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Five U.S. Olympians favored to win multiple gold medals
Simone Biles looks to lead the way for the U.S. women's gymnastics team in Rio. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Five U.S. Olympians favored to win multiple gold medals

With representation in just about every event and a history of garnering lots of hardware, it is anticipated that the USA will bring home quite a few medals from Rio de Janeiro in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games.

The odds are certainly in their favor. USA took home the most overall medals and the most gold medals — 46 golds out of a total 104 medals won, to be exact — in the previous Summer Olympics, which took place in London. Between individual and team competition, the expectation for more gold medals to come stateside is quite high.

Of course, some athletes are expected to bring home a couple extra shiny gold souvenirs. For some, that expectation stems from promising trials and world championships. For others, it is because of their track records in past Olympics.

Here are the top five representatives from Team USA who could bring home multiple gold medals in the Summer Games.

Simone Biles, Women’s Gymnastics

Being a first-time Olympian doesn’t seem to have an effect on the odds for the 19-year-old four-time national champion. While balance beam and floor are reportedly her strongest individual events, 4-foot-9 Biles is expected to be a driving force — along with returning Olympian Gabby Douglas — behind USA women’s gymnastics making multiple trips to the top of the medal podium.

Allyson Felix, Track and Field

Felix already has four gold medals and two silver medals under her belt, making her the most decorated female sprinter in U.S. history. What makes her participation in the 200-meter and 400-meter sprints in Rio even more impressive is that she is coming back from sustaining a right ankle injury in April. She told NBCOlympics.com about not letting an injury and slow recovery process get in the way of her dream of becoming the first woman to win a double:

“I set those goals a long time ago… I wanted to fight to be able to have that opportunity. I don’t know if I’ll ever have it again.”

LaShawn Merritt, Track and Field

After having to withdraw in the middle of qualifiers back in 2012 due to a hamstring injury, Merritt is looking to get back on the podium in his third consecutive trip to the Olympics. While he has plenty of international success, the sprinter has his sights set on getting another gold medal in the 400. He is also chasing history with the potential to win both the 400-meter and 200-meter races — something record-breaker Michael Johnson did in 1996.

Katie Ledecky, Swimming

She already has one gold medal to her name from the 2012 Summer Games and is building up a bit of pre-Games celebrity status, being featured on one of USA teammate Michael Phelps’ Facebook broadcasts. Now, the 19-year-old is “expected to walk away with a full collection of medals,” according to Swimming World Magazine. And understandably so, given that the young phenom holds the world record in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle, and is competing for golds in 200, 400 and 800 free. Phelps described Ledecky to Steve Keating of Reuters:

“Every time she gets in the water, it's like a world record, so she is improving so much and I think she is just trying to push that barrier…”

Michael Phelps, Swimming

Of course he is expected to bring home multiple gold medals. He has more medals than any other Olympian, ever. Now, with a retirement stint and couple years full of personal rough patches behind him, Phelps is expected to return to the podium and add to his haul of 22 medals — 18 of which are gold. Nothing but perfection is expected of his performances in the events he will compete in, both individual and team. The expectations are even higher still because Phelps swears that he really is retiring after these Summer Games, reportedly telling OregonLive.com: “This is it. No more.”

Can you name the winners of at least 7 career medals at the Summer Olympics?
SCORE:
0/103
TIME:
20:00
28/USA 2004-16/Swim
Michael Phelps
18/SOV 1956-64/Gym
Larisa Latynina
15/SOV 1972-80/Gym
Nikolai Andrianov
13/SOV 1965-64/Gym
Boris Shakhlin
13/ITA 1936-60/Fenc
Edoardo Mangiarotti
13/JAP 1952-64/Gym
Takashi Ono
12/FIN 1920-28/T&F
Paavo Nurmi
12/GER 1980-04/Cano
Birgit Fischer
12/JAP 1968-76/Gym
Sawao Kato
12/USA 1992-04/Swim
Jenny Thompson
12/USA 2004-16/Swim
Ryan Lochte
12/USA 1984-08/Swim
Dara Torres
12/RUS 1996-00/Gym
Alexei Nemov
12/USA 2004-12/Swim
Natalie Coughlin
11/USA 1968-72/Swim
Mark Spitz
11/USA 1984-92/Swim
Matt Biondi
11/CZE 1960-68/Gym
Vera Caslavska
11/SOV 1952-56/Gym
Viktor Chukarin
11/USA 1912-24/Shot
Carl Osburn
10/USA 1984-96/T&F
Carl Lewis
10/HUN 1932-60/Fenc
Aladar Gerevich
10/JAP 1968-72/Gym
Akinori Nakayama
10/BEL 1992-96/Gym
Vitaly Scherbo
10/HUN 1952-56/Gym
Agnes Keleti
10/USA 1996-04/Swim
Gary Hall, Jr.
10/SOV 1965-64/Gym
Polina Astakhova
10/SOV 1976-80/Gym
Alexander Dityatin
10/GER 1992-04/Swim
Franziska van Almsick
9/JAM 2008-16/T&F
Usain Bolt
9/BEL 1900-20/Arch
Hubert Van Innis
9/GER 1992-16/Eque
Isabell Werth
9/USA 2004-16/T&F
Allyson Felix
9/ITA 1996-12/Fenc
Valentina Vezzali
9/ROM 1976-80/Gym
Nadia Comaneci
9/AUS 2000-04/Swim
Ian Thorpe
9/JAP 1968-76/Gym
Mitsuo Tsukahara
9/RUS 1992-00/Swim
Alexander Popov
9/SOV 1968-76/Gym
Ludmilla Tourischeva
9/NET 1992-12/Eque
Anky van Grunsven
9/AUS 2000-12/Swim
Leisel Jones
9/ITA 1928-36/Fenc
Giulio Gaudini
9/SWE 1908-24/Shot
Alfred Swahn
9/SOV 1968-72/Gym
Mikhail Voronin
9/FIN 1928-52/Gym
Heikki Savolainen
9/SOV 1956-64/Gym
Yuri Titov
9/JAM 1980-00/T&F
Merlene Ottey
8/USA 1900-08/T&F
Ray Ewry
8/SWE 1948-60/Cano
Gert Fredriksson
8/GER 1964-88/Eque
Reiner Klimke
8/FIN 1924-28/T&F
Ville Ritola
8/ROM 1984-00/Row
Elisabeta Lipa
8/GB 2000-16/Cyc
Bradley Wiggins
8/USA 2008-16/Swim
Nathan Adrian
8/SWE 1908-24/Shot
Vilhelm Carlberg
8/AUS 1956-64/Swim
Dawn Fraser
8/EGE 1972-76/Swim
Kornelia Ender
8/NOR 1920-24/Shot
Otto Olsen
8/SWI 1924-36/Gym
Georges Miez
8/EGE 1968-76/Swim
Roland Matthes
8/USA 2008-16/Swim
Allison Schmitt
8/NET 2000-04/Swim
Inge de Bruijn
8/USA 2000-12/Swim
Jason Lezak
8/ITA 1992-08/Fenc
Giovanna Trillini
8/HUN 2000-12/Cano
Katalin Kovacs
8/FRA 1920-28/Fenc
Roger Ducret
8/FRA 1920-36/Fenc
Philippe Cattiau
8/AUS 1996-04/Swim
Petria Thomas
8/JAM 2000-16/T&F
Veronica Campbell-Brown
8/USA 1972-76/Swim
Shirley Babashoff
8/AUS 1992-00/Swim
Susie O'Neill
8/HUN 1952-56/Gym
Margit Korondi
8/SOV 1956-60/Gym
Sofia Muratova
8/RUS 1992-08/Div
Dmitri Sautin
7/GB 2000-12/Cyc
Chris Hoy
7/GB 2008-16/Cyc
Jason Kenny
7/HUN 1936-60/Fenc
Pal Kovacs
7/JAP 1960-68/Gym
Yukio Endo
7/USA 2000-08/Swim
Aaron Peirsol
7/USA 1920/Shoot
Willis Augustus Lee
7/GER 1956-76/Eque
Hans Günter Winkler
7/USA 1984-92/Swim
Tom Jager
7/HUN 1988-96/Swim
Krisztina Egerszegi
7/FRA 1920-28/Fenc
Lucien Gaudin
7/ROM 1968-84/Cano
Ivan Patzaichin
7/NOR 1908-24/Shot
Einar Liberg
7/USA 1904-08/Swim
Charles Daniels
7/USA 1920/Shoot
Lloyd Spooner
7/JAP 2004-12/Swim
Kosuke Kitajima
7/AUS 2004-12/Swim
Libby Trickett
7/POL 1964-76/T&F
Irena Szewinska
7/SWE 1984-96/Cano
Agneta Andersson
7/NET 2000-04/Swim
Pieter van den Hoogenband
7/AUS 1948-56/T&F
Shirley Strickland
7/ROM 1996-00/Gym
Simona Amanar
7/ITA 1928-36/Fenc
Gustavo Marzi
7/SOV 1952/Gym
Maria Gorokhovskaya
7/USA 1996-04/Swim
Amanda Beard
7/RUS 1996-04/Gym
Svetlana Khorkina
7/ZIM 2004-08/Swim
Kirsty Coventry
7/HUN 1960-76/Fenc
Ildiko Ujlaky-Rejto
7/EGE 1968-72/Gym
Karin Janz
7/USA 1992-96/Gym
Shannon Miller
7/RUS 2012-16/Gym
Aliya Mustafina

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