GGOATRANK
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Athletics · Long jump · Jamaica

James Beckford

1993–2007 · Olympic long jump silver medallist in 1996 and holder of the Jamaican record.

Retired
Ranking model

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

Pure sporting data
85.4
Cultural & brand footprint 48/100 · total legacy 77.3
Olympic medals
1
World Championship medals
1
World indoor golds
1
Long jump best
8.6
National records
1

Category profile

Dominance
80
Peak
92
Longevity
84
Honours
82
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Major golds per season

SeasonMajor golds per seasonShare of career
19948.05
19958.3
19968.62
19978.4
19988.35
19998.3
20008.25
20018.3
20028.2
20038.15
20048.1
20058
20067.9

Data sources

  • World Athletics
  • Olympedia
  • European Athletics

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

Why James Beckford ranks #94 in Athletics

James Beckford ranks 94th among Athletics athletes on GOAT Rank and 545th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 85.4 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 80, Peak 92, Longevity 84, Honours 82, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full Athletics reference universe of 313 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1993–2007 with 13 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1996, 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 olympic medals 1, world championship medals 1, world indoor golds 1, long jump best 8.62.

Immediately ahead sits Charles Austin on 85.4, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Ludmila Engquist on 85.1. 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.

James Beckford GOAT Score explained

Dominance80/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Beckford stood above the field while competing. Scored 80/100 against the full Athletics cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1996. Scored 92/100.
Longevity84/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 14 years of competition and 13 recorded seasons. Scored 84/100.
Honours82/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 82/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

James Beckford — frequently asked

Is James Beckford the GOAT?
Not on the current data. James Beckford ranks 94th in Athletics with a GOAT Score of 85.4, behind Usain Bolt on 93.2.
What is James Beckford's GOAT Score?
85.4 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 80 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 84 (20%), Honours 82 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does James Beckford rank all time?
545th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 94th within Athletics.
James Beckford vs Charles Austin: who ranks higher?
James Beckford, on 85.4 against Charles Austin's 85.4 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Bolt