Possessors of great talent, courage and discipline, Olympic and Paralympic athletes are an example for many of what can be achieved with effort and perseverance. Although, with qualifying all are considered winners, each one will give their best to obtain an Olympic medal.
Having culminated an Olympic cycle, with the celebration of the XV Paralympic Games in Rio 2016, join us to review who are the Olympic and Paralympic athletes who are part of history as the most successful
Michael Phelps: Nicknamed the «Baltimore Shark,» this American swimmer He is the winningest Olympian of all time with 28 medals, of which 23 are gold. Although he debuted at the 2000 Sydney Olympics without winning a medal, his status would rise to the level of legend at the 2008 Beijing Games when he won 8 medals, all gold; and recently he added 6 more at Rio 2016. A collection not to be ruled out, keep growing if he attends the Japan 2020 games.
Larisa Latýnina: with 18 Olympic medals, including 9 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze, obtained at the Olympic Games in Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964; and also, the honor of having achieved 14 of them in individual disciplines. This Soviet athlete of Ukrainian origin, she became the queen of artistic gymnastics and the most successful woman in the Olympic Games, thus inscribing her name among the legends of the Olympic sport.
Nikolai Andryanov: considered one of the greatest exponents of artistic gymnastics, throughout his Olympic career that spanned three games between Munich 1972 and Moscow 1980, managed to harvest a total of 15 medals, of which 7 were gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze. Although he passed away in 2011, he will also be remembered for his innovative technique, being one of the first to perform a triple jump.
For their part, among the Paralympic athletes, who have been an example of improvement and inspiration, we have:
Trischa Zorn: Coincidentally, the Paralympic sport also has its most successful athlete in swimming, because this American athlete, despite having a visual disability, In his career, he has 55 medals in 7 Paralympic Games, the last one he would win in the 2004 Athens Games. and so in 2012 he would enter the Paralympic sports hall of fame.
Robert Marson: one of the highest representatives of Paralympic sport for Italy, won 26 medals during his career between Japan 1964 and Toronto 1976, of which 16 are gold, 7 silver and 3 bronze, which would earn him his induction into the Paralympic sports hall of fame. With the added value of having achieved it by participating in athletics, swimming and fencing events on wheels.
Theresa Perales: Despite having suffered a neuropathy that took away the mobility in the lower part of his body, nothing prevented him from learning to swim; Y After completing his participation in the XV edition of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where he added a total of 4 medals, including one gold and 3 silver, he accumulates 26 Paralympic medals in his record in a total of 5 games, he has participated representing Spain.
These athletes have set the bar very high when it comes to Olympic and Paralympic sport, their achievements undoubtedly inspire and will continue to inspire new generations of athletes, who are sure to achieve even greater feats.