She already had the five best heptathlon scores ever recorded. In 1968, he failed to win a single individual event, even though he was the prohibitive and world record-holder in the 100-meter butterfly and the best swimmer coming into the 100-meter freestyle. “I worked very hard for those medals … it was not all drugs,” she said. She is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and the defending champion at 200-meters. Natalie Coughlin, Swimming, United States. He held the record for most medals won with 15 until it was broken by Michael Phelps. She was 42 when she was part of the K-4 team that won the 500-meter race in Athens. This amazing championship has embraced many champions and great athletes. Swept the 100-, 200- and 4×100-meter relays at each of the last two Olympics. Pietri crossed that line first and the crowd went crazy for him. 16. But even that score was too low for a medal, and the crowd’s boos grew darker until Nemov himself stepped out and held up his hand in both gratitude and a sense of decency. Won 10 gold medals from 1900-1908 in the standing long jump, the standing high jump and the standing triple jump. Of the 15 medals, seven were gold including the individual all-around competition in 1976. Evans is a world-record holder for time and distance completion, as well as a world champion. He got up ran a little longer and fell down again. 50-40: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Clyde Drexler, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Basketball, United States. Amateur, but in 1939, ... 15 Female Olympic Athletes We Love. Athletes … The only shooter to win the same event at three different Olympics (he won the 25-meter rapid fire pistol). Usain Bolt Usain Bolt is a Jamaican track and field athlete who gained international fame at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by winning the gold medal and breaking the world record in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100 team relay races. It was, in many ways, the crescendo performance of Nemov’s career; his contribution to gymnastics was his determination to push the boundaries and do harder and harder routines than had ever been tried before. Competed in six Olympics from 1960 to 1988 and won six gold medals in dressage. Relatively few LGBT athletes have competed openly during the Olympics. And again. There have been many great achievements made by athletes from all around the world in the London Olympics. Enjoy and let’s celebrate the Summer Olympics and all the amazing athletes that competed. Nine gold. Four years later, she won the heptathlon again. Subsequent to the Summer Olympics held in 2008, Phelps began the “Michael Phelps Foundation” that highlights the developing of swimming and supporting better lifestyles. Updated on Dec 14, 2012, 14:12 IST. Though he gained more fame for popularizing surfing, he first won three golds and two silvers in the swimming competitions at the 1912, 1920 and 1924 Olympics. Famous Olympic athletes - discover the amazing achievements and watch record-breaking performances of the world's top athletes. How fast was he going when he hit the corner in the 200-meters? The first woman to win back-to-back golds in the 100-meter backstroke. She won a … He won gold by a 3-2 decision. Seven world records. But in the moment, he found a way to make the lift that won him the bronze medal. Boris Shakhlin, Gymnastics, Soviet Union. He won the 100 metres world record between 2005 and 2008, achieving records of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds in that order. She won the individual all-around twice, in 1956 and 1960, and won silver in 1964. The Most Famous Female Athletes Of All Time Jackie Joyner-Kersee. He is an American swimmer with a total of 22 medals. More than 200 countries took part in the XXX Olympiad and many countries gained their first medals including Grenada, Cyprus and El Salvador. In the Summer Olympics, held in 1956, she competed with Ágnes Keleti, to become the most winning gymnast of the Olympics. Duke Kahanamoku, Swimming, United States. She wore a brace until she was 9. She is a previous Soviet gymnast. He was the only one who knew that he was fighting the gold medal match against Germany’s Hans Huber with a broken thumb. Kindly track this article that reveals the most famous Olympic athletes. 57. She proceeded to win the 200, the 80 meter hurdles and she anchored Netherland’s gold-medal winning 4×100 meter relay team, coming back from third place. Ewry had contracted polio as a child and had spent some of his younger years in a wheelchair. 18. He won two gold medals at the 1900 Olympics and then returned to the Games in Antwerp 20 years later to capture four more golds at the age of 54. Maybe my favorite fact about Jim Thorpe’s sweep of the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics is that he won four of the five events in the pentathlon. Out of the 104 openly gay and lesbian participants in the Summer Olympics as of 2012, 53% have won a medal. More than 200 countries took part in the XXX Olympiad and many countries gained their first medals including Grenada, Cyprus and El Salvador. He knocked out his first two opponents but in his third fight — where opponent Vadim Yemelyanov’s corner threw in the towel — Frazier badly hurt his left hand. But more: “I believe in me more than anything in this world.”. Hoy now writes children’s books about a cyclist named “Flying Fergus.”. Andras Balczo, Modern Pentathlon, Hungary, The only three-time Olympic champion in the Modern Pentathlon, but he often turned down the acclaim he received back home because he was a staunch opponent of the ruling party. 89-88. It was a quantum leap forward in the history of Olympic competition, a space-age jump into the future. At the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens, he was leading the marathon by at least five minutes when he got sick and had to stop. That year he also won gold in the vault, rings and floor exercise. He won the UK national championship for … Ali was still called Cassius Clay and he breezed to gold with a knockout and three consecutive unanimous decisions in the light heavyweight division. She won 12 medals in all. 75. Credited with popularizing gymnastics around the world, Nadia Comaneci was honored by the Laureus World Sports Academy by including her in their Athletes of the 20th Century list in 2000. There was a big hill at the end of the road. Not only was she the first woman to win both the British and U.S. Oerter won his first discus gold in 1956 when he was 20. Gable went on to become the greatest wrestling coach in NCAA history. At the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, 17-year-old Olga Korbut captivated the world with her daring acrobatics and her raw displays of emotion. Nadia Comaneci is a Romanian former gymnast. Her perfectly sculpted body, toned abs, and great looks were already winning fans over. Seven golds. He had won back-to-back 10,000 meters races, but that’s only six or so miles. Then, in the final, he jumped 8.9 meters, or 29 feet 2 1/2 inches. Just the second decathlete to win gold medals at back to back Olympics. Winner of six golds. With the Rio 2016 Olympic Games coming to an end, we have compiled a list of some the world’s most famous Olympic athletes and, of course, the athletes’ cars. The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques) are leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions.The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. He was famously intense; my favorite Nurmi fact is that when Zatopek, who would win the 5,000, 10,000 and marathon at the same Olympics, felt like he was spent he would shout to the heavens: “I am Nurmi! Four years after that, she won another bronze in the long jump. Sports are one of those ways unite peoples together. After she won gold in 1972, she was warned not to return home to Northern Ireland because, as a Protestant who won a medal for Great Britain, her life would be in danger. He appeared to almost drown swimming 100-meters at the Sydney Games … but he finished. The athlete has participated in four Summer Olympics as a part of the USA Track & Field team. A star on the 1992 and 1996 gold-medal winning teams for Cuba. He broke the previous world record by almost two feet. He got back up and won the gold medal. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings, Beach Volleyball, United States. And six days after she put the heptathlon record up where no one has even come close, she went out and won the long jump. He is an Olympic and gold medalist; he is also the most victorious unprecedented male American alpine ski racer. He was so baffled about how to run a marathon that he apparently walked up to British world record older Jim Peters, thrust out his hand, and introduced himself: “I am Zatopek,” he said. She is a five-time gold medalist in dressage. 515 athletes (127 women, 388 men) have participated in at least five Olympics from Athens 1896 to Pyeongchang 2018, but excluding the 1906 Intercalated Games.Just over a hundred of these have gone on to make at least a sixth Olympic appearance. Jesse Owens: greatest Olympic athletes in history This American athlete was one of the most outstanding runners of the thirties when he set no fewer than three consecutive world records. By Phyllis Doyle Burns. Winning the Olympic medals can change an athlete's life in many different ways. Actors You Didn't Know Were Olympic Athletes. She was also a four-time world champion while also winning a gold medal in the Pan American Games. “The greatest gift a man can have,” he said, “is a strong will.”, 93. They booed. … “It’s the only thing that really compares to running this fast.”, 15. Florence Griffith-Joyner, Track, United States. She is most famous for winning gold in … I am Nurmi!”. The Guardian reported that he looked like “a man who had taken a brisk country walk.”, She contracted polio and scarlet fever as a child. How did she sweep the 100- and 200-meters at the 1960 Olympics and then anchor the world-record 4×100 meter relay team? The two-time Olympian is the most decorated American gymnast with two gold, two silver and three bronze medals. The one event he did not win? He won his third gold in Sydney in 2000. After receiving two more world championship titles in 1986, he replicated his 1984 achievement in the Seoul Olympics in 1988. In 1952, he did something that will never be done again — he won the 5,000-meter, the 10,000-meter AND the marathon at the same Olympics. In her post-Olympic career she has been twice suspended after her horse was found to have used an illegal substance. These are the best of the best. But he did win some hearts and reminded us that striving is what it’s all about. Jenny Thompson, Swimming, United States. Famous Olympic sprinters, including the most prolific Olympic medallists, such as Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis, Gail Devers and Jesse Owens. Undoubtedly, these athletes are unprecedented, who exerted tremendous efforts to reach the sky. Gerevich won six golds, his first in 1932 and his second an astonishing 28 years later in 1960. Alina Zagitova . Anastasia Davydova, Synchronized Swimming, Russia. A small fraction of the world's population ever competes at the Olympic Games; an even smaller fraction ever competes in multiple Games. Two years later, at the 1908 Olympics in London, he again surged into the lead but with just over a mile to go he began to feel sick again. The umpires helped him up after he fell. He rose to fame as “the first to run the footrace naked at the Olympics” and also “the first of all Olympic victors to be crowned naked”. Richard Fosbury, High Jump, United States. “The Pocket Hercules” won three consecutive gold medals, the last a stirring competition with Greece’s Valerios Leonidis. There have been many great achievements made by athletes from all around the world in the London Olympics. She grew up in segregated Tennessee and was, in her younger days, painfully shy. Here's a list of the most famous female Olympic skaters, beginning with Russian Alina Zagitova and ending with Norwegian Sonja Henie: 01. of 20 . He was the first athlete to gain the title of “double double” by achieving 100 meter and 200 meter titles at successive Olympics held in 2008 and 2012. Yelena Isinbayeva, Pole Vault, Russia. He promised to never go through all that again, but he returned four years later and won the decathlon by a staggering 900 points, the largest gap in Olympic decathlon history. Karnam Malleswari, Weightlifting, India. 80. In 2012, Powell took part in the finals of the 100 meter race at the Summer Olympics, held in London, United Kingdom. Andrew Castle one of the most influential and famous Olympic athletes of the United Kingdom. Unsurprisingly, these outstanding individuals often continue to excel later in life… Check out some of the greatest Olympians and how they’re doing nowadays. Paris 2024 . 85. The Americans were particularly despised in Great Britain in 1908 because they had complained loudly after the British did not have an American flag for the Opening Ceremonies (officials said they couldn’t find one — those were different times). Hoy won the world championships titles for eleven times and Olympic championships for six times. they scored him 9.725, which put him out of medal contention. ... Carlos raise their gloved fists after Smith received the gold and Carlos the bronze for the 200 meter run at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City. It was one of the most glorious Olympic moments, especially because it followed one of the worst. Between years 1956 and 1964, she gained 14 individual Olympic medals and other four team ones. She was a star college basketball player. Aleksandr Karelin, Greco Roman Wrestling, Russia. So, Olympic Games are the most important and famous champion all over the history. Brigit Fischer-Smith, Canoeing, Germany. Being the winner in 2012 French Open, she is ranked the sixth woman in the Open Era to finalize the career Grand Slam individually. Her 10.0 score on the uneven parallel bars (marked 1.0 because the scoring device did not have place for enough digits) broke open the possibility that an athlete could, in a small way, be perfect. 8. She became the first Dutch athlete to win gold in track and field when she won the 100 meters on a muddy track at the 1948 Olympics. He is an American ex-swimmer, who was the Olympic champion for nine. Led the United States men’s volleyball team to two gold medals and was also named the best player of the 20th century by the FIVB. Posnanski is NBC Sports national columnist. 51. famous olympic athletes, ... , worse, access to. And then, in came American Johnny Hayes. Won 11 medals — eight of them gold. 10. A list of the 100 greatest Olympians in order? Since 1900, there is no other swimmer who has ever got such a large percentage of all the medals received for Olympic single games. famous olympic athletes, ... , worse, access to. A canoeing legend, Fredriksson won six gold medals over four Olympics — 1948 in London, 1952 in Helsinki, 1956 in Melbourne and 1960 in Rome. The often imitated but never to be duplicated “Dream Team.” Changed the Olympics forever. 100 Greatest U.S. Olympians At every Olympics, America’s top athletes compete for national pride and personal glory. Of course. Millions around the world witnessed Usain Bolt defend his 100m, 200m and 100m relay titles and Michael Phelps became the most decorated … Here is one of the great stories in Olympic history. He was famous for his brutal workouts, which is what you might expect from an athlete who swept the 5,000- and 10,000-meters at consecutive Olympics. Eric (the Eel) Moussambani, Swimming, Equatorial Guinea. By Sandeep Sharma. 34. Janet Beth Evans was an American Olympic swimmer who was known for her iconic, unconventional freestyle form. She would say that she was inspired by Jesse Owens. Emigrated to Greece from Albania just before the 1992 Olympics and promptly won the gold medal, shouting “For Greece!” as he made the winning lift. He once won the 5,000-meter and the 1,500-meter on the same day. Individual efforts from athletes like Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas, and Usain Bolt are legendary. He was too old. Beijing 2022 . The first person to win medals in five different Olympic Games in sailing and a four-time Gold medalist. He won seven gold medals at the Summer Olympics in 1972 in Munich, it is an achievement merely surpassed by Michael Phelps who gained eight gold medals at the Summer Olympics in 2008, held in Beijing. Won 12 medals, four of them gold, including the individual all-around title in 2000. Menu. Won back-to-back marathons in 1960 and 1964. The stunner sizzled the Playboy cover with her intense confidence and absolutely gorgeous looks. 65. Athletes - Famous Olympic Athletes, Medalists, Sports Heroes Famous Olympic Athletes And How They’re Looking Years Later. But she insisted on returning and was greeted with a throng of supporters. He won the first one running barefoot. He was a small man, barely 5-foot-3, but he loved to run. Played in a record six Olympics (leading the tournament in scoring five times), and led Spain to gold in 1996 after a heartbreaking loss to Italy four years earlier. These actors did more than just play athletes on screen, they actually competed in the Olympic Games. She holds the Olympic record with 25 strikeouts in a game against overmatched Australia in 2000. He's one of the most famous Olympic track and field athletes ever, having set the records for the 100-meter and 200-meter sprinting events and the long jump. Pietri received a silver cup from the Queen of England for his efforts, though, and he was a beloved Italian hero. “Let’s put it this way,” he told me once. One of the most beloved athletes in the history of Great Britain. His story was retold in the Oscar winning movie “Chariots of Fire.”. His 15 Olympic medals established him as the third highest Olympic medal achiever of all time. How does it feel to win a seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup championship? That’s one canoeing family — her niece Fanny won a gold medal in Beijing and her brother Frank won four World Championships. Daley Thompson, Decathlon, Great Britain. He is a British previous track cyclist who took part at the Olympics and World Championships. 100 Greatest U.S. Olympians At every Olympics, America’s top athletes compete for national pride and personal glory. But in almost 50 years only one man — Mike Powell — has jumped longer than Bob Beamon did that day, and this year no one in the world has come within a foot and a half of Beamon’s jump. That year he also played fullback for Stanford making him the only man to win an Olympic gold medal and play in the Rose Bowl in the same year. Mary Peters, Pentathlon, Great Britain. Olga Korbut, a new era in women’s artistic gymnastics. Credited with popularizing gymnastics around the world, Nadia Comaneci was honored by the Laureus World Sports Academy by including her in their Athletes of the 20th Century list in 2000. Edwards is the first female basketball player to compete in five Olympic Games and was named one of the 100 greatest female athletes of the 20th century by … He also won the Stanley Cup 8 … Special Features. 54-52. 10 famous olympic skiers with the winter olympics approaching, let's have a look at ten of the most famous olympic skiers and how many olympic medals they've won. Lisa Fernandez, Softball, United States. And again. People will forget he almost did not make the final that year; he fouled on his first two jumps and needed a sensible but pressure-packed jump on the third just to qualify. He took four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Games in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4 x … She retired at the top of her game and worked to popularize her sport worldwide. And booed more more. Lisa Leslie, Teresa Edwards, Diana Taurasi, Basketball, United States. LA 2028; Milano Cortina 2026 . The first hockey player ever to score 50 goals in one season, Maurice Richard is possibly the most famous Montreal Canadien ever. Invented a whole new way to high jump — now known as the Fosbury Flop — and won Olympic Gold at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He came in the wrong way and had to be redirected by officials. The U.S. easily took gold and won games by an average of 42 points. The first athlete to win the same event at four consecutive Olympics. Jenner quickly became one of the biggest celebrities in the country. It’s hard to put that achievement into words, but perhaps the best way is to simply say that it was the first martathon Zatopek had ever run. Fresno Famous. It took him twice as long as Michael Phelps, and he obviously didn’t win any medals. Won the Olympic individual overall gold medal at the Soviet-boycotted Games of 1984 and inspired a whole new generation of Americans to become gymnasts. Gregory Efthimios Louganis (;born January 29, 1960) is an American Olympic diver, LGBT activist, and author who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics, on both the springboard and... more #84 of 116 The Greatest Left-Handed Athletes of All Time #56 of 80 Celebrities with Learning Disabilities #60 of 80 80 Famous People with ADHD 2 Comment. In 1980, with the U.S. boycotting, Stevenson knocked out his first two opponents and won the last two fights by easy decision. What is left to say about Bolt? Olga Korbut, Gymnastics, Soviet Union. The greatest sprinter of all time. Of course, the Olympics aren’t all about team sports. 77. Tara Lipinski. What’s left to say about Bolt? Between 1956 and 1964 she won medals in 18 gymnastics events, as follows: Gold (9) – 1956 all-around, 1956 floor exercises, 1956 vault, 1956 team, 1960 all-around, 1960 floor exercises, 1960 team, 1964 floor exercises, and 1964 team; Silver (5) – … Those of us who grew up in the 1970s know Bruce Jenner as one of the most famous Olympic athletes of his time. She became the second youngest women's champion in history, just a month behind … This project is a place to list famous and "historic" Olympians and perhaps connect them to Geni profiles. And it just worked like a cherry on top when she agreed to pose nude on the famous men’s magazine. 27. 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One of the best-known gymnasts in the world, Comaneci has five Olympic gold medals under her belt. He is nicknamed by media as “The Lightning Bolt”. Won 12 medals — four of each color — and in 2008 became the oldest swimmer (at 41) ever to compete at the Olympics. When Jackie Joyner Kersee won the heptathlon in 1988, she was by far the best female athlete in the world. On the day of the race, however, he was handed a note which said “Those who honor me I will honor” (Samuel 2:30) and, inspired, set a world record and won Olympic gold. Athletes get all kinds of attention from national and even international media, wanting to do interviews … Top 10 Most Famous Olympic Athletes. Was a two-time World Champion and then briefly retired from the sport, but she returned in 2000 to win bronze and become the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. Winner of three golds in double trap and skeet — in her gold-medal winning skeet performance she tied the Olympic record with 99 hits out of 100. Perhaps the greatest female springboard diver ever, she won four gold medals. 95. Usain Bolt has set the world record for 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19). “My dad bought me a go-kart as a kid. Two-time gold medalist, she was one of the athletes to light the torch at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Share Share Tweet Email. Let’s say up front: This list is ridiculous. Kindly track this article that reveals the most famous Olympic athletes. His fourth book, “The Secret of Golf: The Story of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus,” was released in June 2015. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Jamaican sprinter broke the world and Olympic records in both the100-meter and 200-meter events. Bob Mathias, Decathlon, United States. He has gained six medals in the Winter Olympics. At age 20, Aaron Brown made his Olympic Games debut in London and competed in the 200m event. While Lewis has 10 Olympic medals and 10 World Championships in his kitty, Owens won four gold medals in Berlin Olympics in 1936. As a beginner Olympic participant, Louganis attracted Sammy Lee, who won the Olympics for two times, and he began coaching him. Sydney, Australia; April 18 2021 - What loomed as one of the biggest days on the domestic athletics calendar has delivered in spades, with Australian records tumbling and a further 9 athletes booking their ticket to the Tokyo Olympics on day seven of the Australian Track and Field Championships. 31. Well, the crowd wouldn’t have it. Top 10 Greatest Athletes in Olympics History Former Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov is widely regarded as the best male gymnast of all time. Game against overmatched Australia in 2000 but it was broken by Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas, he!, it was like Flying the athlete has participated in four dissimilar disciplines Fanny won gold! And he fell to the ground he found a way to make the lift that won him the medal! Team that won the K-1 500 meter race in Moscow in 1980, with the U.S. won all six.... 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