How many athletes have won olympic medals in different sports at different olympic games? Any ideas or names?

Answer 1

Most of these have come from the world of speed skating and cycling, but there have been a few others..

Eddie Eagan was the first person to win medals at both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games. Eagan competed as a boxer in the 1920 Summer Olympics, and won the gold medal in the light-heavyweight division.

Eagan returned to the 1932 Winter Olympics, this time as a member of the victorious bobsleigh crew.

Clara Hughes is the first person to win multiple medals in both Summer and Winter Games. She is also the first person to win multiple individual medals in both Summer (Cycling) and Winter Olympics (Speed Skating).

Christa Rothenburger is the first and only person to win medals at the Winter and Summer Games in the same year. This feat is no longer possible due to the staggering of the Winter and Summer Olympic years. She is the first person to win individual medals in both Summer (Cycling) and Winter Games (Speed Skating).

Jacob Tullin Thams was a Norwegian Olympian. He won a Gold Medal in 1924 Chamonix Winter Olympics (Ski Jumping ) and a Silver in the 1936 Summer Games (Sailing)

Johnny Weissmuller, who became "Tarzan" was an Gold medal winning Olympian in Swimming (1924 & 1928 Summer Olympics) and also won a Bronze in Water Polo (1924)

Answer 2

Canadian speedskater, and former cyclist, Clara Hughes has medaled in both the summer olympics in cycling (2 bronze, 1996) and in the winter olympics in speed skating (bronze, 2002; 1gold, 1 silver, 2006)
Many people have made both a speedskating olympic team and a cycling olympic team (Chris Witty, Connie Carpenter, Shiela Young, Evgenia Radanova, etc.), (this seems to be a very compatible combination), but most have medaled in only 1 of the two different sports.
For more information on Clara: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Hughes
Shani Davis attempted to qualify in two different sports for this past Olympics (2006), both short track and speedskating. He was 1 spot off the team in short track (which medaled at this olympics), but made the speedskating team and earned a gold and a silver in Turin. He also was a member of the 2002 short track team.