- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1960–1980
- Country
- 🇵🇱 Poland
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
GOAT Rank · 13
Greatest Athletics athletes of the 1960s
This ranking uses verified career records and GOAT Rank's published model. Every listed athlete clears the data eligibility threshold.
#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1966–1976
- Country
- 🇷🇺 Soviet Union
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1960–1968
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1969–1980
- Country
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1962–1973
- Country
- 🇰🇪 Kenya
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1966–1972
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 66.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1963–1969
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 66.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1967–1976
- Country
- 🇩🇪 East Germany
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1965–1976
- Country
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1964–1972
- Country
- 🇷🇸 Serbia
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 70.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1965–1973
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 52.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1966–1972
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 64.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1963–1972
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 54.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Irena Szewińska | Athletics | 🇵🇱 Poland | 1960–1980 | 91.1 |
| 38 | Nadezhda Chizhova | Athletics | 🇷🇺 Soviet Union | 1966–1976 | 88.7 |
| 89 | Ralph Boston | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1960–1968 | 86.3 |
| 104 | Lasse Virén | Athletics | 🇫🇮 Finland | 1969–1980 | 85.7 |
| 127 | Kipchoge Keino | Athletics | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 1962–1973 | 84.8 |
| 145 | Lee Evans | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1966–1972 | 84 |
| 154 | Tommie Smith | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1963–1969 | 83.6 |
| 155 | Renate Stecher | Athletics | 🇩🇪 East Germany | 1967–1976 | 83.6 |
| 210 | Anatoliy Bondarchuk | Athletics | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 1965–1976 | 81.5 |
| 231 | Vera Nikolić | Athletics | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 1964–1972 | 80.7 |
| 265 | Bob Beamon | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1965–1973 | 77.7 |
| 268 | John Carlos | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1966–1972 | 77.5 |
| 280 | Dick Fosbury | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1963–1972 | 75.5 |
Compare the leaders
Irena Szewińska vs Nadezhda ChizhovaRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.
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