Formiga, a 43-year-old Brazilian footballer, has made history by becoming the player with the most Olympic appearances. Since the event’s inception in 1996, the midfielder has made seven appearances and has appeared in every edition. She is, however, still a long way behind the overall leader.
Let’s take a look at the athletes that have made the most Olympic appearances:
d’Inzeo brothers- 8 Times Each
During their eight appearances, the indomitable brothers of Italian equestrianism were a regular presence on the podium. In 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1972, the two stole the show as a team, capturing one silver and three bronze medals.
Piero earned bronze in the solo event in Stockholm and silver in Rome, while Raimondo won silver and gold in 1956 and 1960, respectively. From 1948 to 1976, the pair competed in every Olympic Games.
Rajmond Debevec: 8 Times
Debevec, a Slovenian shooter, was the first recognized representative of his country at the Games. Rajmond had previously competed for Yugoslavia in two Olympic Games before going on to represent Slovenia in six more.
In Sydney, he won gold in the 50m rifle 3 positions, and eight years later, he won bronze. He finished his final Olympics with a bronze in the 50m prone event in London. From 1984 through 2012, he made eight straight appearances.
Paul Elvstrom: 8 Times
A sailing craze in Denmark Paul Elvstrom isn’t a slacker. The greatest Danish athlete of the twentieth century won four gold medals in eight Olympic appearances. In his first four Olympics, he won four gold medals, first in the Firefly-class in 1948 and then in the Finn class from 1952 through 1960.
Elvstrom also won 20 world titles and competed in the Olympics four times, in 1968, 1972, 1984, and 1988.
Francisco Boza: 8 Times
Boza of Peru is the only South American to have competed in eight or more Olympic Games. The shooter debuted at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and went on to compete in seven consecutive Olympics until the 2004 Athens event.
After a 12-year hiatus, he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics and served as Peru’s flag bearer. Despite his multiple appearances, he has only won one medal. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Boza took silver in the trap shooting event.
Josefa Idem Guerrini- 8 Times
Josefa Idem, a West German rower, began her Olympic career as a member of the West German rowing team. In 1984, she won bronze in the K-2 500m event. Following her marriage to Gugliemo Guerrini, she relocated to Italy.
Josefa earned four additional medals for Italy, all in the K-1 500m event. In 1996, the Olympic bronze medalist in canoeing was followed by gold in Sydney four years later. In both 2004 and 2008, she had to settle for second place. From 1984 to 2012, she competed in every Olympic Games.
Lesley Thompson: 8 Times
Lesley Thompson, a Canadian rower, has made eight appearances in two sets. She competed in every Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000, then returned for the last three. In those eight appearances, the 61-year-old has five medals, including a gold in the women’s eighth competition in 1992.
In Atlanta 1996 and London 2012, she won silver in the same event, and bronze in Sydney 2000. In 1984, she won a silver medal at the coxed four events in Los Angeles.
Nino Salukvadze: 9 Times
Nino began his career as a Soviet Union shooter at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. In the 25-meter pistol, she took gold, and in the 10-meter air pistol, she took silver. She competed for the Unified Team in the 1992 Olympics after the Soviet Union disintegrated, however, she did not win any medals. Nino competed in the Olympics for Georgia for the next six years, winning bronze in the 10-meter air pistol event in Beijing.
Nino was the lone Georgian shooter at the Tokyo Olympics, and the 52-year-old is currently the female athlete with the most Olympic appearances.
Afanasijs Kuzmins: 9 Times
Kuzmins, who is 74 years old, last competed in the Olympics in London in 2012. Since his first Olympic debut in 1976 in Montreal, Canada, he has come a long way. In the 25m rapid fire pistol, he finished fourth and then sixth four years later.
When he won gold in the 1988 Olympics, the Latvian shooter represented the Soviet Union. Four years later, he earned a silver medal for Latvia. From 1996 through 2012, he placed 10th, 8th, 14th, 13th, and 17th.
Hubert Raudaschl: 9 Times
From 1968 through 2000, Raudaschl made nine straight appearances. Raudaschl, an Austrian sailor, is one of the few athletes on this list to have competed in two Olympics in a row. During his nine outings from 1968 to 2000, he won two medals.
In 1968, one silver medal was awarded in the Finn Class. He won his second medal at the 1980 tournament in Moscow, where he placed second in the Star Class discipline.
Ian Millar: 10 Times
Ian Millar, a proud Canadian, holds the record for the most Olympic appearances. From 1972 through 2012, “Captain Canada,” as he is known in equestrian circles, competed in all but one Olympic Games, starting with the 1972 Munich edition. Due to the boycott, Millar did not compete in the 1980 edition.
The equestrian sensation has come agonizingly close to winning medals on multiple occasions, placing fourth and fifth in the team jumping event on two occasions. Millar’s only Olympic medal came in Beijing when he finished second in the team jumping competition.
