- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2013–active
- Country
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 68.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
GOAT Rank · 57
Greatest Swimming Freestyle 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
- 1970–1980
- Country
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- Peak
- 82.0
- Dominance
- 70.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1986–1992
- Country
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- Peak
- 82.0
- Dominance
- 70.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2008–2014
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 82.0
- Dominance
- 70.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 1978–1984
- Country
- 🇩🇪 West Germany
- Peak
- 82.0
- Dominance
- 70.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2016–2022
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 68.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 62.0
- Sport
- Swimming
- Career
- 2019–active
- Country
- 🇷🇴 Romania
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 70.0
- Longevity
- 46.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 237 | Kim Busch | Swimming | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 2013–— | 76.8 |
| 240 | Paolo Barelli | Swimming | 🇮🇹 Italy | 1970–1980 | 76.3 |
| 250 | Chris-Carol Bremer | Swimming | 🇩🇪 Germany | 1986–1992 | 75.5 |
| 251 | Karlee Bispo | Swimming | 🇺🇸 United States | 2008–2014 | 75.5 |
| 253 | Gudrun Beckmann | Swimming | 🇩🇪 West Germany | 1978–1984 | 75.5 |
| 257 | Zach Apple | Swimming | 🇺🇸 United States | 2016–2022 | 74.1 |
| 266 | David Popovici | Swimming | 🇷🇴 Romania | 2019–— | 70.4 |
Compare the leaders
Katie Ledecky vs Ragnhild HvegerRead 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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