- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2001–2016
- Country
- 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
GOAT Rank · 11
Greatest Athletics Distance running of all time
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
- 1989–2013
- Country
- 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- 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
- 2018–active
- Country
- 🇰🇪 Kenya
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2015–active
- Country
- 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- 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
- 1994–2003
- Country
- 🇰🇪 Kenya
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- 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
- 2009–active
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1983–1993
- Country
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2011–active
- Country
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 76.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | Meseret Defar | Athletics | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 2001–2016 | 88.3 |
| 48 | Derartu Tulu | Athletics | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 1989–2013 | 88.3 |
| 53 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Athletics | 🇳🇴 Norway | 1977–1996 | 87.8 |
| 57 | Beatrice Chebet | Athletics | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 2018–— | 87.5 |
| 76 | Letesenbet Gidey | Athletics | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 2015–— | 87 |
| 104 | Lasse Virén | Athletics | 🇫🇮 Finland | 1969–1980 | 85.7 |
| 124 | Daniel Komen | Athletics | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 1994–2003 | 85 |
| 127 | Kipchoge Keino | Athletics | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 1962–1973 | 84.8 |
| 171 | Mohammed Ahmed | Athletics | 🇨🇦 Canada | 2009–— | 83.1 |
| 256 | Zola Budd | Athletics | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 1983–1993 | 78.7 |
| 273 | Eilish McColgan | Athletics | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 2011–— | 76.6 |
Compare the leaders
Meseret Defar vs Derartu TuluRead 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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