GGOATRANK
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Swimming · Butterfly · United States

Craig Beardsley

1979–1984 · World record holder in the 200 metres butterfly and a Pan American champion.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
80.5
Cultural & brand footprint 46/100 · total legacy 70.7
World records set
2
Pan American titles
1
US titles
5
NCAA titles
2
World ranking number ones
3

Category profile

Dominance
82
Peak
92
Longevity
64
Honours
78
Statistics
88

Career timeline · Form index per season

SeasonForm index per seasonShare of career
197950
198074
198197
198283
198369
198455

Data sources

  • World Aquatics records
  • Olympedia
  • Swimming Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Craig Beardsley ranks #165 in Swimming

Craig Beardsley ranks 165th among Swimming athletes on GOAT Rank and 1625th of 4013 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 80.5 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 82, Peak 92, Longevity 64, Honours 78, Statistics 88. Those categories are normalised against the full Swimming reference universe of 289 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1979–1984 with 6 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1981, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes world records set 2, pan american titles 1, us titles 5, ncaa titles 2.

Immediately ahead sits Boglárka Kapás on 80.5, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Holly Barratt on 80.4. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Craig Beardsley GOAT Score explained

Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Beardsley stood above the field while competing. Scored 82/100 against the full Swimming cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1981. Scored 92/100.
Longevity64/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 5 years of competition and 6 recorded seasons. Scored 64/100.
Honours78/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 78/100.
Statistics88/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 88/100.

Craig Beardsley — frequently asked

Is Craig Beardsley the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Craig Beardsley ranks 165th in Swimming with a GOAT Score of 80.5, behind Michael Phelps on 98.1.
What is Craig Beardsley's GOAT Score?
80.5 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 64 (20%), Honours 78 (20%), Statistics 88 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Craig Beardsley rank all time?
1625th of 4013 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 165th within Swimming.
Craig Beardsley vs Boglárka Kapás: who ranks higher?
Craig Beardsley, on 80.5 against Boglárka Kapás's 80.5 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Phelps