- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1966–1976
- Country
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 92.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
GOAT Rank · 10
Greatest Swimming athletes of the 1960s
This ranking uses verified career records and GOAT Rank's published model. Every listed athlete clears the data eligibility threshold.
#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1965–1972
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 70.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1962–1968
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 68.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1967–1972
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 66.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1968–1976
- Country
- 🇷🇺 Russia
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1966–1972
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 70.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1968–1974
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 66.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1968–1974
- Country
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 66.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1969–1976
- Country
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 62.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1968–1976
- Country
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Roland Matthes | Swimming | 🇩🇪 Germany | 1966–1976 | 89.6 |
| 25 | Mark Spitz | Swimming | 🇺🇸 United States | 1965–1972 | 87.5 |
| 70 | Don Schollander | Swimming | 🇺🇸 United States | 1962–1968 | 84.8 |
| 72 | Debbie Meyer | Swimming | 🇺🇸 United States | 1967–1972 | 84.4 |
| 107 | Vladimir Bure | Swimming | 🇷🇺 Russia | 1968–1976 | 82.9 |
| 124 | Mike Burton | Swimming | 🇺🇸 United States | 1966–1972 | 82 |
| 135 | Gunnar Larsson | Swimming | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1968–1974 | 81.6 |
| 159 | Novella Calligaris | Swimming | 🇮🇹 Italy | 1968–1974 | 80.9 |
| 207 | Mayumi Aoki | Swimming | 🇯🇵 Japan | 1969–1976 | 78.7 |
| 226 | Marie-Thérèse Armentero | Swimming | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 1968–1976 | 77.9 |
Compare the leaders
Roland Matthes vs Mark SpitzRead 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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