With thanx to NBC Olympic Talk’s Nick Zaccardi who sent me off on this database query, let’s look at which brothers and sisters have won the most medals at the Olympic Games. Nick came up with this wondering about Ivica Kostelić (CRO), competing in the men’s Alpine super combined today, and going for his 4^th Olympic medal. His sister, Janica, has 6 so that would give them 10. Nick was wondering how this stood on the all-time sibling medal list, with both siblings winning medals.

Well, oddly, the Winter record is held by the same guy (and his brother) who has the most Winter Olympic medals – Norway’s Ole Einard Bjørndalen. He has 12, equal to his countryman Bjørn Dæhlie, but Ole Einar’s brother, Dag, has one Olympic medal, so that gives them 13.

That is equal 3^rd all-time behind the Mangiarotti’s, Italian fencing brothers with 16, and the Katos, Japanese gymnastic brothers with 14. The 2^nd best at the Winter Olympics is 10 by brother/sister Di Centa.

Manuela and Giorgio Di Centa hold the record for a brother/sister pair at the Winter Olympics with their 10 medals, which the Kostelićs could equal today. Only Shirley and Jack Babashoff, with 11, have more brother/sister medals at the Summer Olympics.

And who has the most among sisters at the Olympics? You might not think it, but it’s the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, in tennis, with 8 medals. And most sisters medals at the Winter Olympics? It’s a 3-way tie with 5 medals (not in the list below) – Marielle & Christine Goitschel (FRA-ASK), Ann Elen Skjelbreid & Liv Grete Skjelbreid-Poirée (NOR-BIA), and Manuela & Andrea Henkel (GER-CCS/BIA).

Here’s all the Olympic siblings with 6 or more medals, with both siblings winning a medal.

 

[table]

SibTotal,Siblings,Pair,Ssn,NOC,Sport

16,Edoardo & Dario Mangiarotti,Bros,S,ITA,FEN

14,Sawao & Takeshi Kato,Bros,S,JPN,GYM

13,Vilhelm & Eric Carlberg,Bros,S,SWE,SHO

13,Ole Einar & Dag Bjørndalen,Bros,W,NOR,BIA

12,Raimondo & Piero D’Inzeo,Bros,S,ITA,EQU

11,Shirley & Jack Babashoff,Bro/Sis,S,USA,SWI

10,Nedo & Aldo Nadi,Bros,S,ITA,FEN

10,Manuela & Giorgio Di Centa,Bro/Sis,W,ITA,CCS

9,Janica & Ivica Kostelić,Bro/Sis,W,CRO,ASK

8,Géo & Gustave Buchard,Bros,S,FRA,FEN

8,Pavol & Peter Hochschorner,Bros,S,SVK,CAN

8,Serena & Venus Williams,Sisters,S,USA,TEN

7,Reggie & Laurie Doherty,Bros,S,GBR,TEN

7,Torben & Lars Grael,Bros,S,BRA,SAI

7,Jackie & Al Joyner-Kersee,Bro/Sis,S,USA,ATH

6,Sergey & Aleksandr Belov,Bros,S,URS,BAS

6,Alwin & Paul Schockemöhle,Bros,S,FRG/GER,EQU

6,Daniel & Axel Norling,Bros,S,SWE,EQU/GYM

6,Bernd & Jörg Landvoigt,Bros,S,GDR,ROW

6,Agostino & Carmine Abbagnale,Bros,S,ITA,ROW

6,Andreas & Wolfgang Linger,Bros,W,AUT,LUG

6,Doina Liliana & Anişoara Snep-Bălan,Sisters,S,ROU,ROW

6,Gérard & Maurice Blitz,Bros,S,BEL,SWI/WAP

6,Artur & Tymur Taymazov,Bros,S,UZB-EUN/UKR,WRE/WLT

6,Tamara & Irina Press,Sisters,S,URS,ATH

6,Giorgio & Bice Vanzetta,Bro/Sis,W,ITA,CCS

6,Saku & Mikko Koivu,Bros,W,FIN,ICH

6,Eric & Beth Heiden,Bro/Sis,W,USA,SSK

6,Duke & Sam Kahanamoku,Bros,S,USA,SWI

6,Arne & Åke Borg,Bros,S,SWE,SWI

[/table]