Ukraine’s Larisa Latynina and Germany’s Birgit Fischer are two of the most successful Olympians of all time, winning a quite extraordinary 30 Olympic medals between them. Here, the gymnast and the kayaker reflect on their respective careers and share tales of Olympism in action. 

Kayaker Birgit Fischer won her first Olympic gold medal aged 18. Twenty-four years later, aged 42, she won her eighth. The German record-setter is undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes of all-time and her story is well worth listening to.

The five trap and skeet events at Rio 2016 threw up plenty of suspense and produced some notable champions, from Australia’s Catherine Skinner, the youngest of the lot at 26, to the Independent Olympic Athlete Abdullah Al-Rashidi, the oldest at 52. Also making the headlines was evergreen American shooter Kimberly Rhode, who won an individual medal for the sixth Games in a row, an Olympic record.

Over the course of three glorious decades, German kayaker Birgit Fischer put together the finest career her sport has ever seen. Eight times a gold medallist at the six Games in which she appeared, Fischer regards Barcelona 1992 as the pinnacle of her Olympic odyssey.

Birgit Fischer arrived in Sydney as an international canoeing legend. She had been winning Olympic medals for an extraordinary 20 years. Competing for East Germany she had won her first gold back in 1980, and taken two more golds and a silver in 1988.

Birgit Fischer arrived in Sydney as an international canoeing legend. She had been winning Olympic medals for an extraordinary 20 years. Competing for East Germany she had won her first gold back in 1980, and taken two more golds and a silver in 1988.

Today, 1 October, marks 14 years since the Closing Ceremony of Sydney 2000, but the memories and legacies of the Olympic Games remain as strong as ever.

Belarus paddlers braved stormy skies, turbulent waters and gusting wind to claim two of the day’s four gold medals in the Nanjing 2014 canoe-kayak competition on 24 August.