- 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 Swimming Freestyle / Butterfly of all time
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
- 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–— | 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 |
| 64 | Caeleb Dressel | Swimming | 🇺🇸 United States | 2013–— | 85 |
| 138 | Libby Trickett | Swimming | 🇦🇺 Australia | 2003–2012 | 81.5 |
| 180 | James Guy | Swimming | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 2014–— | 79.9 |
| 206 | Penny Oleksiak | Swimming | 🇨🇦 Canada | 2016–— | 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?
Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.
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