With 41 Paralympic titles, this American swimmer has almost twice as many gold medals as Michael Phelps.
In the world of the Olympic Games, Michael Phelps is an unrivaled legend. A multi-medal monument whose record of 23 Olympic titles seems unattainable. The American swimmer, protégé of coach Bob Bowman, has always been on the podium in the Olympic races he has competed since the Athens Games in 2004 with only one exception, the 400m medley in London in 2012, where he finished 4th.
Yet Michael Phelps is not the most decorated athlete of all time. He is not even the most decorated American. Indeed, his compatriot Trischa Zorn has largely surpassed the Baltimore native’s 28 medals with 55 medals at the Paralympic Games, between 1980 and 2004. The Californian, now 60 years old, has also broken the record of eight titles at a single Olympics, with 10 gold medals in New York in 1984, 12 in Seoul in 1988 and 10 in Barcelona in 1992.
In total, Trischa Zorn won 41 Paralympic titles in swimming. Born with a genetic condition that left her blind, the Californian competed in the S12, SB12 and SM12 categories. Her career began at the 1980 Games in Arnhem, Netherlands. Aged just 16, Trischa Zorn won 7 gold medals in as many races.
This was the start of an impressive gold medal haul for her, as she would remain undefeated until the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona. Trischa Zorn’s career was also exceptional for its longevity. She won medals at every Paralympic Games she competed in, including a bronze in the 100m backstroke at the 2004 Athens Games when she was 40 years old.
Now a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Trischa Zorn remains close to the pool. In 2022, she joined the team at the University of Nebraska, where she studied, as a coach. Inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2012, Trischa Zorn should see her record of Olympic titles and medals continue for a long time to come.