GGOATRANK
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Swimming · Backstroke · Iceland

Örn Arnarson

1997–2008 · European short course champion in the backstroke and Iceland's finest swimmer.

Retired
Ranking model

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

Pure sporting data
74.0
Cultural & brand footprint 46/100 · total legacy 68.7
European short course titles
2
European long course medals
1
Icelandic records
20
Olympic Games contested
3
Years at the top level
12

Category profile

Dominance
66
Peak
82
Longevity
78
Honours
72
Statistics
74

Career timeline · Form index per season

SeasonForm index per seasonShare of career
199750
199862
199974
200086
200194
200296
200388
200482
200576
200668
200758
200848

Data sources

  • World Aquatics
  • Olympedia
  • European Aquatics

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

Why Örn Arnarson ranks #259 in Swimming

Örn Arnarson ranks 259th among Swimming athletes on GOAT Rank and 2875th of 4013 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 74.0 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 66, Peak 82, Longevity 78, Honours 72, Statistics 74. 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 1997–2008 with 12 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 2002, which sets the Peak component at 82. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 82 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes european short course titles 2, european long course medals 1, icelandic records 20, olympic games contested 3.

Immediately ahead sits Zach Apple on 74.1, a gap of 0.1 points. Directly behind is Duncan Goodhew on 73.9. 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.

Örn Arnarson GOAT Score explained

Dominance66/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Arnarson stood above the field while competing. Scored 66/100 against the full Swimming cohort.
Peak82/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 2002. Scored 82/100.
Longevity78/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 11 years of competition and 12 recorded seasons. Scored 78/100.
Honours72/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 72/100.
Statistics74/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 74/100.

Örn Arnarson — frequently asked

Is Örn Arnarson the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Örn Arnarson ranks 259th in Swimming with a GOAT Score of 74.0, behind Michael Phelps on 98.1.
What is Örn Arnarson's GOAT Score?
74.0 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 66 (25%), Peak 82 (20%), Longevity 78 (20%), Honours 72 (20%), Statistics 74 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Örn Arnarson rank all time?
2875th of 4013 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 259th within Swimming.
Örn Arnarson vs Zach Apple: who ranks higher?
Zach Apple, on 74.1 against Örn Arnarson's 74.0 — a margin of 0.1 points.
Compare with Phelps