Bjørn Dæhlie, of Norway, has won more gold medals than any other Winter Olympic athlete. He competed in three Olympic Games, from 1992 to 1998, winning eight gold medals. In all, Dæhlie won 12 medals, the most by any Winter Olympic athlete. In his first Olympic Games at Albertville, France, in 1992, he won three gold medals in the 50,000 meters, 10/15,000 meter-pursuit, and the 4 X 10,000 meter-relay. He also garnered a silver medal in the 30,000 meters and finished fourth in the 10,000 meters. At Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994, Dæhlie won two gold medals in the 10,000 meters and the 10/15,000 meter-pursuit, two silver medals in the 30,000 meters and the 4 X 10,000 meter-relay, and finished fourth in the 50,000 meters. In his final Olympic appearance in 1998, in Nagano, Japan, Dæhlie won three gold medals in the 10,000 meters, the 50,000 meters, and the 4 X 10,000 meter-relay, a silver medal in the 10/15,000 meter-pursuit, and finished 20th in the 30,000 meters.
Lidiya Skoblikova
Lidiya Skoblikova, of the former Soviet Union, ranks as the second highest Winter Olympic Games gold medalist. From 1960 to 1968, she won six gold medals in speed skating, the most by any speed skater. In all, Skoblikova garnered eight Olympic medals. In 1960, at Squaw Valley, California, she won two gold medals in the 1,500 meters and the 3,000 meters, establishing a world record of 2:25.2 in the 1,500 meters. At Innsbruck, Austria, in 1964, she led the Soviet team in gold medals by winning the 500 meters, 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters, and 3,000 meters, the most by any competitor in a single Winter Olympics until Eric Heiden, of the United States, garnered five in 1980. Skoblikova established Olympic records of 45.0 in the 500 meters, 1:33.2 in the 1,000 meters, and 2:22.4 in the 1,500 meters in 1964. In her final Olympics at Grenoble, France, in 1968, she failed to win a medal, instead finishing eighth in the 3,000 meters and 11th in the 1,500 meters.
Lyubov Yegorova
Lyubov Yegorova, of Russia, ranks third on the list of Winter Olympic gold medalists. From 1992 to 2002, she garnered six gold medals in cross-country skiing. With three silver medals, her total medal count is nine. Yegorova has won more gold medals than any other female cross-country skier. Only Dæhlie has won more gold medals in the discipline. At Albertville, in 1992, she won three gold medals in the 15,000 meters, 5/10,000 meter-pursuit, and the 4 X 5,000 meter-relay, and two silver medals in the 5,000 meters and the 30,000 meters. In 1994, at Lillehammer, Yegorova garnered three gold medals in the 5,000 meters, 5/10,000 meter-pursuit, and the 4 X 5,000 meter-relay, and a silver medal in the 15,000 meters. In her last Olympic appearance in 2002, at Salt Lake City, Utah, she finished fifth in the 10,000 meters, and 11th in the sprint.
Clas Thurnberg, of Finland, ranks as the fourth highest Winter Olympic Games gold medalist. From 1924 to 1928, he won five gold medals in speed skating. In all, Thurnberg garnered seven Olympic medals. Competing first in the Olympic Games in 1924, at Chamonix, France, Thurnberg won gold medals in the 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters, and the all-around. His victories in the 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters resulted in Olympic records of xxxxx. In 1928, at St. Moritz, Switzerland, Thurnberg won gold medals in the 500 meters and the 1,500 meters. The 500 meters resulted in a tie with Bernt Evensen, of Norway, with whom Thurnberg shared the Olympic record time, as both finished the distance in 43.4 seconds. That year, he finished 12th in the 5,000 meters.
Eric Heiden
Eric Heiden, of the United States, ranks as the fifth highest Winter Olympic Games gold medalist. In 1980, at Lake Placid, New York, he won five gold medals in speed skating, surpassing Lidiya Skoblikova, of the former Soviet Union, asthe winner of the most gold medals in a single Winter Olympic Games. Heiden first competed in the Olympic Games in 1976, at Innsbruck, where he finished seventh in the 1,500 meters and 19th in the 5,000 meters. At Lake Placid, however, he garnered gold medals in the 500 meters, 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters, and 10,000 meters. Heiden established Olympic records of 38.03 in the 500 meters, 1:15.18 in the 1,000 meters, 1:55.44 in the 1,500 meters, and 7:02.29 in the 5,000 meters. His winning time of 14:28.13 in the 10,000 meters resulted in a world record.
Bonnie Blair
Bonnie Blair, of the United States, ranks as the sixth highest Winter Olympic Games gold medalist. From 1984 to 1994, she garnered five gold medals in speed skating. In all, Blair collected six Olympic medals. Her first Olympic appearance at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) in 1984, resulted in an eighth place finish in the 500 meters. In 1988 at Calgary, Alberta, Blair won the gold medal in the 500 meters in the world record time of 39.10 seconds. That year she also garnered a bronze medal in the 1,000 meters. At Albertville, in 1992, she won two gold medals in the 500 meters and 1,000 meters. In the 1,500 meters, Blair finished a distant 21st. In 1994, at Lillehammer, she defended her gold medals in the 500 meters and 1,000 meters, and finished fourth in the 1,500 meters.
Larisa Lazutina, of Russia, ranks as the seventh highest Winter Olympic Games gold medalist. From 1992 to 2002, she collected five gold medals in cross-country skiing. In all, Lazutina has won seven Olympic medals. In her first Olympic Games in 1992, at Albertville, she won a gold medal in the 4 X 5,000 meter-relay. Lazutina also finished fifth in the 30,000 meters, seventh in the 5,000 meters, and eighth in the 5/10,000 meter-pursuit. At Lillehammer, in 1994, she duplicated her gold medal performance in the 4 X 5,000 meter-relay and finished fourth in the 5/10,000 meter-pursuit, fifth in the 15,000 meters, and sixth in the 5,000 meters. In 1998, at Nagano, Lazutina garnered three gold medals in the 5,000 meters, 5/10,000 meter-pursuit, and the 4 X 5,000 meter-relay. Additionally, she collected a silver medal in the 15,000 meters and a bronze medal in the 30,000 meters. At Salt Lake City, in 2002, Lazutina competed in the 10,000 meters, 15,000 meters, 30,000 meters, and the 5/10,000 meter-pursuit, but was disqualified from each for testing positive for the use of performance enhancing drugs.
Thomas Alsgaard
Thomas Alsgaard, of Norway, ranks as the eighth highest Winter Olympic Games gold medalist. From 1994 to 2002, he won five gold medals in cross-country skiing. In all, Alsgaard won six medals. First competing in the Olympic Games in 1994, at Lillehammer, he won a gold medal in the 30,000 meters, a silver medal in the 4 X 10,000 meter-relay, finished 24th in the 10,000 meters, but failed to finish the 10/15,000 meter-pursuit. At Nagano in 1998, Alsgaard won two gold medals in the 10/15,000 meter-pursuit and the 4 X 10,000 meter-relay, and finished fifth in the 10,000 meters, eighth in the 50,000 meters, and did not finish the 30,000 meters. In 2002, at Salt Lake City, he defended his gold medals in the 10/15,000 meter-pursuit and the 4 X 10,000 meter-relay and finished 12th in the 30,000 meters.
Ole Einar Bjørndalen
Ole Einar Bjørndalen, of Norway, ranks fifth among Winter Olympic medalists. From 1994 to 2006, he won five gold medals in the biathlon. In all, Bjørndalen garnered a total of nine Olympic medals, making him the most decorated male biathlete in the history of the Winter Olympics. In his first appearance in the Olympic Games in 1994, in Lillehammer, Bjørndalen finished seventh in the 4 X 7,500 meter-relay, 28th in the 10,000 meters sprint, and 38th in the 20,000 meters. At Nagano, in 1998, he won a gold medal in the 10,000 meters sprint, a silver medal in the 4 X 7,500 meter-relay, and finished seventh in the 20,000 meters. In 2002, at Salt Lake City, Bjørndalen won four gold medals in the 10,000 meters, 12,500 meter-pursuit, 20,000 meters and the 4 X 7,500 meter-relay, as well as finishing fifth in the 30,000 meters cross-country event. At Turin, Italy, in 2006, he won two silver medals in the 12,500 meter-pursuit, 20,000 meters, and a bronze medal in the 15,000 meters mass start.
Claudia Pechstein, of Germany, ranks sixth among Winter Olympic medalists. From 1992 to 2006, she won five gold medals in speed skating. In all, Pechstein collected a total of nine medals, making her the most decorated speed skater in Olympic history. Her first Olympic competition at Albertville, in 1992, resulted in winning a bronze medal in the 5,000 meters. In 1994, at Lillehammer, Pechstein won a gold medal in the 5,000 meters and a bronze medal in the 3,000 meters. At Nagano, in 1998, she won the gold medal in the 5,000 meters, establishing a world record of 6:59.61, a silver medal in the 3,000 meters, and finished seventh in the 1,500 meters. In 2002, at Salt Lake City, Pechstein won two gold medals in the 3,000 meters and in the 5,000 meters, both in the world record times of 3:57.70 and 6:46.91, respectively. Pechstein finished sixth in the 1,500 meters in 2002. At Turin, in 2006, she won a gold medal in the team pursuit, a silver medal in the 5,000 meters, and placed fifth in the 3,000 meters.
