Rankings
Greatest Track & Field Athletes
The sprinters, jumpers and throwers who broke the limits of human performance.
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| # | Athlete | Sport | Why They Rank Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Usain Bolt Jamaican · b.1986 |
Athletics | The fastest human in recorded history — world record holder at 100m (9.58s) and … |
| 2 | Carl Lewis American · b.1961 |
Athletics | Nine-time Olympic gold medallist and winner of four consecutive long jump titles… |
| 3 | Jesse Owens American · b.1913 |
Athletics | The hero of the 1936 Berlin Olympics — won four gold medals in front of Adolf Hi… |
| 4 | Florence Griffith-Joyner American · b.1959 |
Athletics | Flo-Jo — the fastest woman in history whose world records of 10.49s (100m) and 2… |
| 5 | Asafa Powell Jamaican · b.1982 |
Athletics | Former world record holder at 100m who ran sub-9.90 seconds more times than any … |
| 6 | Allyson Felix American · b.1985 |
Athletics | The most decorated US track and field Olympic athlete in history with eleven med… |
| 7 | Tirunesh Dibaba Ethiopian · b.1983 |
Athletics | Ethiopia's triple Olympic champion and world record holder in the 10,000m — the … |
| 8 | Kenenisa Bekele Ethiopian · b.1982 |
Athletics | Ethiopia's most decorated male athlete — world record holder at 5,000m and 10,00… |
| 9 | Eliud Kipchoge Kenyan · b.1984 |
Athletics | The greatest marathon runner in history — sub-two-hour marathon achiever and two… |
| 10 | Sifan Hassan Dutch/Ethiopian · b.1993 |
Athletics | Triple Olympic medallist who ran the 1500m, 5000m and 10000m at the same Olympic… |
| 11 | Carl Lewis American · b.1966 |
Athletics | Nine-time Olympic gold medallist — greatest track and field athlete in history.… |
| 12 | Elaine Thompson-Herah Jamaican · b.1992 |
Athletics | Jamaica's double sprint champion who became the fastest woman in 33 years when s… |
| 13 | Armand Duplantis Swedish/American · b.1999 |
Athletics | Mondo — the greatest pole vaulter in history who has broken the world record nin… |
| 14 | Haile Gebrselassie Ethiopian · b.1973 |
Athletics | The greatest distance runner of the 20th century — Haile Gebrselassie held 27 wo… |
| 15 | Moses Kiptanui Kenyan · b.1971 |
Athletics | The first man to run 8 minutes for the 3,000m steeplechase — Moses Kiptanui's wo… |
| 16 | Merlene Ottey Jamaican · b.1960 |
Athletics | The Queen of the Track — the most prolific medallist in World Athletics Champion… |
| 17 | Jonathan Edwards British · b.1966 |
Athletics | The greatest triple jumper in history — Jonathan Edwards' world record of 18.29m… |
| 18 | Daley Thompson British · b.1958 |
Athletics | Britain's greatest ever athlete — two-time Olympic decathlon champion and world … |
| 19 | Sebastian Coe British · b.1956 |
Athletics | The most celebrated rivalry in British athletics — Seb Coe's duel with Steve Ove… |