- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1979–1997
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 93.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 94.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
GOAT Rank · 26
Greatest Athletics athletes of the 1970s
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
- 1974–1992
- Country
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 92.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1976–1988
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 94.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1976–1992
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1974–1987
- Country
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1975–1992
- Country
- 🇵🇹 Portugal
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1971–1990
- Country
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1976–1992
- Country
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1977–1996
- Country
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1978–1996
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1978–2012
- Country
- 🇯🇲 Jamaica
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 96.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1975–1990
- Country
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1979–active
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1977–1986
- Country
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 70.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1979–1993
- Country
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1971–1984
- Country
- 🇨🇺 Cuba
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1974–1984
- Country
- 🇩🇪 East Germany
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1976–1992
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1979–1988
- Country
- 🇱🇹 Lithuania
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1979–1988
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 70.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1973–1991
- Country
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1976–1988
- Country
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1971–1984
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1978–1994
- Country
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1976–1984
- Country
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1976–1990
- Country
- 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 70.0
- Statistics
- 76.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Carl Lewis | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1979–1997 | 93.1 |
| 8 | Yuriy Sedykh | Athletics | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 1974–1992 | 91.5 |
| 10 | Edwin Moses | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1976–1988 | 91.3 |
| 29 | Evelyn Ashford | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1976–1992 | 89.5 |
| 40 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | Athletics | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 1974–1987 | 88.7 |
| 45 | Rosa Mota | Athletics | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 1975–1992 | 88.4 |
| 49 | Grete Waitz | Athletics | 🇳🇴 Norway | 1971–1990 | 88.3 |
| 50 | Daley Thompson | Athletics | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1976–1992 | 88 |
| 53 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Athletics | 🇳🇴 Norway | 1977–1996 | 87.8 |
| 54 | Willie Banks | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1978–1996 | 87.7 |
| 55 | Merlene Ottey | Athletics | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 1978–2012 | 87.6 |
| 60 | Sebastian Coe | Athletics | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1975–1990 | 87.5 |
| 62 | Joan Benoit Samuelson | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1979–— | 87.5 |
| 88 | Marita Koch | Athletics | 🇩🇪 Germany | 1977–1986 | 86.3 |
| 105 | Alessandro Andrei | Athletics | 🇮🇹 Italy | 1979–1993 | 85.7 |
| 107 | Alberto Juantorena | Athletics | 🇨🇺 Cuba | 1971–1984 | 85.6 |
| 143 | Bärbel Wöckel | Athletics | 🇩🇪 East Germany | 1974–1984 | 84.1 |
| 146 | Larry Myricks | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1976–1992 | 84 |
| 152 | Ana Ambrazienė | Athletics | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 1979–1988 | 83.8 |
| 161 | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1979–1988 | 83.5 |
| 164 | Steve Ovett | Athletics | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1973–1991 | 83.4 |
| 165 | Ingrid Auerswald | Athletics | 🇩🇪 Germany | 1976–1988 | 83.3 |
| 174 | Randy Williams | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1971–1984 | 83.1 |
| 175 | Steve Cram | Athletics | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1978–1994 | 83 |
| 257 | Ainsley Bennett | Athletics | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1976–1984 | 78.7 |
| 277 | Kebede Balcha | Athletics | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 1976–1990 | 76.5 |
Compare the leaders
Carl Lewis vs Yuriy SedykhRead 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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