GGOATRANK
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Swimming · Distance freestyle · England

Rebecca Adlington

2004–2013 · Double Olympic champion in 2008 with a world record in the 800 metres freestyle.

Retired
Ranking model

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

Pure sporting data
87.0
Cultural & brand footprint 46/100 · total legacy 76.9
Olympic gold medals
2
Olympic medals
4
World records set
1
World Championship titles
1
Commonwealth titles
2

Category profile

Dominance
86
Peak
96
Longevity
76
Honours
88
Statistics
90

Career timeline · Form index per season

SeasonForm index per seasonShare of career
200445
200558
200672
200785
200898
200987
201077
201166
201256
201345

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 Rebecca Adlington ranks #35 in Swimming

Rebecca Adlington ranks 35th among Swimming athletes on GOAT Rank and 483rd of 4013 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 87.0 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 86, Peak 96, Longevity 76, Honours 88, Statistics 90. 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 2004–2013 with 10 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 2008, 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 olympic gold medals 2, olympic medals 4, world records set 1, world championship titles 1.

Immediately ahead sits Mireia Belmonte on 87.0, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Katinka Hosszú on 86.9. 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.

Rebecca Adlington GOAT Score explained

Dominance86/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Adlington stood above the field while competing. Scored 86/100 against the full Swimming cohort.
Peak96/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 2008. Scored 96/100.
Longevity76/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 9 years of competition and 10 recorded seasons. Scored 76/100.
Honours88/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 88/100.
Statistics90/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 90/100.

Rebecca Adlington — frequently asked

Is Rebecca Adlington the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Rebecca Adlington ranks 35th in Swimming with a GOAT Score of 87.0, behind Michael Phelps on 98.1.
What is Rebecca Adlington's GOAT Score?
87.0 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 86 (25%), Peak 96 (20%), Longevity 76 (20%), Honours 88 (20%), Statistics 90 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Rebecca Adlington rank all time?
483rd of 4013 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 35th within Swimming.
Rebecca Adlington vs Mireia Belmonte: who ranks higher?
Rebecca Adlington, on 87.0 against Mireia Belmonte's 87.0 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Phelps