- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1980–2001
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 95.0
- Dominance
- 92.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
GOAT Rank · 12
Greatest Athletics Field events 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
- 1984–2006
- Country
- 🇨🇿 Czechia
- Peak
- 93.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1997–2016
- Country
- 🇷🇺 Russia
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1984–2001
- Country
- 🇨🇺 Cuba
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2006–active
- Country
- 🇵🇱 Poland
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 1954–1980
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2013–active
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2001–2022
- Country
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- 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
- 1988–2003
- Country
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2011–active
- Country
- 🇧🇪 Belgium
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2008–2016
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1980–2001 | 92.1 |
| 17 | Jan Železný | Athletics | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 1984–2006 | 90.5 |
| 20 | Yelena Isinbayeva | Athletics | 🇷🇺 Russia | 1997–2016 | 90.3 |
| 23 | Javier Sotomayor | Athletics | 🇨🇺 Cuba | 1984–2001 | 89.9 |
| 24 | Anita Włodarczyk | Athletics | 🇵🇱 Poland | 2006–— | 89.9 |
| 27 | Al Oerter | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 1954–1980 | 89.7 |
| 37 | Ryan Crouser | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 2013–— | 88.7 |
| 46 | Valerie Adams | Athletics | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 2001–2022 | 88.3 |
| 50 | Daley Thompson | Athletics | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1976–1992 | 88 |
| 65 | Jonathan Edwards | Athletics | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1988–2003 | 87.4 |
| 87 | Nafissatou Thiam | Athletics | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 2011–— | 86.3 |
| 100 | Ashton Eaton | Athletics | 🇺🇸 United States | 2008–2016 | 85.8 |
Compare the leaders
Jackie Joyner-Kersee vs Jan ŽeleznýRead 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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