Gold medals are the highest honor an Olympian can earn.
Over 10,000 athletes compete for hundreds of medals at each Summer Games, but only a third of medal winners take home gold.
Contrary to its name, however, the gold medal isn't entirely made of gold. Only a small percentage of the material is included in the award. Nonetheless, it's still invaluable to those competing at the Olympics.
The Sporting News details how much gold is really in a gold medal and what else it's made of.
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Are Olympic medals solid gold?
Gold medals are not solid gold, nor are they 100-percent made out of gold. It's actually mostly made up of silver, which is ironic considering there is a silver medal also handed out at the Olympics.
Gold medals are made up of about six-percent pure gold. The silver that makes up the majority of the award has at least a 92.5-percent purity rating
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When were gold medals introduced?
When the Olympics began in 1896 in Athens, Greece, athletes didn't receive gold medals. It wasn't until 1904 that competitors received gold medals.
Instead, first place winners received silver medals and an olive branch. Second place winners got a bronze medal and laurel branch.
The 1904 Olympics in St. Louis in the United States was the first time organizers handed out gold medals. It became a tradition that's withstood over a century.
Which country has the most gold medals all-time?
The United States has the most gold medals in Olympic history. The U.S. has 1,175 gold medals combined between the Summer and Winter Games.
The Soviet Union and Germany have the second and third most golds all-time.
| Rank | Country | Gold medal total |
| 1 | United States | 1,175 |
| 2 | Soviet Union | 473 |
| 3 | Germany | 305 |
| 4 | Great Britain | 296 |
| 5 | China | 285 |
| 6 | France | 264 |
| 7 | Italy | 259 |
| 8 | Sweden | 212 |
| 9 | Norway | 209 |
| 10 | Russia | 194 |
