#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
1	Michael Phelps	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2000–2016	98.1
2	Katie Ledecky	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2012–—	94.8
3	Therese Alshammar	Swimming	🇸🇪 Sweden	1994–2016	90.3
4	Michael Gross	Swimming	🇩🇪 Germany	1981–1991	90.3
5	Cate Campbell	Swimming	🇦🇺 Australia	2008–2024	90.1
6	Robert Finke	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2018–—	90.1
7	Tracy Caulkins	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1977–1984	89.8
8	Kirsty Coventry	Swimming	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	2000–2016	89.7
9	Roland Matthes	Swimming	🇩🇪 Germany	1966–1976	89.6
10	Inge de Bruijn	Swimming	🇳🇱 Netherlands	1991–2007	89.5
11	Natalie Coughlin	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1998–2016	89.4
12	Dara Torres	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1982–2012	89.4
13	Aaron Peirsol	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1999–2011	89.2
14	Adam Peaty	Swimming	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	2012–—	88.7
15	Sarah Sjöström	Swimming	🇸🇪 Sweden	2007–—	88.6
16	Jenny Thompson	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1991–2004	88.6
17	Ragnhild Hveger	Swimming	🇩🇰 Denmark	1936–1952	88.2
18	Alexander Popov	Swimming	🇷🇺 Russia	1990–2004	88
19	Franziska van Almsick	Swimming	🇩🇪 Germany	1991–2004	88
20	Yana Klochkova	Swimming	🇺🇦 Ukraine	1996–2008	87.9
21	Gregorio Paltrinieri	Swimming	🇮🇹 Italy	2011–—	87.9
22	Chad le Clos	Swimming	🇿🇦 South Africa	2008–—	87.8
23	Alex Baumann	Swimming	🇨🇦 Canada	1978–1987	87.8
24	Johnny Weissmuller	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1921–1929	87.6
25	Mark Spitz	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1965–1972	87.5
26	László Cseh	Swimming	🇭🇺 Hungary	2003–2021	87.4
27	Tamás Darnyi	Swimming	🇭🇺 Hungary	1985–1993	87.3
28	Nathan Adrian	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2007–2021	87.3
29	Ana Marcela Cunha	Swimming	🇧🇷 Brazil	2006–—	87.3
30	Kornelia Ender	Swimming	🇩🇪 East Germany	1971–1978	87.2
31	Vladimir Salnikov	Swimming	🇷🇺 Russia	1976–1988	87.1
32	Lilly King	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2016–—	87.1
33	Emma McKeon	Swimming	🇦🇺 Australia	2012–2024	87
34	Mireia Belmonte	Swimming	🇪🇸 Spain	2006–—	87
35	Rebecca Adlington	Swimming	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	2004–2013	87
36	Katinka Hosszú	Swimming	🇭🇺 Hungary	2004–2023	86.9
37	Dawn Fraser	Swimming	🇦🇺 Australia	1955–1964	86.8
38	Krisztina Egerszegi	Swimming	🇭🇺 Hungary	1988–1996	86.8
39	Kristin Otto	Swimming	🇩🇪 Germany	1982–1989	86.8
40	Duke Kahanamoku	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1911–1932	86.8
41	Kieren Perkins	Swimming	🇦🇺 Australia	1990–2000	86.7
42	Ryan Murphy	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2013–—	86.7
43	Mary T. Meagher	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1979–1988	86.7
44	Sippy Woodhead	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1977–1984	86.6
45	Shirley Babashoff	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1972–1978	86.5
46	Paul Biedermann	Swimming	🇩🇪 Germany	2004–2016	86.5
47	Alain Bernard	Swimming	🇫🇷 France	2002–2012	86.5
48	Alia Atkinson	Swimming	🇯🇲 Jamaica	2002–2022	86.4
49	Janet Evans	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1986–1996	86.3
50	Antje Buschschulte	Swimming	🇩🇪 Germany	1994–2008	86.3

Compare the leaders

Michael Phelps vs Katie Ledecky

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?

Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.

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