Who among the following sportspersons has won the highest number of Olympic gold medals in history?

Introduction / Context:
This question tests knowledge about record holders in the Olympic Games. The modern Olympics showcase the best athletes from around the world, and some legends set records that become standard general knowledge. Knowing which athlete holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals is a favourite exam topic, because it combines sports awareness with static facts that do not change often. The question lists well known champions in athletics, swimming, badminton, and gymnastics.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- We are asked about the sportsperson with the highest number of Olympic gold medals.
- The options include Usain Bolt, Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps, Chen Long, and Simone Biles.
- We assume the count of gold medals is considered up to recent Olympic Games, and we focus on official medal tallies.
- We must select the athlete whose gold medal count is the highest overall, not in a single Games.

Concept / Approach:
The approach is to recall the tallies of famous Olympians. Usain Bolt is an iconic sprinter with multiple gold medals in 100 metre, 200 metre, and relay races. Michael Phelps is a swimmer known as the most decorated Olympian of all time, with over twenty gold medals. Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles also have impressive medal hauls but not at the same level as Phelps. Chen Long is a badminton player with far fewer Olympic medals. Once we recall that Michael Phelps has more than twenty Olympic gold medals, far ahead of others, the correct answer becomes clear.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Michael Phelps is a United States swimmer who competed in multiple Olympics from 2000 to 2016. Step 2: He accumulated a total of twenty three Olympic gold medals, which is widely known as the highest number of gold medals won by any athlete in Olympic history. Step 3: Compare this with Usain Bolt, who has eight Olympic gold medals, and with Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles, who have several but still fewer than ten each. Step 4: Recognise that Chen Long has only one Olympic gold medal in badminton, so he is not a contender for the overall record.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification is to remember how media often refer to Michael Phelps as the most decorated Olympian of all time. Statistics show that he has a total of twenty eight Olympic medals, including twenty three golds, three silvers, and two bronzes. No other athlete comes close to this gold medal count. Usain Bolt, though dominant in sprinting, has fewer gold medals and retired with eight golds. This comparison confirms that Michael Phelps clearly holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals among the options given.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Usain Bolt is a legendary Jamaican sprinter and has eight Olympic gold medals, but his tally is far lower than the twenty plus gold medals won by Michael Phelps.
Katie Ledecky is a dominant American distance swimmer with multiple Olympic gold medals, but she still has significantly fewer golds than Phelps.
Chen Long is a Chinese badminton player who has won Olympic gold in men singles, but he does not have a large number of medals overall.
Simone Biles is an outstanding American gymnast with several Olympic gold medals, yet her total is well below the record set by Michael Phelps.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes overestimate the medals of very famous sprinters like Usain Bolt because their events get huge media coverage, and forget that swimming allows an athlete to participate in many more events in a single Games. Another mistake is to think of recent stars like Simone Biles or Katie Ledecky without checking absolute numbers. Some also misunderstand the question and think it refers to a specific edition of the Olympics instead of total medals across all Games. Always focus on the exact phrase most Olympic gold medals in history when answering such questions.

Final Answer:
The sportsperson with the highest number of Olympic gold medals is Michael Phelps.