OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Olympic medallists live longer than the general 
population.
DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study, with passive follow-up and conditional 
survival analysis to account for unidentified loss to follow-up.
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 15,174 Olympic athletes from nine country groups 
(United States, Germany, Nordic countries, Russia, United Kingdom, France, 
Italy, Canada, and Australia and New Zealand) who won medals in the Olympic 
Games held in 1896-2010. Medallists were compared with matched cohorts in the 
general population (by country, age, sex, and year of birth).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relative conditional survival.
RESULTS: More medallists than matched controls in the general population were 
alive 30 years after winning (relative conditional survival 1.08, 95% confidence 
interval 1.07 to 1.10). Medallists lived an average of 2.8 years longer than 
controls. Medallists in eight of the nine country groups had a significant 
survival advantage compared with controls. Gold, silver, and bronze medallists 
each enjoyed similar sized survival advantages. Medallists in endurance sports 
and mixed sports had a larger survival advantage over controls at 30 years 
(1.13, 1.09 to 1.17; 1.11, 1.09 to 1.13) than that of medallists in power sports 
(1.05, 1.01 to 1.08).
CONCLUSIONS: Olympic medallists live longer than the general population, 
irrespective of country, medal, or sport. This study was not designed to explain 
this effect, but possible explanations include genetic factors, physical 
activity, healthy lifestyle, and the wealth and status that come with 
international sporting glory.