Paavo Nurmi

The Flying Finn, Paavo Nurmi, dominated distance running at three Olympics (1920–1928) with 9 gold and 3 silver medals—12 total—and set 22 official world records from 1500 meters to 20 kilometers. His 9 golds tie him with #2 Larisa Latynina for second-most golds on this list, and his 12-medal total is 4 more than the average of the top 5 athletes here. Nurmi's 2,500-meter indoor world record in 1924 stood for over a decade, showcasing his revolutionary training methods that outpaced #3 rivals of his era.