Rio Olympics 2016: which universities produced the most gold medal winners?
Want to become a degree-holding Olympic gold medal winner? Tommaso Grant finds out which institutions might be right for you
Tommaso Grant
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After the culmination of the Rio Olympics, the eyes of most people will have been drawn to the official international medal table. A great deal has been made of the remarkable rise of Team GB, who finished second in the table behind the US.
Even more remarkable, perhaps, has been the performances of some of the world’s top universities in these Games, with many institutions producing a string of gold medal-winning athletes.
The tables below detail which universities can count the most 2016 Rio Olympics gold medal-winning athletes among their undergraduate alumni (not the total golds won). They are based on publicly available data, and include both people with an undergraduate degree from the named institution, and those currently studying towards one.
The top gold medal winners (scroll down for athletes, and lower ranked universities)
Rank | University | Country | Gold medal-winning athletes |
1 | Stanford University | US | 11 |
2 | University of California, Los Angeles | US | 7 |
2 | University of Florida | US | 7 |
4 | Loughborough University | UK | 6 |
4 | University of Southern California | US | 6 |
6 | University of Connecticut | US | 5 |
6 | University of Texas at Austin | US | 5 |
8 | University of Oregon | US | 4 |
8 | Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism | Russia | 4 |
10 | Griffith University | Australia | 3 |
10 | Tokai University | Japan | 3 |
10 | University of California, Berkeley | US | 3 |
The university podium
Gold: Stanford University (US)
Topping the university Olympic athlete table is Stanford University, thanks to the triumphs of current students such as swimmer Katie Ledecky and alumni such as Greece’s pole vault champion Ekaterina Stefanidi. Stanford had a golden Olympics and can lay claim to 16 gold medals across its 11 athlete students/alumni in 10 separate events.
If competing as its own nation, Stanford would have found itself eighth in the overall medal table, equalling France’s gold medal tally and beating the likes of South Korea, Italy and Australia. Not bad for a “nation” of only 16,000 students. Stanford can also take credit for having contributed to about 20 per cent of Team USA’s gold medals, not to mention a sizeable number of silvers and bronzes.
Joint silver: University of California, Los Angeles (US)
UCLA can count themselves as the second-best performing university at the Rio Olympics, with 10 gold medals by seven current or former students across five separate events, including the quadruple gold-winning gymnast Simone Biles.
This performance would see UCLA placed in the top 20 most successful Olympic nations for 2016, ahead of Canada and New Zealand.
Joint silver: University of Florida
An impressive performance from UF, which can claim seven gold medals among its bachelor's students and graduates.
Joint bronze: Loughborough University (UK)
The highest-placed British institution on the list, Loughborough University’s long-standing commitment to sporting excellence is already well known, and as such it can be of no surprise to anyone that the university performed so well at these Games.
As well as providing training facilities for numerous athletes such as Team GB’s Adam Peaty, students and alumni of the university brought back seven gold medals from three events. Several of these gold medal winners were members of the triumphant women’s hockey team, including shootout hero Maddie Hinch.
Joint bronze: University of Southern California (US)
In joint third on this list, USC can also lay claim to six gold medal-winning athletes, winning eight golds in total across eight different events.
USC boasts a number of multiple gold medal winners among its current and former students, including US runner Allyson Felix and Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu, who won two and three gold medals, respectively. Each of the top three best-performing US universities are in California, winning gold medals in 23 events and placing fourth in the official medal table, only three golds behind China.
The Rio Olympics 2016 university medal table in full
Medal winner | Country | University | Number of gold-winning athletes |
Simone Manuel | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Elle logan | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Maya DiRado | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Kate Ledecky | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Ekaterini Stefanidi | Greece | Stanford University | 11 |
Makenzie Fischer | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Ashley Grossman | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Kiley Neushul | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Melissa Seidemann | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Maggie Steffens | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Gabby Stone | US | Stanford University | 11 |
Sami Hill | US | University of California, Los Angeles | 7 |
Simone Biles | US | University of California, Los Angeles | 7 |
Rachel Fattal | US | University of California, Los Angeles | 7 |
Kodi Hill | US | University of California, Los Angeles | 7 |
Courtney Mathewson | US | University of California, Los Angeles | 7 |
KK Clark | US | University of California, Los Angeles | 7 |
Madison Kocian | US | University of California, Los Angeles | 7 |
Kerron Clement | US | University of Florida | 7 |
Christian Taylor | US | University of Florida | 7 |
Dana Vollmer | US | University of Florida | 7 |
Ryan Lochte | US | University of Florida | 7 |
Arman Hall | USA | University of Florida | 7 |
Tony McQuay | USA | University of Florida | 7 |
Caeleb Dressel | US | University of Florida | 7 |
Dalilah Muhammed | US | University of Southern California | 6 |
Katinka Hosszu | Hungary | University of Southern California | 6 |
DeMar DeRozan | US | University of Southern California | 6 |
Allyson Felix | US | University of Southern California | 6 |
Kami Craig | US | University of Southern California | 6 |
Kaleigh Gilchrist | US | University of Southern California | 6 |
Matt Gotrel | UK | Loughborough University | 6 |
Maddie Hinch | UK | Loughborough University | 6 |
Hannah Macleod | UK | Loughborough University | 6 |
Laura Unsworth | UK | Loughborough University | 6 |
Giselle Ansley | UK | Loughborough University | 6 |
Liam Heath | UK | Loughborough University | 6 |
Ryan Crouser | US | University of Texas at Austin | 6 |
Townley Haas | US | University of Texas at Austin | 6 |
Joseph Schooling | Singapore | University of Texas at Austin | 6 |
Courtney Okolo | USA | University of Texas at Austin | 6 |
Kevin Durant | US | University of Texas at Austin | 6 |
Michelle Carter | US | University of Texas at Austin | 6 |
Maya Moore | US | University of Connecticut | 5 |
Sue Bird | US | University of Connecticut | 5 |
Breanna Stewart | US | University of Connecticut | 5 |
Tina Charles | US | University of Connecticut | 5 |
Diana Taurasi | US | University of Connecticut | 5 |
Vlada Chigireva | Russia | Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism | 4 |
Maria Schurochkina | Russia | Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism | 4 |
Alla Shishkina | Russia | Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism | 4 |
Alexandra Patskevich | Russia | Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism | 4 |
Ryan Murphy | US | University of California, Berkeley | 4 |
Anthony Ervin | US | University of California, Berkeley | 4 |
Nathan Adrian | US | University of California, Berkeley | 4 |
Nathan Adrian | US | University of California, Berkeley | 4 |
Emma Mckeon | Australia | Griffith University | 3 |
Brittany Elsmlie | Australia | Griffith University | 3 |
Shannon Parry | Australia | Griffith University | 3 |
Mashu Baker | Japan | Tokai University | 3 |
Rie Kaneto | Japan | Tokai University | 3 |
Haruka Tachimoto | Japan | Tokai University | 3 |
Koji Yamamuro | Japan | Nippon Sport Science University | 3 |
Kohei Uchimura | Japan | Nippon Sport Science University | 3 |
Kenzo Shirai | Japan | Nippon Sport Science University | 3 |
Astier Nicholas | France | University of the West of England | 2 |
Pete Reed | UK | University of the West of England | 2 |
Georgie Twigg | UK | University of Bristol | 2 |
Hannah Mills | UK | University of Bristol | 2 |
English Gardner | US | University of Oregon | 2 |
Ashton Eaton | US | University of Oregon | 2 |
Tamika Catchings | US | University of Tennessee | 2 |
Tianna Bartoletta | US | University of Tennessee | 2 |
Derek Drouin | Canada | Indiana University (Bloomington) | 2 |
Lilly Kings | US | Indiana University (Bloomington) | 2 |
Draymond Green | US | Michigan State University | 2 |
Emily Regan | US | Michigan State University | 2 |
Shaunae Miller | Bahamas | University of Georgia | 2 |
Allison Schmitt | US | University of Georgia | 2 |
Niccolo Campriani | Italy | West Virginia University | 2 |
Virginia Thrasher | US | West Virginia University | 2 |
Emma Tonegato | Australia | Australian Catholic University | 2 |
Mack Horton | Australia | Australian Catholic University | 2 |
Nicole Beck | Australia | Charles Sturt University | 2 |
Alicia Quirk | Australia | Charles Sturt University | 2 |
Lisa Carrington | New Zealand | Massey University | 2 |
Hamish Bond | New Zealand | Massey University | 2 |
Mahe Drysdale | New Zealand | University of Auckland | 2 |
Peter Burling | New Zealand | University of Auckland | 2 |
DeMarcus Cousins | US | University of Kentucky | 2 |
Henri Jungahenel | Germany | University of Kentucky | 2 |
Kyle Snyder | US | Ohio State University | 2 |
Ilse Paulis | Netherlands | Ohio State University | 2 |
Mireia Belmonte | Spain | Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia | 2 |
Carolina Marin | Spain | Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia | 2 |
Andrija Prlainovic | Serbia | University of Belgrade | 2 |
Dusan Mandic | Serbia | University of Belgrade | 2 |
Seimone Augustus | US | Louisiana State University | 2 |
Sylvia Fowles | US | Louisiana State University | 2 |
Choi Mi-Sun | South Korea | Gwangju Womens University | 2 |
Ki Bo-Bae | South Korea | Gwangju Womens University | 2 |
Sophie Bray | UK | University of Birmingham | 2 |
Lily Owsly | UK | University of Birmingham | 2 |
Mo Farah | UK | St Mary’s University, Twickenham | 2 |
Mohamed Sbihi | UK | St Mary’s University, Twickenham | 2 |
Helen Glover | UK | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 1 |
Heather Stanning | UK | University of Bath | 1 |
Alex Gregory | UK | University of Reading | 1 |
Alistair Brownlee | UK | Leeds University | 1 |
George Nash | UK | University of Cambridge | 1 |
Constantine Louloudis | UK | University of Oxford | 1 |
Scott Durant | UK | Oxford Brookes University | 1 |
Tom Ransley | UK | University of York | 1 |
Andrew Triggs-Hodge | UK | Staffordshire University | 1 |
Paul Bennett | UK | King's College London | 1 |
Phelan Hill | UK | University of Leicester | 1 |
Saskia Clarke | UK | University of Chichester | 1 |
Helen Maroulis | US | Missouri Baptist University | 1 |
Brianna Rollins | US | Clemson University | 1 |
Cody Miller | US | Duke University | 1 |
Kathleen Baker | US | Washington and Lee University | 1 |
Jeff Henderson | US | Florida Memorial University | 1 |
Katelin Snyder | US | University of Washington | 1 |
Amanda Polk | US | University of Notre Dame | 1 |
Lauren Schmetterling | US | Colgate University | 1 |
Amanda Elmore | US | University of Michigan | 1 |
Tessa Gobbo | US | Brown University | 1 |
Leah Smith | US | University of Virginia | 1 |
Kristin Stewart | US | University of Idaho | 1 |
Conor Dwyer | US | University of Iowa | 1 |
Ryan Held | US | North Carolina State University | 1 |
Catherine Skinner | Australia | RMIT University | 1 |
Emilee Cherry | Australia | University of Queensland | 1 |
Chloe Dalton | Australia | University of Sydney | 1 |
Gemma Etheridge | Australia | Queensland University of Technology | 1 |
Rosie Maclennan | Canada | University of Toronto | 1 |
Erica Wiebe | Canada | University of Calgary | 1 |
Shi Tingmao | China | SouthWestern University | 1 |
Sun Yang | China | Zhejiang University | 1 |
Xiang Yanmei | China | Central South University | 1 |
Liu Huixia | China | Beijing Sport University | 1 |
Kristine Sprehe | Germany | University of Oldenberg | 1 |
Sonke Rothenberger | Germany | Nijmeghen University | 1 |
Fabian Hambuchen | Germany | German Sports University Cologne | 1 |
Aliya Mustafina | Russia | Gubkin Russian State University | 1 |
Natalia Ischenko | Russia | Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University | 1 |
Kosuke Hagino | Japan | Toyo University | 1 |
Shohei Ono | Japan | Tenri University | 1 |
Eri Tosaka | Japan | Shigakkan University | 1 |
Emilie Andeol | France | UMNV | 1 |
Teddy Riner | France | Sciences Po | 1 |
Kevin Staut | France | University of Normandy | 1 |
Daniele Garozzo | Italy | University of Rome | 1 |
Maaike Head | Netherlands | Maatsricht University | 1 |
Marit Bouwmeester | Netherlands | Stenden University of Applied Sciences | 1 |
Ferry Weertman | Netherlands | Open University: Netherlands | 1 |
Aron Szilagyi | Hungary | Eotvos Lorand University | 1 |
Elaine Thompson | Jamaica | University of Technology Kingston | 1 |
Omar Mcleod | Jamaica | University of Arkansas | 1 |
Oscar Figueroa | Colombia | Santiago de Cali University | 1 |
Caterine Imbarguen | Colombia | Metropolitan University | 1 |
Lucas Tramer | Switzerland | University of Freiberg | 1 |
Mario Gyr | Switzerland | Lucerne University | 1 |
Anna Korakaki | Greece | University of Macedonia | 1 |
Eleftherious Petrounas | Greece | Athens University of Economic and Business | 1 |
Paula Pareto | Argentina | University of Buenos Aires | 1 |
Lucas Vila | Argentina | University of Palermo (Argentina) | 1 |
Mads Mensah Larsen | Denmark | University of Aalborg | 1 |
Wayde van Niekerk | South Africa | University of the Free State | 1 |
Caster Semenya | South Africa | University of Pretoria | 1 |
Oleg Vernyayev | Ukraine | Donetsk State Institute of Sport | 1 |
Anita Wlodarcyzk | Poland | PWM Poznan | 1 |
Nafissatou Thiam | Belgium | University of Liege | 1 |
Matej Toth | Slovakia | Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra | 1 |
Vladimir Khingegashvili | Georgia | LELP Gori State University | 1 |
Taha Akgul | Turkey | Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University | 1 |
Lukas Krpalek | Czech Republic | Czech University of Life Sciences Prague | 1 |
Ana Maria Branza | Romania | University of Craiova | 1 |
Simona Pop | Romania | Vasile Goldiș Western University of Arad | 1 |
Hsu Shu Ching | Taiwan | Khaosuing Medical University | 1 |
Jasa Veramalua | Fiji | Fiji National University | 1 |
Dilshod Nazarov | Tajikistan | Tajik Institute of Sports and Physical Culture | 1 |
Carmelo Anthony | US | Syracuse University | 1 |
Harrison Barnes | US | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 1 |
Jimmy Butler | US | Tyler Junior College | 1 |
Paul George | US | California State University | 1 |
Kyrie Irving | US | Boston University | 1 |
DeAndre Jordan | US | Texas A&M University | 1 |
Kyle Lowry | US | Vllanova University | 1 |
Klay Thompson | US | Washington State University | 1 |
Elene Delle Donne | US | University of Delaware | 1 |
Britney Griner | US | Baylor University | 1 |
Angel McGoughtry | US | University of Louiseville | 1 |
Lindsay Whalen | US | University of Minnesota | 1 |
Gwen Jorgensen | US | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 1 |
Tori Bowie | US | University of Southern Mississippi | 1 |
Ashlegh Johnson | US | Princeton University | 1 |
Connor Fields | US | University of Nevada | 1 |
Sam Quek | UK | Leeds Beckett University | 1 |
Kate Richardson-Walsh | UK | Brunel University London | 1 |
Helen Richardson-Walsh | UK | Open University | 1 |
Hollie Webb | UK | University of Sheffield | 1 |
Crista Cullen | UK | Trent University | 1 |
Sussanah Townsend | UK | University of Kent | 1 |
Nicola White | UK | Loughborough College | 1 |
Marina Sudakova | Russia | Russia State Trade-Economic University | 1 |
Roman Vlasov | Russia | Novosibirsk State Agricultural University | 1 |
Alexey Cherimisinov | Russia | Smolensk State Academy Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism | 1 |
Anastasia Bliznyuk | Russia | Lesgaft NSU, St Petersburg | 1 |
Artur Bakhmatkuzin | Russia | Bashkir Academy of Public Service and Administration | 1 |
Irrina Deriglasova | Russia | South-West State University | 1 |
Beslan Mudranov | Russia | Adyghe State University | 1 |
Eveny Tishchenko | Russia | Moscow State Mining University | 1 |
Laura Benkarth | Germany | Albert-Ludwig University | 1 |
Oh Hye Ri | South Korea | Konkuk University | 1 |
Park Sang Young | South Korea | Korea National Sport University | 1 |
Jing Jon-Oh | South Korea | Kyungnam University | 1 |
Inbee Park | South Korea | Kawngwoon University | 1 |
Natasha Hastings | USA | University of South Carolina | 1 |
LaShawn Merrit | USA | Carolina University | 1 |