GOAT Rank · 229

Greatest retired Athletes

This ranking is led by Usain Bolt, Sergey Bubka and Carl Lewis. GOAT Rank currently ranks 229 eligible athletes using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Quick answer

According to GOAT Rank's current model, Usain Bolt ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 93.2.

How the GOAT Score is calculated →

#AthleteGOAT Score

Tirunesh Dibaba

87.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2001–2019
Country: 🇪🇹 Ethiopia

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Tirunesh Dibaba

Eunice Barber

87.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1993–2009
Country: 🇫🇷 France

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Eunice Barber

Jonathan Edwards

87.4

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1988–2003
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Jonathan Edwards

Donovan Bailey

87.4

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1991–2001
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Donovan Bailey

Igor Astapkovich

87.3

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1987–2004
Country: 🇧🇾 Belarus

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Igor Astapkovich

Heike Drechsler

87.2

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1980–2004
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Heike Drechsler

Steve Backley

87.2

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1988–2004
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Steve Backley

Randy Barnes

87.2

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1986–1998
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Randy Barnes

Christine Arron

87.1

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1993–2012
Country: 🇫🇷 France

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Christine Arron

Linford Christie

87.1

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1986–1997
Country: 🇬🇧 Great Britain

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Linford Christie

Andrey Abduvaliyev

87.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1988–1999
Country: 🇹🇯 Tajikistan

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Andrey Abduvaliyev

Yang Chuan-kwang

87.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1954–1968
Country: 🇹🇼 Taiwan

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Yang Chuan-kwang

Nadzeya Astapchuk

86.7

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1998–2015
Country: 🇧🇾 Belarus

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Nadzeya Astapchuk

Robert Harting

86.7

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2004–2018
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Robert Harting

David Rudisha

86.7

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2006–2019
Country: 🇰🇪 Kenya

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: David Rudisha

Mike Powell

86.6

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1984–1996
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Mike Powell

Inha Babakova

86.4

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1986–2004
Country: 🇺🇦 Ukraine

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Inha Babakova

Jesse Owens

86.3

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1932–1936
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 97.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Jesse Owens

Marita Koch

86.3

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1977–1986
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 70.0

Athlete: Marita Koch

Ralph Boston

86.3

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1960–1968
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Ralph Boston

Mo Farah

86.3

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2001–2023
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Mo Farah

Genzebe Dibaba

86.3

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2008–2021
Country: 🇪🇹 Ethiopia

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Genzebe Dibaba

Tyson Gay

86.2

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2005–2017
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Tyson Gay

Paula Radcliffe

86.2

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1992–2015
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Paula Radcliffe

Wilson Kipketer

86.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1990–2005
Country: 🇩🇰 Denmark

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Wilson Kipketer

Sally Gunnell

86.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1984–1997
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Sally Gunnell

Moses Kiptanui

85.9

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1990–1999
Country: 🇰🇪 Kenya

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Moses Kiptanui

100

Ashton Eaton

85.8

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2008–2016
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Ashton Eaton

101

Kajsa Bergqvist

85.8

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1994–2008
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Kajsa Bergqvist

103

Abebe Bikila

85.8

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1956–1969
Country: 🇪🇹 Ethiopia

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 70.0

Athlete: Abebe Bikila

104

Lasse Virén

85.7

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1969–1980
Country: 🇫🇮 Finland

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Lasse Virén

105

Alessandro Andrei

85.7

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1979–1993
Country: 🇮🇹 Italy

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Alessandro Andrei

106

Justin Gatlin

85.6

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2000–2022
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Justin Gatlin

107

Alberto Juantorena

85.6

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1971–1984
Country: 🇨🇺 Cuba

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Alberto Juantorena

108

Florence Griffith Joyner

85.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1983–1989
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 99.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 58.0

Athlete: Florence Griffith Joyner

109

Gail Devers

85.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1987–2007
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Gail Devers

112

Stefan Holm

85.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1993–2008
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Stefan Holm

113

Werner Günthör

85.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1982–1993
Country: 🇨🇭 Switzerland

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Werner Günthör

114

Patrik Sjöberg

85.4

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1981–1997
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Patrik Sjöberg

115

Charles Austin

85.4

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1990–2001
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Charles Austin

116

James Beckford

85.4

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1993–2007
Country: 🇯🇲 Jamaica

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: James Beckford

117

Roger Black

85.4

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1986–1998
Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Roger Black

118

Abel Antón

85.4

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1985–2002
Country: 🇪🇸 Spain

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Abel Antón

119

Dwight Phillips

85.2

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2000–2013
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Dwight Phillips

121

Ludmila Engquist

85.1

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1987–1999
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Ludmila Engquist

122

Natalya Antyukh

85.1

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2001–2014
Country: 🇷🇺 Russia

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Natalya Antyukh

123

Dan O'Brien

85.1

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1988–2000
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Dan O'Brien

124

Daniel Komen

85.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1994–2003
Country: 🇰🇪 Kenya

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Daniel Komen

125

Mizuki Noguchi

85.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1999–2012
Country: 🇯🇵 Japan

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Mizuki Noguchi

126

Jessica Ennis-Hill

85.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2005–2016
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Jessica Ennis-Hill

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
61	Tirunesh Dibaba	Athletics	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2001–2019	87.5
64	Eunice Barber	Athletics	🇫🇷 France	1993–2009	87.5
65	Jonathan Edwards	Athletics	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1988–2003	87.4
66	Donovan Bailey	Athletics	🇨🇦 Canada	1991–2001	87.4
68	Igor Astapkovich	Athletics	🇧🇾 Belarus	1987–2004	87.3
69	Heike Drechsler	Athletics	🇩🇪 Germany	1980–2004	87.2
71	Steve Backley	Athletics	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1988–2004	87.2
72	Randy Barnes	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1986–1998	87.2
73	Christine Arron	Athletics	🇫🇷 France	1993–2012	87.1
74	Linford Christie	Athletics	🇬🇧 Great Britain	1986–1997	87.1
77	Andrey Abduvaliyev	Athletics	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	1988–1999	87.0
78	Yang Chuan-kwang	Athletics	🇹🇼 Taiwan	1954–1968	87.0
80	Nadzeya Astapchuk	Athletics	🇧🇾 Belarus	1998–2015	86.7
81	Robert Harting	Athletics	🇩🇪 Germany	2004–2018	86.7
82	David Rudisha	Athletics	🇰🇪 Kenya	2006–2019	86.7
84	Mike Powell	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1984–1996	86.6
85	Inha Babakova	Athletics	🇺🇦 Ukraine	1986–2004	86.4
86	Jesse Owens	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1932–1936	86.3
88	Marita Koch	Athletics	🇩🇪 Germany	1977–1986	86.3
89	Ralph Boston	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1960–1968	86.3
90	Mo Farah	Athletics	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	2001–2023	86.3
91	Genzebe Dibaba	Athletics	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	2008–2021	86.3
93	Tyson Gay	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	2005–2017	86.2
95	Paula Radcliffe	Athletics	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1992–2015	86.2
97	Wilson Kipketer	Athletics	🇩🇰 Denmark	1990–2005	86.0
98	Sally Gunnell	Athletics	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1984–1997	86.0
99	Moses Kiptanui	Athletics	🇰🇪 Kenya	1990–1999	85.9
100	Ashton Eaton	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	2008–2016	85.8
101	Kajsa Bergqvist	Athletics	🇸🇪 Sweden	1994–2008	85.8
103	Abebe Bikila	Athletics	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1956–1969	85.8
104	Lasse Virén	Athletics	🇫🇮 Finland	1969–1980	85.7
105	Alessandro Andrei	Athletics	🇮🇹 Italy	1979–1993	85.7
106	Justin Gatlin	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	2000–2022	85.6
107	Alberto Juantorena	Athletics	🇨🇺 Cuba	1971–1984	85.6
108	Florence Griffith Joyner	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1983–1989	85.5
109	Gail Devers	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1987–2007	85.5
112	Stefan Holm	Athletics	🇸🇪 Sweden	1993–2008	85.5
113	Werner Günthör	Athletics	🇨🇭 Switzerland	1982–1993	85.5
114	Patrik Sjöberg	Athletics	🇸🇪 Sweden	1981–1997	85.4
115	Charles Austin	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1990–2001	85.4
116	James Beckford	Athletics	🇯🇲 Jamaica	1993–2007	85.4
117	Roger Black	Athletics	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	1986–1998	85.4
118	Abel Antón	Athletics	🇪🇸 Spain	1985–2002	85.4
119	Dwight Phillips	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	2000–2013	85.2
121	Ludmila Engquist	Athletics	🇸🇪 Sweden	1987–1999	85.1
122	Natalya Antyukh	Athletics	🇷🇺 Russia	2001–2014	85.1
123	Dan O'Brien	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2000	85.1
124	Daniel Komen	Athletics	🇰🇪 Kenya	1994–2003	85.0
125	Mizuki Noguchi	Athletics	🇯🇵 Japan	1999–2012	85.0
126	Jessica Ennis-Hill	Athletics	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	2005–2016	85.0

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Usain Bolt vs Sergey Bubka

Read 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 methodology

Frequently asked questions

How is this ranking calculated?

Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Who is included?

According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.

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