IL Among Top 5 States For Olympic Gold Medals: Ranking

ILLINOIS — Illinois is among the top five states for most Olympic gold medals produced, according to a recent ranking.

The Prairie State has produced more gold medals than most, according to the ranking from The Sports Geek, which excluded team sport wins.

California was No. 1 on the list, producing 127 gold medals since the Olympic Games began in 1896, the ranking said. New York was a distant second with 70 and Ohio was third with 44.

In fourth was Illinois with 40, followed by Texas with 34.

Of particular note among gold medalists who call Illinois home is track and field athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who attended Lincoln High School in East St. Louis and won three gold medals from 1988 to 1996, as well as one silver and two bronze, according to The Sports Geek. Joyner-Kersee broke the world record for the heptathlon in 1988 in Seoul, is still the only woman to win a heptathlon gold medal twice and was named the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century by Sports Illustrated.

The U.S. has won more summer Olympic medals than any other country, with 2,635, The Sports Geek reported. Team U.S.A. will have the opportunity to add to that number in the coming weeks.

The 2024 Olympic Games run July 26 through Aug. 11 in Paris.