The longest Olympic winning streak?

Question

Which was the longest winning streak in Olympics in the same specialty?

Answer 1

For individual events, the longest streak is 4 Olympics. This was first done by athlete Al Oerter (US) in the discus (1956, 1960, 1964, 1968).

This feat was equalled by Carl Lewis (also US) in the long jump (1984, 1988, 1992, 1996), then by swimmer Michael Phelps in the 200m individual medley (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016).

But if you consider team events, the longest streak stretches to 6 consecutive Olympics, by Hungarian fencer Aladár Gerevich in the Team sabre event (1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960). The games weren't held in 1940 and 1944 due to World War II, hence the gap. Gerevich was 50 years old by 1960. This streak is recognized by Guinness World Records as being the longest ever.

An honourable mention also goes to Pál Kovács, who was a teammate of Gerevich, missing out only in the 1932 Olympics, and also collecting 5 consecutive gold medals.

This answer was based on this wikipedia list.

Answer 2

The longest (inactive) winning Olympic gold-medal streak to date, won by the same country is in Men’s Pole Vault — 16 golds (from Athens 1896 to Mexico 1968) by the USA. Held for 72 years but was broken only in 1972 (with a great controversy about the poles, although the silver medal still went to the USA). Also, the first tie in the M.E. Olympic Games was in M-Pole Vault gold victory in London 1908 between Edward Cooke and Alfred A.C. Gilbert.]

Answer 3

After Paris 2024:

Individual sports

• 5 consecutive gold medals of Mijaín López in Greco-Roman wrestling, 2008–2024.

Team sports

• As already mentioned, Hungarian Aladár Gerevich won 6 consecutive gold medals in team sabre. See the other answer for more details.

Sources

• Wikipedia: List of winning streaks in the Olympic Games
• Wikipedia: List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
• Cuba's Mijaín López wins fifth gold, record in individual event (ESPN)