Top 10 Olympians of All Time

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Qualifying for the Olympics is one of the most difficult achievements in the world. You are one of the best in your chosen field of sports just to make the competition. It is very difficult to determine who the best Olympian of all time is. The wide variety of sports in the Olympics all are very different to each other. In general, some of the best criteria include the number of Olympics attended and the number of Olympic medals won. Check out below for the list of the top 10 Olympians of all time.

#10: Michael Johnson

During his day, Michael Johnson was one of the most popular Olympian in track and field. In addition, he was also seemingly unbeatable. By the 1996 Olympic games, Johnson had won a total of 56 Gold medals in various competitions in the 400 meters alone. Michael Johnson ranks as one of the best Olympian of all time due to his 7 year undefeated streak. Michael Johnson would have been the best Olympian ever, if not for some controversies that marred his career at the Sydney 2000 games. At these games, the Olympic committee caught Johnson doping. This forced him to hand back his 4 x 400 Gold medal to the world Olympics committee.^[1]The Telegraph – Michael Johnson: Why drugs cheat shamed me into handing back Olympic relay gold medal

#9 Carl Lewis

Like Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis was a dominant figure in track and field and one of the best Olympian of all time. He 4 consecutive gold medals for the United States in the Long Jump event. Carl Lewis would have won a 5th consecutive gold medal at the long jump event, if not for the boycott of the 1980 Olympics event by team USA. Just like his compatriot, Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis had his own share of controversies. For example, he was known to rub in his wins to his competitors. Despite this, Carl Lewis is the best long jumper in the history of Olympics also had numerous achievements in the 100m, 200m, and 400m track events.^[2]Chicago Tribune – Carl Lewis Can`t Outrun Controversy

#8: Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali)

Mohammed Ali’s story as one of the best Olympian of all time is very inspiring. He won the gold medal in boxing at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Afterwards, Mohammed Ali went on to become the greatest boxer of all time. From winning the Olympics gold medal in 1960, Mohammed Ali went on to become the heavyweight boxing champion of the world in 1964. Ali is famous for his nerve-wrecking bouts against the likes of Joe Frazier and George Foreman.^[3]Biography – Muhammad Ali Biography Unlike many other Olympians, Mohammed Ali was rarely involved in scandals.

#7: Steve Redgrave

When it comes to the Olympics events, very few are as consistent as Steve Redgrave. Suprisingly, he is the only British person in this list. He won 5 consecutive Olympic gold medals over a 20 year span. He competed in the rowing at the Olympics between 1984 to 2000. Redgrave cemented himself in rowing history at the 2000 Sydney games.^[4]Olympic – STEVEN REDGRAVE Amazingly, he won gold medals in every Olympics he competed in. He is the best Olympic rower in history. In addition to the Olympics, Steve Redgrave also competed and won gold medals at three commonwealth games as well as 9 other world rowing championships. The greatest rower of all time, he has also managed to stay free from any controversies.

#6: Jesse Owens

During his competition days in track and field, Jesse Owens was consistently the victim of racism. His career is highlighted by his 4 gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Owns did not only win gold medals in individually, but also helped the US relay team win gold as well.^[5]Time – See the Controversial Drama of Adolf Hitler’s 1936 Summer Olympics What made Owen’s Olympics success even more spectacular was that he was one of the very few black athletes in the racist, Nazi city. He used sports to defy racial prejudices and abuse in order to show the world what black people could do. Jesse Owen’s victory was believed to have infuriated the then German leader- Adolf Hitler. Jesse Owens is truly an unforgettable Olympic sports figures.

However, Jesse Owen’s dream almost never came true. The 1936 Olympics was Nazi Germany’s attempt to show the superiority of the Aryan race. This was before they decided that WWII was another way that they could do the same thing.  At the time, the United States considered pulling out of 1936 Olympics. Their reason was that they suspected that Jewish and black athletes would not be allowed to compete in Germany.

#5: Aladar Gerevich

Aladar Gerevich may have become the best Olympian in history. Aladar Gerevich was a Hungarian who represented his country in fencing sports between 1932 and 1960. During this period, he won the Olympic gold medal 6 times, one for every Olympics during this period. He would have set the record as the most consecutive gold medals won at the Olympics, but between 1940 and 1944, WWII briefly interrupted the events. As the greatest Olympic swordsman ever, Aladar was honored in his country after winning 6 gold medals at the Olympics-a feat that has not been achieved by any other Hungarian in or fencer in history.^[6]Olympic – ALADÁR GEREVICH

#4: Ray Ewry

The American, Ray Ewry is the greatest high jump athlete in Olympics history. In the three Olympics that he attended, he was never defeated. In addition to his high jump gold medals, Ewry also won Olympic gold medals in the long jump and triple jump. The best moments of his Olympic career came at the 1900 Paris Olympics and the 1904 St. Louis games. There he won three gold medals on the same day. In addition, Raw Ewry also won gold medals at 1908 summer Olympics. He won a total of 8 gold medals at the Olympics and 2 gold medals at the “Intercalated Games”. This feat easily puts him in the ranks of the greatest Olympians of all time.^[7]Olympic – RAY EWRY

 

#3: Birgit Fischer

Birgit Fischer single handedly made canoeing popular. She was a “jack of all trade” due to her amassing  8 gold medals across six different Olympics games. In addition, when she won her first gold medal, she was the youngest canoeing gold medal winner in history. She kept up this Olympic excellence by winning her last Olympic gold medal at the age of 42. What is even more amazing is that to win this last gold, the German Olympian had returned after three years of retirement.^[8]The Guardian – 50 stunning Olympic moments No12: Birgit Fischer wins eighth gold Currently, Birgit Fischer holds the record of having the 10th highest number of Olympics medals.

#2: Usain Bolt

In addition to being one of the most flamboyant Olympians in history, Usain Bolt is also one of the best Olympian of all time. His has won every major title at the Olympics in his signature events: the 100m, 200m and relays. He won three gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. In addition to this, he also won gold medals in the 100m and 200 meter spritns at the London 2012 Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics. Currently, Usain Bolt holds the distinction as the fastest sprinter of all time. In fact, he is the first sprinter to hold the world records in both the 100 and 200 meter sprints. He has parlayed his sports success and personality to off the field success as well with numerous endorsement deals.

While it seems that Usain Bolt has had little in his way, he did suffer a career setback in the 200 meters sprint at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. However, he showed his true Olympic spirit and came back 4 years later, at the Beijing 2008 Olympics to clinch the gold medal in the event.^[9]The Famous People – Usain Bolt Biography

#1: Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps was born in the United States in 1985. His first Olympic competition was the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia at the tender age of 15. His results were not great at that Olympics, at least in comparison to what was to come. Michael Phelps went on to become the best Olympian in history. Michael Phelps has made appearances at all 5 Olympic Games between 2000 and 2016. Even though he won his last gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics there are speculations that he may come out of retirement to compete at the 2020 Olympics. However, officially, Michael Phelps announced his retirement at the 2016 Olympics event. Since then, he has taken up coaching and mentoring positions to help develop new, young swimming talents all around the world.

Currently, Michael Phelps holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals won by a single person at 22. It is very possible that this record is impossible to break. In addition to 22 gold medals, Phelps also has 6 other silver and bronze medals. This bringing his total medals at the Olympics to 28. What makes it even more impressive is that a majority of his medals were won individually.

A lot of Phelps’ success in swimming has been attributed to his body. With feet that resemble flippers and an extremly long arm span, it is like he was designed to swim. In addition to his swimming feats, he is also famous for his 10,000 calorie diet.^[10]beliefnet -6 Insane Facts About Michael Phelps