Greatest Olympic Athletes of All Time
The greatest Olympic athletes across every sport and era.
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The greatest Olympic athletes across every sport and era.
Michael Phelps
The most decorated Olympian in history — 23 gold medals across four Games.
Olympic Gold 23x
Usain Bolt
The fastest human in recorded history — world record holder at 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19s) and eight-time Olympic gold medallist.
Olympic Gold 100m 2008, 2012, 2016
Carl Lewis
Nine-time Olympic gold medallist and winner of four consecutive long jump titles at the Games — widely considered the greatest track and fie
Olympic Gold 100m 1984, 1988, 1992
Jesse Owens
The hero of the 1936 Berlin Olympics — won four gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler, directly challenging Nazi ideology of racial supremacy
Olympic Gold 100m, 200m, Long Jump, 4x100m Berlin 1936
Nadia Comăneci
The first gymnast in Olympic history to score a perfect 10.0 — at age 14 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Olympic Gold 5x
Simone Biles
The most decorated gymnast in World Championship history — seven Olympic golds and skills named after her.
Olympic Gold 7x
Larisa Latynina
18 Olympic medals — a record that stood for 48 years until Michael Phelps broke it at London 2012. The Soviet gymnast won nine gold medals a
Olympic Gold 9x
Mark Spitz
Seven gold medals at Munich 1972 — a record that stood for 36 years.
Olympic Gold 9x (1968:1, 1972:7)
Sir Steve Redgrave
The greatest Olympian in British history — five consecutive gold medals across five Olympic Games from Los Angeles 1984 to Sydney 2000. Diag
Olympic Gold 5x (1984-2000)
Birgit Fischer
The most decorated canoeist in Olympic history — eight Olympic gold medals across six Games from 1980 to 2004, winning gold at both 18 and 4
Olympic Gold x8 (1980-2004)
Sonja Henie
Three consecutive Olympic gold medals — the figure skater who turned the sport into show business.
Olympic Gold 3x (1928,1932,1936)
Björn Dæhlie
The most successful Winter Olympian in history — eight gold medals across three Games.
Olympic Gold 8x
Eric Heiden
Five gold medals at Lake Placid 1980 across every speed skating distance — the greatest single-Games performance in Winter Olympics history.
Olympic Gold 5x Lake Placid 1980 (every speed skating event)
Florence Griffith-Joyner
Flo-Jo — the fastest woman in history whose world records of 10.49s (100m) and 21.34s (200m) have stood for over 35 years.
Olympic Gold 100m, 200m, 4x100m Seoul 1988
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
American Hall of Famer who is widely considered the greatest female multi-event athlete of all time, winning six Olympic gold medals across
Net worth $5m
Sir Mo Farah
Britain's greatest ever distance runner — four Olympic golds in the 5000m and 10000m and one of sport's most remarkable personal journeys fr
Olympic Gold 5000m, 10000m London 2012
Katie Ledecky
The most dominant female swimmer in history — world records by margins never seen in the sport.
Olympic Gold 7x
Kohei Uchimura
The Superman of gymnastics — six consecutive World all-around titles and two Olympic golds.
Olympic Gold 2x (2012,2016 all-around)
Jo Jo White
Two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP with the Boston Celtics — the most underrated point guard of the 1970s.
2× NBA champion · 17.2 ppg career
Jayson Tatum
Boston's cornerstone — four-time All-Star and NBA champion who led the Celtics back to glory in 2024.
1× NBA champion · 23.2 ppg career
Jimmy Butler
The ultimate competitor — undrafted from high school, 30th pick from college, six-time All-Star and NBA Finals MVP.
0× NBA champion · 19.9 ppg career
Jaylen Brown
Boston's second star — 2024 NBA champion and Finals MVP who developed into an elite two-way player.
1× NBA champion · 19.7 ppg career
Andre Iguodala
The Finals MVP who stopped LeBron — the most important complementary player of the Warriors dynasty.
4× NBA champion · 12 ppg career
Tony Parker
Four-time NBA champion and the greatest European point guard in basketball history.
4× NBA champion · 15.5 ppg career
Neymar Jr.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo in 1992 and became Brazil's record international goalscorer, surpassing
443 career goals · Champions League 2015 (Barcelona)
Nwankwo Kanu
The gentle giant — Nwankwo Kanu's quiet dignity and extraordinary natural ability made him one of the most beloved figures of West African f
Champions League 1995 (Ajax)
Novak Djokovic
24-time Grand Slam champion and world No.1 for a record 428 weeks — the most statistically successful player in tennis history.
24 Grand Slams · 428 weeks at No.1
Serena Williams
23-time Grand Slam champion and the greatest female athlete of her generation — transformed tennis and redefined possibility.
23 Grand Slams · 319 weeks at No.1
Rafael Nadal
King of Clay — 14-time French Open champion and holder of a record 22 Grand Slams, one of the greatest athletes of any sport.
22 Grand Slams · 209 weeks at No.1
Roger Federer
Eight-time Wimbledon champion and 20-time Grand Slam winner — the most technically complete player in tennis history.
20 Grand Slams · 310 weeks at No.1
Remco Evenepoel
Belgium's next cycling superstar — World Champion, Olympic champion and Grand Tour winner at 23.
Vuelta a España 2022
Mark Cavendish
Record holder for most Tour de France stage wins (35), surpassing Eddy Merckx.
Tour de France Stages 35 (record)
Ivan Lendl
Eight Grand Slam titles and the most systematic training-first approach that defined modern professional tennis.
8 Grand Slams · 270 weeks at No.1
Rhys McClenaghan
Irish pommel horse world champion whose impeccable technique, fluid swing mechanics and gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics produced one o
Net worth $2m
Annemiek van Vleuten
The greatest women's road cyclist in history — World Champion three times, Olympic champion, winner of every major women's race, and an athl
Olympic Gold 2020
Antoine Dupont
The finest rugby union player on the planet — World Player of Year 2x and Olympic sevens gold.
World Player of Year 2x
Qinwen Zheng
China's Olympic champion and rising Grand Slam contender with an aggressive all-court game.
Olympic Gold Paris 2024
Tom George
Olympic silver medallist at Paris 2024 in the men's pair — part of the new generation of British rowing excellence. His partnership with Oll
Net worth $3m
Lindsey Jacobellis
American snowboard cross legend whose eight World Championship wins and long-awaited Olympic gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games produced
Net worth $3m
Jordan Chiles
Team USA' power gymnast — Paris 2024 controversy and a World Championship medallist.
Olympic Gold Team (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)
Wilfredo León
The most powerful server in volleyball history — the Cuban-born Polish citizen is considered the most complete opposite hitter of the curren
Olympic Gold 2020 with Poland
Ayumu Hirano
Japanese halfpipe snowboarding champion whose extraordinary amplitude, technical difficulty and multiple Olympic medals have established him
Net worth $3m
Richarlison
The bicycle kick in Qatar — Brazil's most passionate forward and Everton's greatest modern striker.
113 career goals · Champions League squad
Primož Roglič
The ski jumper who became cycling's most dominant Grand Tour racer.
Vuelta a España 4x
Anna van der Breggen
The most dominant women's cyclist of her era — Olympic champion and multiple world champion.
Olympic Gold Road Race 2016
Zhang Changning
China's most prolific match-winner in the modern era of women's volleyball — two-time World Champion, Olympic gold medallist and the most co
Olympic Gold 2016
Simone Manuel
The first African American woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal — Manuel's 100m freestyle gold at Rio 2016 was a landmark
Olympic Gold 2016 (100m freestyle) — first African American woman
Portia Woodman
New Zealand's most prolific try-scorer in women's rugby sevens and fifteens — the most electric attacking player in women's rugby, whose pac
Olympic Gold 2016 (Sevens)
Richard Carapaz
Ecuadorian Grand Tour champion who won the Giro d'Italia and an Olympic gold medal in 2019, one of the finest pure climbers to emerge from S
Net worth $3m
Cate Campbell
Australia's most decorated relay swimmer and a world record holder in the 100m freestyle — Campbell's world record of 52.03 seconds stood fo
Olympic Gold (relay) 2016, 2020