Athletics Legends
Track and field legends who rewrote human limits.
The All-Time Greatest Athletics Athletes
Ranked by career honours, records and our FSP GOAT Score.
All Athletics Athletes
Browse 120 of the greatest athletics athletes of all time.
American
Allyson Felix
Sprinter (200m, 400m)
Most decorated female track Olympian in history.
Ethiopian
Almaz Ayana
Distance (10,000m)
Shattered the 10000m WR winning Rio Olympic gold.
Grenadian
Anderson Peters
Javelin
Two-time javelin world champion.
Canadian
Andre De Grasse
Sprinter (100m/200m)
Multiple Olympic medallist, 2020 200m champion.
Swedish
Armand "Mondo" Duplantis
Pole Vaulter
Greatest pole vaulter ever, serial world record breaker.
Jamaican
Asafa Powell
Sprinter (100m)
Former 100m world record holder.
American
Athing Mu
Middle Distance (800m)
2020 Olympic 800m champion, 2022 world champion.
Kenyan
Brigid Kosgei
Marathon
Set women's marathon WR in Chicago 2019.
American
Carl Lewis
Sprinter / Long Jumper
Nine-time Olympic gold medallist across four Games.
Australian
Cathy Freeman
Sprinter
Won 400m Olympic gold in Sydney 2000.
American
Christian Coleman
Sprinter (100m)
2019 world champion in the 100m.
Welsh
Colin Jackson
Hurdler 110m
Held 110m hurdles WR for nearly 13 years.
Dutch
Dafne Schippers
Sprinter (100m, 200m)
Dutch sprinter and back-to-back world 200m champion (2015, 2017), once the fastest European woman…
British
Daley Thompson
Decathlete
Greatest decathlete ever, back-to-back Olympic champion.
British
Dame Kelly Holmes
Middle Distance Runner
Completed rare 800m/1500m Olympic double in Athens 2004.
Kenyan
David Rudisha
Middle Distance
800m world record holder, back-to-back Olympic champion.
British
Dina Asher-Smith
Sprinter
2019 world 200m champion, triple European gold medallist.
Canadian
Donovan Bailey
Sprinter
1996 Olympic 100m champion, former WR holder.
American
Ed Moses
Sprinter (400m H)
Won 122 consecutive races over nearly a decade.
Jamaican
Elaine Thompson-Herah
Sprinter (100m, 200m)
Completed back-to-back 100m/200m Olympic doubles.
Kenyan
Eliud Kipchoge
Marathon Runner
Widely regarded as the greatest marathoner ever.
American
Erriyon Knighton
Sprinter (200m)
One of the youngest ever individual world champ sprint medallists.
Kenyan
Faith Kipyegon
Middle Distance
Three-time Olympic 1500m champion, world record holder.
British
Fatima Whitbread
Javelin Thrower
1987 world champion and former WR holder.
Dutch
Femke Bol
Hurdler/Sprinter
Repeat 400m hurdles world champion.
American
Florence Griffith-Joyner
Sprinter
'Flo-Jo' set the still-standing 100m and 200m WRs at 1988 Olympics.
American
Fred Kerley
Sprinter (100m)
2022 world 100m champion, former elite 400m runner.
American
Gabby Thomas
Sprinter (200m)
American sprinter and 2024 Olympic 200m champion, a Harvard graduate who anchored the US to relay…
American
Gail Devers
Sprinter (100m H)
Three-time 100m hurdles world champion, twice Olympic 100m champion.
Ethiopian
Genzebe Dibaba
Middle/Long Distance (1500m)
Ethiopian middle-distance star and 1500m world record holder, younger sister of Olympic champion…
American
Grant Holloway
Hurdler
2024 Olympic 110m hurdles champion, three-time world champion.
Ethiopian
Haile Gebrselassie
Long Distance Runner
Double Olympic 10000m champion, former marathon/10000m WR holder.
Moroccan
Hicham El Guerrouj
Middle Distance Runner
1500m/5000m Olympic double champion, WR holder for 1500m/mile.
American
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Heptathlon
Widely regarded as the greatest female athlete of the 20th century.
Ugandan
Jacob Kiplimo
Distance (Half Marathon)
Half marathon world record holder.
Norwegian
Jakob Ingebrigtsen
Middle Distance
Olympic champion at 1500m and 5000m, multiple record holder.
Cuban
Javier Sotomayor
High Jump
Set the still-standing men's high jump WR of 2.45m.
American
Jesse Owens
Sprinter / Long Jumper
Won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
British
Jessica Ennis-Hill
Heptathlete
2012 Olympic champion and three-time world champion heptathlete.
American
Joe Kovacs
Shot Put
Two-time world champion, three-time Olympic silver medallist.
British
Jonathan Edwards
Triple Jumper
Greatest triple jumper ever, 2000 Olympic champion, WR holder.
Ugandan
Joshua Cheptegei
Distance (10,000m)
Holds 5000m and 10000m WRs, Olympic 10000m champion.
Saint Lucian
Julien Alfred
Sprinter (100m)
Saint Lucia's first Olympic champion, 2024 100m gold.
American
JuVaughn Harrison
High Jump / Long Jump
Dual high jump/long jump specialist.
Norwegian
Karsten Warholm
Hurdles
400m hurdles world record holder.
British
Keely Hodgkinson
Middle Distance (800m)
British middle-distance runner and 2024 Olympic 800m champion, the first Englishwoman to win…
Kenyan
Kelvin Kiptum
Marathon Runner
Marathon world record holder before his death.
Ethiopian
Kenenisa Bekele
Distance Runner
Multiple Olympic and world record distance great.
American
Kevin Young
Sprinter (400m H)
Former 400m hurdles world record holder.
Jamaican
Kishane Thompson
Sprinter (100m/200m)
Jamaican sprinter, 2024 Olympic 100m silver.
Ethiopian
Letesenbet Gidey
Distance (10,000m)
Simultaneously held 5000m/10000m/half marathon WRs.
Botswanan
Letsile Tebogo
Sprinter (200m)
Botswana's first Olympic champion, 200m.
British
Linford Christie
Sprinter 100m
British sprinter and 1992 Olympic 100m champion, the oldest man ever to win that title at age 32.
Italian
Marcell Jacobs
Sprints
Surprise 2021 Olympic 100m champion.
American
Marion Jones
Sprinter (100m/200m)
Sydney 2000 medals later stripped following doping admission.
Kenyan
Mary Moraa
Middle Distance (800m)
Kenyan middle-distance runner and 2023 world 800m champion, known for her explosive close-quarters…
American
Mary Decker Slaney
Middle Distance Runner
Won double gold at 1983 World Championships.
British
Matthew Hudson-Smith
Sprinter (400m)
British 400m runner and European record holder, one of the finest one-lap specialists of his…
American
Maurice Greene
Sprinter
Former 100m world record holder.
American
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
Sprinter (100m)
2025 100m/200m world champion.
Jamaican
Merlene Ottey
Sprinter (100m, 200m)
Most decorated female sprinter without Olympic gold (9 medals).
American
Michael Johnson
Sprinter 200m/400m
Only man to win 200m and 400m gold at same Olympics; WR both.
Greek
Miltiadis Tentoglou
Long Jump
Back-to-back Olympic long jump champion.
Kenyan
Moses Kiptanui
Steeplechase/Middle Distance
First man to run 3000m steeplechase under eight minutes.
Qatari
Mutaz Essa Barshim
High Jumper
Shared Olympic high jump gold with Gianmarco Tamberi, Tokyo 2020.
Indian
Neeraj Chopra
Javelin
India's first Olympic athletics gold medalist.
American
Noah Lyles
Sprinter
2024 Olympic 100m champion, multiple world sprint titles.
Algerian
Noureddine Morceli
Middle Distance (1,500m)
Dominant 1990s 1500m world record holder.
Jamaican
Oblique Seville
Sprinter (100m)
Jamaican sprinter and 2025 world 100m champion, continuing his country's storied sprinting legacy.
British
Paula Radcliffe
Marathon Runner
Held women's marathon WR for 16 years.
American
Quincy Hall
Sprinter (400m)
American 400m runner and 2024 Olympic champion, famed for a blistering final-100m surge to gold in…
American
Rai Benjamin
Sprinter (400m H)
400m hurdles Olympic and world champion.
French
Renaud Lavillenie
Pole Vault
Former pole vault world record holder.
Polish
Robert Korzeniowski
Race Walking
Four-time Olympic race walk champion.
Kenyan
Ruth Chepngetich
Marathon
Current women's marathon world record holder.
American
Ryan Crouser
Shot Put
Three-time Olympic shot put champion, world record holder.
Moroccan
Said Aouita
Middle Distance (1,500m)
1980s distance great, multiple world records.
Croatian
Sandra Perković
Discus
Dominant women's discus thrower.
British
Sebastian Coe
Middle Distance Runner
Double Olympic 1500m champion, former world record holder.
Ethiopian
Selemon Barega
Distance (10,000m)
Ethiopian distance runner and 2020 Olympic 10,000m champion, part of a golden generation of East…
American
Sha'Carri Richardson
Sprinter
American sprinter and 2023 world 100m champion, one of the most electrifying and outspoken figures…
Jamaican
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Sprints
Record five-time World Championships 100m champion.
Jamaican
Shericka Jackson
Sprinter (100m/200m)
Second-fastest woman ever over 100m and 200m.
Dutch
Sifan Hassan
Distance/Marathon
First athlete since 1952 to medal in 5000m,10000m and marathon at one Olympics.
British
Sir Mo Farah
Distance Runner
Olympic 5000m/10000m double-double champion.
British
Steve Ovett
Middle Distance Runner
1980 Olympic 800m champion, WR breaker in 1500m/mile.
American
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Hurdles/Sprints
400m hurdles world record holder, back-to-back Olympic champion.
Kenyan
Tegla Loroupe
Marathon/Long Distance
First African woman to hold the marathon world record.
Brazilian
Thiago Braz
Pole Vault
2016 Olympic pole vault champion, upset Renaud Lavillenie.
Ethiopian
Tigst Assefa
Marathon
Marathon world record holder (2:11:53, Berlin 2023).
Kenyan
Timothy Cheruiyot
Middle Distance (1,500m)
Kenyan middle-distance runner and 2019 world 1500m champion, renowned for his aggressive…
Ethiopian
Tirunesh Dibaba
Distance Runner (5000m, 10000m)
First woman to win Olympic 5000m/10000m double at same Games.
New Zealander
Tom Walsh
Shot Put
2017 world shot put champion, most decorated World Indoor athlete.
American
Tommie Smith
Sprinter
1968 Olympic 200m champion, Black Power salute.
American
Trayvon Bromell
Sprinter (200m)
Elite American 100m sprinter, world indoor 60m champion.
Jamaican
Usain Bolt
Sprinter (100m, 200m)
Fastest man in history, 'triple-triple' Olympic sprint champion.
American
Valarie Allman
Discus
Back-to-back Olympic discus champion (2021,2024).
South African
Wayde van Niekerk
Sprinter (400m)
400m world record holder (43.03).
Kenyan
Wilson Kipketer
Middle Distance (800m)
800m world record holder for nearly 13 years.
Ukrainian
Yaroslava Mahuchikh
High Jumper
High jump world record holder (2.10m), 2024 Olympic champion.
Ethiopian
Yomif Kejelcha
Distance (5,000m)
World 10000m silver medallist, indoor mile world record holder.
Venezuelan
Yulimar Rojas
Triple Jump
Triple jump world record holder (15.74m).
Swedish
Gunder Hägg
Middle & Long Distance Runner
Set 15 world records in the 1940s.
Australian
Herb Elliott
Middle Distance Runner
Never beaten over 1500m/mile, 1960 Olympic champion, WR holder.
New Zealander
Peter Snell
Middle Distance Runner
Triple Olympic champion, 800m/1500m world record holder.
New Zealander
John Walker
Middle Distance Runner
First man to break 3:50 for the mile, 1976 Olympic champion.
American
Wilma Rudolph
Sprinter
First American woman to win three golds at one Olympics (1960).
American
Evelyn Ashford
Sprinter
Four-time Olympic 100m/relay gold medallist.
American
Valerie Brisco-Hooks
Sprinter
First Olympian to win gold in both 200m and 400m at same Games.
American
Carmelita Jeter
Sprinter
2011 world 100m champion, 'fastest woman alive'.
Jamaican
Yohan Blake
Sprinter
Second-fastest man ever in 100m and 200m.
Namibian
Frankie Fredericks
Sprinter
Four-time Olympic sprint silver medallist, 1993 world 200m champion.
American
Steve Lewis
Sprinter
1988 Olympic 400m champion, former world U20 record holder.
American
Butch Reynolds
Sprinter
Former 400m world record holder (43.29).
British
Derek Redmond
Sprinter
Iconic 1992 Barcelona injury moment with his father.
American
Dan O'Brien
Decathlete
1992 decathlon world record holder, 1996 Olympic champion.
American
Ashton Eaton
Decathlete
Back-to-back Olympic decathlon champion and world record holder.
Czech
Jan Železný
Javelin Thrower
Greatest javelin thrower ever, three-time Olympic champion, WR holder.
Ukrainian
Sergey Bubka
Pole Vaulter
Broke the pole vault world record 35 times.
Russian
Yelena Isinbayeva
Pole Vaulter
Pole vault world record holder, improved the record 17 times.
Athletics Nations
American
38
athletes
British
15
athletes
Kenyan
11
athletes
Ethiopian
9
athletes
Jamaican
9
athletes
Dutch
3
athletes
New Zealander
3
athletes
Canadian
2
athletes