Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and Léon Marchand. These athletes, along with numerous other world-class competitors, have joined the ranks of those whose names are etched in Olympic history.
Last year, during the summer games in Paris, records were shattered — sometimes by a split second and other times by more.
When it was over, the United States topped the charts, walking away with 126 medals — 40 gold, 44 silver and 42 bronze — and broke six world records. China came in second with a total of 91 medals, tying with the United States at 40 gold but earning only 27 silver and 24 bronze.
The following are six of the hundreds of athletes who put their heart and soul into a lifelong pursuit of representing their country on the grandest stage in sports.
Simone Sizzles On The Mat
Gymnast Simone Biles took one silver and three gold medals at the Paris Olympics. Her Olympic career gold total now stands at seven, along with two silver and two bronze. Biles is the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history, overtaking fellow Team USA gymnastics star Shannon Miller.
Biles, 27, began her gymnastics career at the age of 6. Ten years later, she earned two gold medals at the Antwerp Championship, a qualification event for the Olympics. At that time, she introduced the world to what has become known as “the Biles,” a double layout with a half twist. Since then, she’s introduced four other moves on the floor, vault and balance beam, including “the Biles II” — a triple-double that includes two flips and three twists.
She took four World Championships in 2014 and another four in 2015 before her first Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. There, she won gold in the all-around, team, vault and floor exercises and a bronze on the balance beam.
In 2020, Biles stepped away from competition, withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics due to “the twisties” — a mental block that causes gymnasts to lose track of their position midair — and cited a need to focus on her mental health. She returned that year to earn bronze on the balance beam but took a break until her comeback in Paris.
Ledecky’s On Deck
Katie Ledecky made a splash in the swimming world in 2012 at the age of 15, winning gold in London in the 800-meter freestyle. Since then, she has become an Olympic champion at every distance — from 200 meters to 1500 meters.
Ledecky’s love of swimming began when she was 6 years old. Her mother also swam in college, and Ledecky’s prowess in the water earned her a scholarship to Stanford University.
During her time there, she won eight National Collegiate Athletic Association titles and set 15 NCAA records.
Her first taste of the Olympics came in 2012 in London, where she won her first gold in the 800-meter freestyle by defeating reigning world champion Kate Ziegler. Four years later in Rio, Ledecky took home four gold and a silver. In Tokyo, she won gold in the 1500-meter freestyle in the first year the event was offered to women. She also won a gold in the 800-meter freestyle, along with two silver medals in the 400-meter freestyle and the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
But it was in Paris where Ledecky, 27, truly cemented her place in history. Not only is she the most decorated American swimmer, but she also smashed several world records, including beating her own Tokyo record to claim her second 1500-meter freestyle gold medal with a time of 15:30.02.
Gabby’s Got It Going On
“Get up each day and run your race.” That’s what Gabby Thomas told graduates at her alma mater, Williston Northampton School, during her commencement speech to the Class of 2022.
One of the fastest female runners in the world, Thomas, 27, took home three gold medals from the 2024 Paris Olympics, adding to the medals she collected from the Tokyo Games.
Born in 1996 in Atlanta and raised in Northampton, Mass., Thomas says she struggled with both running and math growing up. It was her math teacher and track coach, Martha McCullagh, whom she credits with helping her overcome her academic and athletic challenges.
Thomas attended Harvard University, earning her undergraduate degree in neurobiology and global health while running track.
During her time at the Ivy League university, Thomas won 22 conference titles in six different events and set school and Ivy League records in the 100-meter, 200-meter and indoor 60-meter races. She competed in the Tokyo Olympics, earning a bronze in the 200-meter race and helped the United States win silver in the 4x100-meter relay.
In Paris, she became the second American track and field athlete to win three gold medals in a single Olympics.
Durant Dunks His Way To Fame
Many fans know him as the “Slim Reaper,” but Kevin Durant is also one of the few U.S. male basketball players to compete in three or more Olympics — and he has the gold medals to prove it. Four, in fact.
The Phoenix Suns forward began playing basketball at the age of 10. At 6-foot-11, he literally grew into the role. Durant played for the Texas Longhorns in college and was drafted by the NBA in 2007 by the Seattle SuperSonics — which later became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He remained with the team until 2016 when he joined the Golden State Warriors. He stayed for a couple of years before moving to the Brooklyn Nets, where he played from 2019 to 2023. Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2023.
The now 36-year-old has been known to break a record or two. During the 2012 Games in London, he scored 34 three-point field goals, doubling the previous U.S. record of 17. During those same games, he broke the Team USA record by scoring 156 total points, 15 of which came in the final game against France. The previous record of 145 was set by Spencer Haywood in 1968. And in the 2024 Games, Durant became the first and only four-time gold medalist in men’s basketball.
Medina Makes Waves
Brazilian surfing star Gabriel Medina began hanging ten at the age of 8. By the time he was 11, he won The Rip Curl GromSearch, an international series of events for young surfers.
His stepfather, Charlie, an amateur surfer, helped fuel Medina’s passion. In 2011, at the age of 17, he became the youngest Brazilian surfer to join the World Surf League Championship Tour. Three years later, he made history, becoming the first Brazilian surfer to win the World Championships. He repeated the feat in 2018 and 2021. In between those championships, Medina, 30, competed in the Tokyo Olympics but didn’t medal, finishing in fourth place.
Like other Olympic athletes, Medina has felt the pressure of the competition. Between 2021 and 2022, he took a break to focus on his mental health.
During round three of the men’s surfing competition at the 2024 Olympics in French Polynesia, Medina earned the highest single-wave score in Olympic history. He exited the barrel hands up in the air, knowing he had just nailed it. Although he didn’t take gold — he took bronze — Medina captured the hearts of many fans.
Marchand Stoked To Stroke
When you think of Olympic swimmers, Michael Phelps is likely the first who comes to mind. But in France, it’s Léon Marchand. And it’s no wonder that he’s a four-time gold medal winner - his coach is none other than Phelps’ former trainer, Bob Bowman.
But swimming also is in his genes. His father, Xavier Marchand, competed in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. His mother, Céline Bonnet, is also a former Olympic swimmer who competed in the 1992 Summer Games in Spain.
Marchand, 22, started swimming at the age of 6. By the time he was 12, he began to train seriously. In 2019, at 17, he won the French 200-meter butterfly title. A few months later, he secured bronze in the 400-meter medley at the Junior World Championships in Budapest.
In December 2020, he won two gold medals at the French Swimming Championships, taking titles in the 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter medley. In 2021, he moved to the United States to attend Arizona State University, where he trained under Bowman.
At the Paris Olympics, Marchand finished with the most gold medals among individual participants, with four. He tied for winning the second-most total medals, with five (four gold and one bronze) breaking four Olympic records.
For his efforts, Marchand was chosen to carry the Olympic flame during the closing ceremony.
Money To Be Made
While the International Olympic Committee does not award money to those who win medals, many countries reward their athletes with bonuses. Gold medal winners from the United States receive $38,000, while silver medalists take home $23,000 and bronze medalists earn $15,000.
Of course, many athletes also go on to earn money through endorsements and fees for speaking engagements. For example, according to Forbes, Biles made $7.1 million in 2023 alone, with $7 million coming from endorsements and the rest from gymnastics.
Ledecky’s net worth is estimated at around $5 million, and she commands speaking fees ranging from $20,000 to $50,000, depending on the nature and location of the engagement.
Even after they retire, many Olympic athletes continue to endorse products, coach or become sports commentators.