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  • Sally Helm

10 Great British Olympians

Updated: Jun 28

1 Bradley Wiggins - Cycling

Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE became Britain's most decorated Olympian in 2016 with a total of 8 medals including 5 gold. Starting his Olympic career 16 years ago in Sydney with a bronze, 5 games later he won the same event this time with gold (again).

2 Steve Redgrave - Rowing

Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave CBE DL is a retired British rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He is regarded as one of Britain's greatest-ever Olympians, the most successful male rower in Olympic history, and the only man to have won gold medals at five Olympic Games in an endurance sport

3 Chris Hoy - Cycling

Chris Hoy MBE is a six-time Olympic champion. With a total of seven Olympic medals, six gold, and one silver, Hoy is the second most decorated Olympic cyclist of all time. With his three gold medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics, Hoy became Scotland's most successful Olympian, the first British athlete to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games since Henry Taylor in 1908, and the most successful Olympic cyclist of all time. Until yesterday Hoy had won more Olympic gold medals (six) than any other British athlete, and more total medals (seven) than any except fellow cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins ( who has 8 now ).

4 Mo Farah - Distance Runner

On the track, he mostly competes for over 5000 meters and 10,000 meters but has run competitively from 1500 meters to the marathon. He was a gold medalist in the 5000 m and 10,000 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, he won the 10,000 m gold medal even after falling early on in the race. He is the second man in history to win long-distance doubles at successive Olympics.


5 Jack Beresford - Rowing

Jack Beresford, CBE, was a British rower who won five medals at five Olympic Games in succession, an Olympic record in rowing which was not surpassed for 60 years. His record of winning five medals in five consecutive Olympic Games (three gold, two silver), was not matched until 1996 when Sir Steve Redgrave won his sixth Olympic medal at his fifth Olympic Games (five gold, one bronze). While the record has since been matched by others, it is yet to be beaten.

6 Sebastian Coe - Track and Field

Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, CH KBE FRIBA, former track and field athlete and British politician. As a middle-distance runner, Lord Coe won four Olympic medals, including the 1500-meter gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984.

7 Kelly Holmes - Track and Field

Dame Kelly Holmes, MBE, DBE is a retired British middle-distance athlete. Holmes specialized in the 800-meter and 1500-meter events and won a gold medal for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

8 Daley Thompson -Decathlon

Francis Morgan Ayodélé "Daley" Thompson, CBE, is an English former decathlete. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984 and broke the world record for the event four times.

9 Paulo Radmilovic - Swimming & Water Polo

Paolo Francesco Radmilovic was a Welsh water polo player and competitive swimmer of Croatian and Irish origin who represented Great Britain at four Summer Olympics. He won four Olympic titles in a 22-year Olympic career. He won four gold medals across three successive Olympic Games, a record which stood for a Great Britain Olympic athlete until broken by Sir Steve Redgrave when he won his fifth gold medal at Sydney in 2000. In 1928, he was the first person to compete for Britain at five Olympic Games, a record that would remain until surpassed by fencer Bill Hoskyns in 1976.

10 Mary Rand - Track and Field

Mary Denise Rand, MBE, former English track and field athlete, won the long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics by breaking the world record and became the first British female to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field.


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