentathlon and the decathlon, reportedly in mismatched shoes.

11

Fanny Blankers-Koen, London 1948

Four track golds at 30, while a mother of two, in the first post-war Games.

12

Katie Ledecky, Rio 2016

Four golds and a silver, with the 800m won by more than eleven seconds.

13

Kristin Otto, Seoul 1988

Six swimming golds, the most by a woman at a single Games.

14

Aleksandr Dityatin, Moscow 1980

Eight medals in eight gymnastics events, still the record for one Games.

15

Emil Zatopek, Helsinki 1952

Won the 5,000m, the 10,000m and a marathon he had never run before.