30 Olympic athletes who dominated their events

23. Hubert Van Innis

Unless you’re an archery junkie, a Belgian sports historian, or an Olympic history fan, there’s probably a good chance you’ve never heard the name Hubert Van Innis – which is a shame, really, since he’s probably the greatest archer of all time. Mythical English folk hero Robin Hood would have met his match in Van Innis, a towering, mustachioed man with a wooden bow larger than himself.

Historical records weren’t nearly as precise back in the 19th century as they are today, so there’s a lot we really don’t know about Van Innis as far as his background is concerned. What we do know is that he won three medals at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, France – two golds and a silver. Interestingly enough, at that time a first-place finish merited a silver medal and a second-place finish garnered a bronze, so Van Innis technically received two silvers and a bronze for his achievement, although nowadays we know better. Gold medals were first introduced four years later at the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis, Missouri.

Van Innis wouldn’t compete in Olympic competition again until the 1920 Games in his native Belgium. He won two individual gold medals and two team gold medals, along with an individual silver and a team silver, bringing his Antwerp Games medal count to six (and overall career count to nine). As a result, to this day Van Innis remains the most successful archer in Olympic history.

Next: 22. Gert Fredriksson