10. Edwin Moses
Edwin Moses was the most dominant athlete who ever competed in his sport. For nearly ten years, he won 122 consecutive events, including 107 straight finals and two Olympic gold medals in the 400-meter hurdles. Moses was not only a great runner, but he was also a pioneering reformer in the fields of Olympic eligibility and drug testing. In 2000, he won the election to become the first Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a global institution serving the world’s best athletes. Moses was named the 1980 Track & Field News Athlete of the Year, even though he could not compete in the summer games held in Moscow due to a boycott organised by the United States.
9. Tiger Woods
In the eyes of Earl Woods, his son Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods was destined for greatness. Tiger Woods has proven that his father was correct by becoming one of the wealthiest sportsmen in the world and making an impact beyond the game of golf. Woods has won 15 major championships and 82 PGA events (and counting). It is mind-boggling how often he wins majors, but he also has the highest winning percentage in PGA competition (22.8%), more than any other player. In 2000 and 2001, he was the only player to win all four major titles in a row and holds the record for the most consecutive cuts made in a tournament.
8. Serena Williams
Atop the women’s tennis rankings, Serena Williams is unreplaceable. She has been so successful and dominant in women’s tennis that her name has become synonymous with the sport. She is a legend in her own time. While the sport has seen great female players, none have been as synonymous with the sport as Serena Williams. Serena Williams is the only tennis player to have won at least six times at three of the four major tournaments (Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and the United States Open). Her overall record throughout her career is 855-153. (84.82 winning percentage). Unbelievably, her history in important tournaments with a lot of pressure is even better: 365-54, which equates to a winning rate of 87.11 per cent.
7. Sir Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman was an Australian international cricketer regarded as the best batsman in the game’s history. His nickname, “The Don, knew him.” He is the player who has scored the most centuries, double centuries, and triple centuries, as well as the most runs in a single day’s play. One of the most well-known and well-respected statistics in all of cricket is the 99.94 test batting average that Sir Donald Bradman held. No other player has concluded their career with a Test batting average higher than 62. Sir Bradman achieved a total of 29 centuries in a total of 80 test innings.
6. Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky CC is a Canadian ice hockey legend who played professionally for many years and then coached at the highest level. Between 1979 and 1999, he competed in the National Hockey League for 20 seasons with four clubs. He won the scoring championship six times in a row by a margin of victory of at least seventy points. At one point in his career, Gretzky was named MVP eight times in a row. Nobody else in the NHL, NFL, or NBA has ever earned more than four Most Valuable Player awards. Only five players have finished a single season with 150 points or more. Gretzky accomplished it nine times. He is the first player to record a season with 200 points, and he did so four times during his career. Indeed the greatest of all time!
5. John Brzenk
American arm wrestler John Brzenk is a professional in his field. The Guinness Book of World Records acknowledged Brzenk as the “Greatest Armwrestler of All Time,” a title he earned through his accomplishments and reputation. Brzenk has won every prize in his sport and shown equal skill with either hand. He’s won over a hundred titles by switching between right and left hands. Due to his incredible ability to pin opponents twice his size, Brzenk has earned the nicknames “The Giant Crusher,” “Superman,” and “The Perfect Storm” throughout the years. Brzenk has won world titles in several weight categories, including four heavyweight titles and one middleweight title.
4. Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth was so flexible that he could keep his hands behind his back, which gave him an advantage at baseball. Put together with his massive stature, keen ability to track the ball in a short time, and unrelenting drive to win, you have the most excellent hitter history has ever seen. In 1914, when he debuted in the majors, the record for most home runs in a season stood at 27. He had more than quadrupled that number within seven years, with 59, and he hit 60 home runs in a single season for the first time in 1927. As a member of the legendary 1920s New York Yankees teams, his performance pushed baseball to the level of popularity it maintains to this day. Babe Ruth was not just the best baseball player but also the most significant in history.
3. Rocky Marciano
It cannot be denied that Rocky Marciano is unquestionably one of the best boxers in history. He is the first heavyweight boxer to win the world title and remain unbeaten during his professional career. Marciano possessed extraordinary strength even though he was just 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 190 pounds. On top of that, he had incredible stamina and was unrelenting in his battles. His knockout percentage of 87.75% is higher than any other heavyweight fighter in the annals of the sport. In 1955, Marciano retired with 49 victories, 0 draws, and 0 defeats. He was knocked down twice, and he successfully knocked out 43 of his opponents.
2. Michael Jordan
Having the one and only guard on the list is a tribute to the excellence of the man known only as MJ. Michael Jordan was unbeatable in his prime, with six NBA Finals MVP awards under his belt. In the 1986–87 season, he averaged 37.1 points per game and became one of just two players in the history of the NBA to score over 3000 points in a single season. He is so skilled at an offence that his defensive prowess is frequently overlooked. In addition to being the most outstanding offensive player of all time, Michael Jordan has a strong case for being the greatest defensive player of all time, having been named to the All-Defensive First Team nine times, leading the NBA in steals three times and winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988. A player like Michael Jordan might never come along again.
1. Michael Phelps
The Olympian with the most medals ever won, including 23 gold, three silver, and two bronze medals, making him the most celebrated athlete in Olympic history. To put this into perspective, no other athlete has won at least nine gold medals. Phelps also won the World Swimmer of the Year Award eight times. This is only one of several records he has as the most dominant character in his sport, including the record-breaking collection of eight gold medals in one Game, Beijing 2008. He is known as “The Baltimore Bullet”. He has won more awards than in 161 countries.
