Category profile
- Dominance
- 86
- Peak
- 96
- Longevity
- 78
- Honours
- 84
- Statistics
- 90
Career timeline · Major golds per season
| Season | Major golds per season | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 0 | |
| 1985 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 0 | |
| 1988 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 2 | |
| 1991 | 3 | |
| 1992 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 |
Data sources
- World Athletics
- Olympedia
- IOC results
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why Mike Powell ranks #68 in Athletics
Mike Powell ranks 68th among Athletics athletes on GOAT Rank and 400th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 86.6 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 86, Peak 96, Longevity 78, Honours 84, Statistics 90. 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 1984–1996 with 13 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1991, which sets the Peak component at 96. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 96 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes world record in metres 8.95, world championship golds 2, olympic silver medals 2, years the world record has stood 34.
Immediately ahead sits Rosa Mota on 88.4, a gap of 1.8 points. Directly behind is Grete Waitz on 88.3. 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.
Mike Powell GOAT Score explained
- Dominance86/100 · weight 25%
- Measures how far Powell stood above the field while competing. Scored 86/100 against the full Athletics cohort.
- Peak96/100 · weight 20%
- Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1991. Scored 96/100.
- Longevity78/100 · weight 20%
- Rewards staying at that level over time: 12 years of competition and 13 recorded seasons. Scored 78/100.
- Honours84/100 · weight 20%
- Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 84/100.
- Statistics90/100 · weight 15%
- Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 90/100.
Top Powell comparisons
Mike Powell — frequently asked
- Is Mike Powell the GOAT?
- Not on the current data. Mike Powell ranks 68th in Athletics with a GOAT Score of 86.6, behind Usain Bolt on 93.2.
- What is Mike Powell's GOAT Score?
- 86.6 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 86 (25%), Peak 96 (20%), Longevity 78 (20%), Honours 84 (20%), Statistics 90 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
- Where does Mike Powell rank all time?
- 400th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 68th within Athletics.
- Mike Powell vs Rosa Mota: who ranks higher?
- Rosa Mota, on 88.4 against Mike Powell's 86.6 — a margin of 1.8 points.