Olympians Who Excelled in Both Summer and Winter Sports
More than 100 Olympians have competed in both summer and winter sports over the years. However, only six remarkable athletes have won medals in two separate disciplines.
Historic Achievements
American Eddie Eagan was the first and is still the only one of these athletes to win gold medals in both categories. In 1920, Eagan earned a gold medal in boxing’s light-heavyweight division. Twelve years later, he became part of the four-man bobsled team that secured first place at the 1932 Winter Olympics.
American Eddie Eagan holds his trophy after winning an Olympic gold medal in boxing in 1920. Eagan is the only person in history to win Olympic gold medals in both a summer and winter sport. Bettmann/Getty ImagesA trophy is handed to American bobsledder Billy Fiske after his team won Olympic gold in the four-man event in 1932. Eagan is next to Fiske on the right. Only Eagan and Swedish figure skater Gillis Grafström have won golds in both Summer and Winter Olympics.Norwegian ski jumper Jacob Tullin Thams takes flight as he competes in the first-ever Winter Olympics in 1924. He won gold in the individual large-hill event.
In addition to Eddie Eagan, Thams also showcased his multifaceted abilities, winning a silver medal as part of a sailing crew at the 1936 Summer Games.
Christa Luding-Rothenburger is the only Olympian to medal in a summer and winter event in the same year. In 1988, while competing for East Germany, she won a gold and a silver in speed skating. The Asahi Shimbun/Getty ImagesMonths after medaling in speed skating, Luding-Rothenburger won a silver in track cycling at the Summer Games. She finished her career with five medals in all: four in speed skating and one in cycling. Mike Powell/Getty ImagesCanadian Clara Hughes races through the streets of Atlanta on her way to winning a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Games. She won two bronzes that year. Don Emmert/AFP/Getty ImagesHughes reacts after winning gold in the 5,000-meter speedskating event at the 2006 Winter Games. She won four medals in speedskating over three Olympics.American Lauryn Williams finishes just ahead of Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell during the 100-meter dash at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Williams took home the silver. She later added a gold medal in the 4×100 relay in 2012.Williams poses with Elana Meyers after they won silver in the two-woman bobsled in 2014.American Eddy Alvarez competes in a short-track relay race at the 2014 Winter Games. Alvarez and his teammates finished with a silver in the 5,000-meter event.Alvarez returned to the Olympics last year, but this time as a baseball player. He was an infielder for the US team that won silver and served as a flagbearer for Team USA during the opening ceremony in Tokyo.
