Which British Olympian has won the most gold medals?
Team GB has produced some dominant athletes and a number of Olympic greats in recent years
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Your support makes all the difference.From one gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta to 27 at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, it’s fair to say Great Britain have gone through a boom when it comes to sporting success on the world stage.
But behind the numbers there have been so many stories of sporting excellence from GB athletes, dating back to the first ever modern Olympic Games in 1896.
From Bradley Wiggins and Steve Redgrave to Katherine Grainger and Laura Kenny, Great Britain have also produced athletes who have shown consistency in dominating their sport over several Games, racking up the gold medals in the process.
Before the start of the Tokyo Olympics, Great Britain sat fourth on the all-time medal table with 261 golds, behind USA, Russia and Germany.
But which British athletes, among them, has won the most? Here are some of the greatest.
Who has won the most gold medals?
Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny lead the way with six gold medals each. The cycling greats have helped Great Britain dominate the velodrome since the turn of the century.
Hoy won three gold medals in Beijing in 2008, as well as one in Athens 2004 and two in London 2012, while Kenny won three golds in Rio to tie Hoy’s record in 2016, following his two from London 2012 and one in Beijing 2008.
Bradley Wiggins and rowing great Steve Redgrave both have five gold medals each, while Laura Kenny has won more gold medals than any other female British athlete with four.
Ben Ainslie, Mo Farah and Matthew Pinsent also have four each.
Who has won the most medals overall?
Wiggins has the most medals overall with eight, comprised of five golds, one silver and two bronze, collected across five appearances at the Olympics.
Katherine Grainger and, as of Tuesday, Charlotte Dujardin have won more medals than any other female British athlete with five. Grainger has one gold medal won in London 2012 and four silver medals, while Dujardin added a team dressage bronze medal to her three golds and a silver - and still has the chance to win more in the equestrian.
Which active athletes have won the most?
Jason Kenny has the opportunity to break a couple of records at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 33-year-old can move ahead of Chris Hoy if he wins his seventh gold medal in Tokyo, while he also is one medal short of Wiggins’ total of eight. Jason Kenny will be competing in three events in Tokyo, the men’s team sprint, the men’s sprint and the men’s keirin.
Laura Kenny could also equal or break Katherine Grainger’s record of five medals should she add to her collection in Tokyo. Laura Kenny will be competing in two events, the women’s omnium and women’s madison.
Dujardin could also take the record outright if she adds to her five medals.
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