Larisa is the Russian form of Larissa — from the ancient Greek city *Lárissa* in Thessaly, meaning "citadel" or possibly named for the daughter of the river god Pelasgos. **Larisa Latynina (born 1934)** — **Soviet artistic gymnast; **nine Olympic gold medals across three Olympic Games (Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964) — the most by any female Olympian in any sport until Allyson Felix tied her in 2021** (Felix's 7 golds + 4 other golds-equivalent disputed by counts). **18 total Olympic medals — held the all-time Olympic record for any athlete of any gender for 48 years (1964 to 2012, when Michael Phelps surpassed her at the London Games)**. **Coached the Soviet women's gymnastics team to four Olympic gold medals in team competition (1968, 1972, 1976, 1980) after retirement**. **Larissa, Greece** — modern Thessalian city, capital of the Larissa regional unit. **Larissa Manoela** — Brazilian actress.
Subject of countless Olympic-history retrospectives.
Larisa reduces to seven — the number of nine Olympic golds.