- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2007–active
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
GOAT Rank · 8
Greatest Freestyle / Butterflys of all time
This ranking is led by Sarah Sjöström, Mark Spitz and Kornelia Ender. GOAT Rank currently ranks 8 eligible Swimming freestyle / butterflys using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Sarah Sjöström ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 88.6.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#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
- 1971–1978
- Country
- 🇩🇪 East Germany
- Peak
- 95.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 91.0
- Longevity
- 70.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2012–2024
- Country
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2013–active
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2003–2012
- Country
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2014–active
- Country
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 76.0
- Statistics
- 78.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2016–active
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 76.0
- Statistics
- 78.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Sarah Sjöström | Swimming | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 2007–active | 88.6 |
| 25 | Mark Spitz | Swimming | 🇺🇸 United States | 1965–1972 | 87.5 |
| 30 | Kornelia Ender | Swimming | 🇩🇪 East Germany | 1971–1978 | 87.2 |
| 33 | Emma McKeon | Swimming | 🇦🇺 Australia | 2012–2024 | 87.0 |
| 64 | Caeleb Dressel | Swimming | 🇺🇸 United States | 2013–active | 85.0 |
| 138 | Libby Trickett | Swimming | 🇦🇺 Australia | 2003–2012 | 81.5 |
| 180 | James Guy | Swimming | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 2014–active | 79.9 |
| 206 | Penny Oleksiak | Swimming | 🇨🇦 Canada | 2016–active | 78.7 |
Compare the leaders
Sarah Sjöström 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?
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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