#	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
6	Robert Finke	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2018–—	90.1
7	Tracy Caulkins	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1977–1984	89.8
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
16	Jenny Thompson	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1991–2004	88.6
24	Johnny Weissmuller	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1921–1929	87.6
25	Mark Spitz	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1965–1972	87.5
28	Nathan Adrian	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2007–2021	87.3
32	Lilly King	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2016–—	87.1
40	Duke Kahanamoku	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1911–1932	86.8
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
49	Janet Evans	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1986–1996	86.3
52	Ryan Lochte	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2004–2021	86.1
55	Rick Carey	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1988	85.8
63	Jason Lezak	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1998–2012	85.1
64	Caeleb Dressel	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2013–—	85
65	Matt Biondi	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1984–1992	85
67	Mike Barrowman	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1988–1992	85
69	Brooke Bennett	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1994–2001	84.8
70	Don Schollander	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1962–1968	84.8
72	Debbie Meyer	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1967–1972	84.4
75	Gary Hall Jr.	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1994–2004	84.3
77	Melissa Belote	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1971–1976	84.2
79	Anthony Ervin	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1999–2016	84
80	Gertrude Ederle	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1921–1928	84
84	Tom Jager	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1984–1992	83.9
89	Lenny Krayzelburg	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1997–2004	83.6
94	Amanda Beard	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1996–2008	83.5
101	Tom Dolan	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1993–2002	83.1
102	Rebecca Soni	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2008–2012	83.1
105	Kate Douglass	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2019–—	83
106	Chase Kalisz	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2013–—	83
112	Mike Bruner	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1975–1980	82.6
116	John Hencken	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1972–1976	82.4
117	Amy Van Dyken	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1994–2000	82.4
123	Gretchen Walsh	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2021–—	82.1
124	Mike Burton	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1966–1972	82
126	Missy Franklin	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2010–2018	81.8
127	Brendan Hansen	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2000–2012	81.8
128	Robin Backhaus	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1971–1976	81.8
130	Elizabeth Beisel	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2007–2016	81.7
132	Barbara Bedford	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1990–2000	81.7
137	Michael Chadwick	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2013–2021	81.6
140	Simone Manuel	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2015–—	81.5

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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