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The Olympics always feel larger than sport. For a few weeks, the world watches athletes push themselves to the absolute limit — whether on a sunlit track or a frozen slope. But behind that moment are years of routine, sacrifice, and single-minded focus. Most Olympians dedicate their entire careers to mastering one sport in one season. Their training, bodies, and identities are built around it, and even a small change can set them back. Switching from Summer to Winter competition, therefore, sounds almost impossible.
Yet some competitors refuse to let their story end after one achievement. They step into unfamiliar arenas, learn new techniques, and accept the risk of starting from zero again — despite already knowing what it takes to reach the top.
The Olympics are the biggest stage in sports. Most athletes spend their whole lives training for just one season, either summer or winter. Very few are bold enough to try both. Even fewer succeed. Only a small group of athletes has managed to win medals at the Summer and Winter Olympics. They switched sports, faced new challenges, and still reached the podium. This list looks at six athletes who did something truly rare by winning medals in both versions of the Games.
Eddie Eagan is one of the most unusual Olympic champions in history. His first medal came in the Summer Olympics. He won gold in the light heavyweight boxing event at the 1920 Antwerp Games. Boxing demanded speed, balance, and toughness.
Later, he switched to a winter sport. At the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, Eagan joined the four man bobsleigh team. That team won gold as well. This made him the only athlete to win Olympic gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games in different sports.
MORE: Which countries pay the most for winning medals at Winter Olympics 2026: Check where Team USA ranks
Jacob Tullin Thams showed his range across two very different events. He first made his mark at the 1924 Chamonix Winter Olympics. There, he won gold in the large hill ski jumping competition. Ski jumping required courage and strong technique.
Years later, he appeared at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. Thams competed in sailing as part of the 8 meter class team. That crew earned a silver medal. Few athletes have ever crossed from ski jumping to sailing at the Olympic level.
Christa Luding Rothenburger made history by competing in both Olympics in the same year. She won gold in the women’s 500 meter speed skating event at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics.
Four years later, her success continued on ice. At the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, she won gold in the 1000 meter speed skating race and silver in the 500 meter race. Later that same year, she raced on the track at the Seoul Summer Olympics. There, she earned silver in the cycling sprint event. She became the first athlete to medal at both the Summer and Winter Games in one year.
MORE: Ranking all Winter Olympic sports by how scary they really are
Clara Hughes is the only athlete to win multiple medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Her Olympic story began in cycling. At the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, she won bronze in the road race and bronze in the time trial.
Later, Hughes turned to speed skating. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, she captured bronze in the 5000 meter event. Her best Winter Games came in 2006 at Torino. She earned gold in the 5000 meter speed skating race and silver in the team pursuit. Another bronze followed at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics in the same distance. Her career showed rare consistency in two sports.
Lauryn Williams first reached Olympic glory on the track. She won silver in the 100 meter dash at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. Eight years later, she added gold in the 4×100 meter relay at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
After her sprint career, she moved to bobsleigh. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Williams competed in the two-woman bobsleigh event. That team won silver. She became the first American woman to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Games.
MORE: American athletes making their fifth appearance in the 2026 Winter Olympics
Eddy Alvarez stands at the top of this list. His Olympic journey began on ice. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, he won silver in the 5000 meter relay speed skating event.
Years later, he appeared in a very different sport. Alvarez played baseball at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Team USA finished with a silver medal. This achievement made him one of the rare athletes to medal in both seasons. His path from speed skating to baseball is one of the most unique in Olympic history.
Winning an Olympic medal is already a dream for most athletes. Winning medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics is on another level. These six athletes showed that skill, hard work, and courage can break limits. They did not stay in one lane. They tried something new and made history because of it. Their stories prove that greatness is not tied to one sport or one season.
OLYMPICS: 2026 Winter Olympics medal count, standings entering February 13
NFL: NFL teams with the highest winning percentages over the last 10 years
CFB: Ole Miss given huge Trinidad Chambliss boost for 2026 college football season
MLB: Former Dodgers World Series champion to sign with Angels
NHL: Full list of NHL players in the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament
VIRAL: Myles Garrett, girlfriend Chloe Kim share heartfelt moment after Olympic stunner
The post Six atheletes who won medals in both Summer and Winter Olympics appeared first on The Big Lead.
Continue reading...
Yet some competitors refuse to let their story end after one achievement. They step into unfamiliar arenas, learn new techniques, and accept the risk of starting from zero again — despite already knowing what it takes to reach the top.
The Olympics are the biggest stage in sports. Most athletes spend their whole lives training for just one season, either summer or winter. Very few are bold enough to try both. Even fewer succeed. Only a small group of athletes has managed to win medals at the Summer and Winter Olympics. They switched sports, faced new challenges, and still reached the podium. This list looks at six athletes who did something truly rare by winning medals in both versions of the Games.
6. Eddie Eagan (United States)
Eddie Eagan is one of the most unusual Olympic champions in history. His first medal came in the Summer Olympics. He won gold in the light heavyweight boxing event at the 1920 Antwerp Games. Boxing demanded speed, balance, and toughness.
Later, he switched to a winter sport. At the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, Eagan joined the four man bobsleigh team. That team won gold as well. This made him the only athlete to win Olympic gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games in different sports.
MORE: Which countries pay the most for winning medals at Winter Olympics 2026: Check where Team USA ranks
5. Jacob Tullin Thams (Norway)
Jacob Tullin Thams showed his range across two very different events. He first made his mark at the 1924 Chamonix Winter Olympics. There, he won gold in the large hill ski jumping competition. Ski jumping required courage and strong technique.
Years later, he appeared at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. Thams competed in sailing as part of the 8 meter class team. That crew earned a silver medal. Few athletes have ever crossed from ski jumping to sailing at the Olympic level.
4. Christa Luding-Rothenburger (Germany)
Christa Luding Rothenburger made history by competing in both Olympics in the same year. She won gold in the women’s 500 meter speed skating event at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics.
Four years later, her success continued on ice. At the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, she won gold in the 1000 meter speed skating race and silver in the 500 meter race. Later that same year, she raced on the track at the Seoul Summer Olympics. There, she earned silver in the cycling sprint event. She became the first athlete to medal at both the Summer and Winter Games in one year.
MORE: Ranking all Winter Olympic sports by how scary they really are
3. Clara Hughes (Canada)
Clara Hughes is the only athlete to win multiple medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Her Olympic story began in cycling. At the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, she won bronze in the road race and bronze in the time trial.
Later, Hughes turned to speed skating. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, she captured bronze in the 5000 meter event. Her best Winter Games came in 2006 at Torino. She earned gold in the 5000 meter speed skating race and silver in the team pursuit. Another bronze followed at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics in the same distance. Her career showed rare consistency in two sports.
2. Lauryn Williams (United States)
Lauryn Williams first reached Olympic glory on the track. She won silver in the 100 meter dash at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. Eight years later, she added gold in the 4×100 meter relay at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
After her sprint career, she moved to bobsleigh. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Williams competed in the two-woman bobsleigh event. That team won silver. She became the first American woman to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Games.
MORE: American athletes making their fifth appearance in the 2026 Winter Olympics
1. Eddy Alvarez (United States)
Eddy Alvarez stands at the top of this list. His Olympic journey began on ice. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, he won silver in the 5000 meter relay speed skating event.
Years later, he appeared in a very different sport. Alvarez played baseball at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Team USA finished with a silver medal. This achievement made him one of the rare athletes to medal in both seasons. His path from speed skating to baseball is one of the most unique in Olympic history.
Conclusion
Winning an Olympic medal is already a dream for most athletes. Winning medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics is on another level. These six athletes showed that skill, hard work, and courage can break limits. They did not stay in one lane. They tried something new and made history because of it. Their stories prove that greatness is not tied to one sport or one season.
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OLYMPICS: 2026 Winter Olympics medal count, standings entering February 13
NFL: NFL teams with the highest winning percentages over the last 10 years
CFB: Ole Miss given huge Trinidad Chambliss boost for 2026 college football season
MLB: Former Dodgers World Series champion to sign with Angels
NHL: Full list of NHL players in the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament
VIRAL: Myles Garrett, girlfriend Chloe Kim share heartfelt moment after Olympic stunner
The post Six atheletes who won medals in both Summer and Winter Olympics appeared first on The Big Lead.
Continue reading...
