Olympic golds
9
Olympic medals
12
World records
22
Golds at one Games
5
Unbeaten run (races)
121
Distances held records at
8
Category profile
- Dominance
- 93
- Peak
- 95
- Longevity
- 86
- Honours
- 94
- Statistics
- 92
Career timeline · Form index per season
Editorial season form index (0–100), not raw goals or points. Raw season-by-season statistics are shown only where fully verified.
| Season | Form index per season | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 3 | |
| 1921 | 4 | |
| 1922 | 5 | |
| 1923 | 4 | |
| 1924 | 5 | |
| 1925 | 6 | |
| 1926 | 4 | |
| 1927 | 3 | |
| 1928 | 3 | |
| 1929 | 2 | |
| 1930 | 2 | |
| 1931 | 1 |
Data sources
- World Athletics
- Olympedia
- Olympics.com
Last verified: 2026-09-14
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why Paavo Nurmi ranks #5 in Athletics
Paavo Nurmi ranks #5 in Athletics and #253 of 5087 across all sports. The verified GOAT Score is 92.1/100.
The verified career covers 1920–1934 and 12 documented seasons. Peak is 95/100, with Peak the strongest category at 95/100 (20% weight). Key metrics: Olympic golds 9, Olympic medals 12, World records 22, Golds at one Games 5.
Nearest context: ahead Jackie Joyner-Kersee (92.1); behind Eliud Kipchoge (92.0). Rankings update whenever verified records change.
Paavo Nurmi GOAT Score explained
- Dominance93/100 · weight 25%
- Dominance: 93/100, based on the verified career record.
- Peak95/100 · weight 20%
- Peak: 95/100, based on the verified career record.
- Longevity86/100 · weight 20%
- Longevity: 86/100, based on the verified career record.
- Honours94/100 · weight 20%
- Honours: 94/100, based on the verified career record.
- Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
- Statistics: 92/100, based on the verified career record.
Top Nurmi comparisons
Paavo Nurmi — frequently asked
- Is Paavo Nurmi the GOAT?
- According to GOAT Rank's current data model, Paavo Nurmi ranks #5 in Athletics with a GOAT Score of 92.1/100, behind Usain Bolt (93.2).
- What is Paavo Nurmi's GOAT Score?
- 92.1/100, calculated from the verified career record: Dominance 93 (25%), Peak 95 (20%), Longevity 86 (20%), Honours 94 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%).
- Where does Paavo Nurmi rank all time?
- #253 of 5087 eligible athletes across all sports and #5 in Athletics.
- Paavo Nurmi vs Jackie Joyner-Kersee: who ranks higher?
- Paavo Nurmi ranks higher at 92.1 versus Jackie Joyner-Kersee at 92.1, a margin of 0.0 points.