The Most Decorated U.S. Winter Olympians in History
Another record-breaker just made the list at the Milan games.
The 2026 Milan Winter Olympics have nearly come to a head, with historic moments like figure skater Ilia Malinin’s quadruple axel, Italy setting a new medal record, and skier Lindsey Vonn’s fall that had audiences’ jaws dropping. With a current total of 19 medals won by the United States, we can’t help but wonder which Olympians, in current and past games, have contributed to the winning count in spades.
Therefore, we did some digging to find out which American athletes have won the most medals in the winter series. Keep reading to learn which competitors have risen to glory, and which sport is seemingly taking the lead in the most medals won by one Olympian during the winter games (Hint: It’s speedskating).
Apolo Anton Ohno
SPORT: Short-Track Speedskating
MEDAL COUNT: 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze
YEARS COMPETED: 2002, 2006, 2010
Retired short-track speedskater Apollo Anton Ohno is an eight-time medalist and was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019. The Washington native received gold in the 1,500-meter race and silver in the 1,000-meter race at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ohno then placed gold in the 500-meter, bronze in the 1,000-meter, and another bronze in the 5,000-meter relay at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. At the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, he won an additional silver in the 1,500-meter, a bronze in the 1,000-meter, and another bronze in the 5,000-meter relay. He currently holds the record of the most decorated American winter Olympian in history.
Bonnie Blair
SPORT: Speedskating
MEDAL COUNT: 5 Gold, 1 Bronze
YEARS COMPETED: 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994
Illinois native Bonnie Blair first showcased her speedskating talents at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics. However, it wasn’t until the 1988 Calgary Olympics that she took the gold in the 500-meter race and bronze in the 1,000-meter race. By the time the closing ceremonies came around, Blair was deemed the only U.S. double medal winner. The athlete then competed in the 1992 Albertville and 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, where she won four gold medals in the 500- and 1,000-meter races.
Elana Meyers Taylor
SPORT: Bobsledding
MEDAL COUNT: 1 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze
YEARS COMPETED: 2010, 2014, 2018, 2026
If you’ve been following the recent 2026 Milan games, you’d know that Taylor just tied Blair for the most Winter Olympics medals won by an American woman after winning her sixth gold medal in monobob. In Beijing 2022, the professional bobsledder took home the silver in monobob and bronze in two-woman bobsled. In PyeongChang 2018 and Sochi 2014, Taylor won the silver in two-woman bobsled. Her first-ever medal stemmed from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, where she won the bronze in two-woman bobsled.
Eric Heiden
SPORT: Speedskating
MEDAL COUNT: 5 Gold
YEARS COMPETED: 1976, 1980
Speedskater Eric Heiden, from Wisconsin, competed in the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Games, where he finished in 7th place in the 1,500-meter and 19th place in the 5,000-meter. The competitor then achieved a milestone at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Games, becoming the first person in history to win five gold medals in the same Olympic Games. Heiden won all five speedskating events and even broke the world record in the 10,000-meter race by 6.20 seconds.
Shaun White
SPORT: Snowboarding
MEDAL COUNT: 3 Gold
YEARS COMPETED: 2006, 2010, 2018, 2022
Shaun White, from San Diego, California, is one of the most well-known snowboarders in the world after competing in four Olympic Winter Games. White won back-to-back gold medals at the 2006 Turin Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Olympics for his runs during the men’s halfpipe event. He then added another gold medal to his resume for the same event in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games.
Chad Hedrick
SPORT: Speedskating
MEDAL COUNT: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
YEARS COMPETED: 2006, 2010
Texas native Chad Hedrick specialized in long-distance speedskating, and it was initially predicted that he would break Eric Heiden’s gold-medal streak. Although that record wasn’t broken at the 2006 Torino Olympics, Hedrick won gold in the 5,000-meter race, bronze in the 1,500-meter race, and silver in the 10,000-meter race. During the 2010 Vancouver Games, he added a silver medal in the team pursuit and a bronze in the 1,000-meter race.
Olivia is a writer and content creator interested in food, beauty, entertainment, and fashion with a B.A. in Communications and Political Science. When Olivia isn’t typing away or reading Barnes & Noble’s latest psychological thriller, she can be found lying on the beach, binge-watching One Tree Hill, or sitting on a flight headed to her next travel destination.
