The Most Dominant Athletes of All-Time
79This hub highlights some of the most dominant athletes in individualized sports. It does not claim to be exhaustive. If you know of an athlete from an individualized sport who should be included in this review, please feel free to nominate them.
American Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps
Without a doubt, Michael Phelps has been the most dominant Olympic champion in his respective sport. As a swimmer the American Phelps won a record 14 gold medals, including 8 in Beijing in 2008. Moreover, Phelps is poised to add to that total in the upcoming 2012 Games in London. Born June 30, 1985, Phelps excelled in the world championships with 25 gold medals over the span of five world championship efforts.
NASCAR Champion Jimmy Johnson
This past weekend NASCAR race driver Jimmy Johnson won a record fourth consecutive NASCAR championship making him one of the most dominant athletes in his respective sport or event. This hub highlights some of the other athletes from individual events who dominated their sport. They are not presented in any particular order and the list is not meant to be exhaustive.
Ivan Mauger, Motorcycle Speedway
Born 1939, Ivan Mauger of Christchurch, New Zealand won 15 motorcycle speedway world championships. His career spanned from 1957-1985 during which he won six short-track world championships, three long-track world championships, two world pairs championships, and four world team championships.
Tennis Champion Roger Federer
Swiss tennis professional Roger Federer has won 61 singles titles including a record 15 Grand Slam events.
Jesse Owens - 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany
Despite severe prejudice by his German hosts, Jesse Owens won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics.
American Hurdler Edwin Moses
Edwin Moses was an American 400 meter hurdler who won two Olympic Gold Medals in 1976 and 1984. From 1977 to 1987 Moses won 122 consecutive races including 107 consecutive finals.
American Track Star Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis won a total of 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold; and 10 World Championships, including 8 gold. His individual events included the 100 and 200 meter dash and the long jump.
NASCAR Champion Richard Petty
The NASCAR legend Richard Petty won seven Winston Cup championships and a record 200 races in all.
NASCAR Driver Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt won seven NASCAR championships to tie the King Richard Petty for the most championships ever.
Giacomo Agostini, World Champion Grand Prix Motorcycles
Born June 16, 1942, Giacomo Agostini was an Italian world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Born in Brescia, Lombardy, Agostini remains the most prolific Grand Prix champion with a record 122 victories. His racing career spanned from 1964 to 1977 wherein he claimed seven 350cc and eight 500cc world championships.
Valentino Rossi, 7-time MotoGP Champion
Born February 16, 1979 in Urbino, Italy, Valentino Rossi dominated MotoGP racing in the first decade of the 21st Century. Riding his signature Number 46 Bike, Rossi seven MotoGP World Championships from 2001-2009. In all, Rossi is first all-time in the 500cc classification of MotoGP racing with 79 victories and second all-time over all classifications with 105 race wins.
Professional Golf Champion Jack Nicklaus
PGA Champion Jack Nicklaus, also known as the Golden Bear, won 18 Major golf championships (1st all-time) and 73 tournaments in all (2nd all-time to Byron Nelson).
Tiger Woods
Not yet even 35 years old, American professional golfer Tiger Woods is quickly gaining on the all-time greats. Dominant in the world of professional golf since 1996, Woods has won 71 total PGA tour events (3rd all-time); 38 total European events (3rd all-time); and 14 major championships.
American Swimmer Mark Spitz
In the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, American swimmer Mark Spitz won a record seven gold medals, not surpassed until 2008 by Michael Phelps in Beijing, China.
British Decathlete Daley Thompson
Daley Thompson from the United Kingdom won two Olympic Decathlons in 1980 and 1984.
American Sprinter Michael Johnson
American track star Michael Johnson won four Olympic Gold Medals in two different Olympic Games and is the only person in Olympic history to win two consecutive Oylmpic 400 meter events.
Eddy Merckx, Belgian Cyclist
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx, better known as Eddy Merckx, was a Belgian former professional cyclist. Cycling magazines such as Vélo and VeloNews regarded him as the most cyclist of all time. He won the famed Tour de France 5 times and each of the most important races in the world at least twice. In all, he posted 19 monument victories. He also won the world championship once as an amateur and three times as a professional.
American Cycler Lance Armstrong
After battling cancer, American cycler Lance Armstrong won seven consecutive Tour de France races, the world's premier cycling event.
Czech Javelin Thrower Jan Zelezny
Czech javelin thrower Jan Zelezny won three consecutive gold medals in 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympics.
Ukranian Pole Vaulter Sergey Bubka
Sergey Bubka was a Olympic class pole vaulter from the Ukraine. He competed in international pole vault competitions from 1981 to 2001 and broke the world record in the pole vault event 35 times. He won the Olympic Gold medal once, the World Outdoor Championship six times, and the World Indoor Championship four times.
Russian Greco-Roman Wrestler Aleksandr Karelin
Aleksandr Karelin was a Russian Greco-Roman wrestler who dominated his sporting event by going undefeated from 1987 to 2000. In all he won three Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and nine World Championships.
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vitalirostoff, thank you for pointing these two out. You are right they were both very dominant in their respective sports. I confess I had never heard of Alexander Karelin because I do not follow wrestling very much, but I have heard of Sergei Bubka and know that he was dominant in the pole vault event. I appreciate your input very much. I will add them to my hub.
Bubka is a true man!
Nice collection of sportstars.
Have you thought of Phil Taylor, Michael Schumacher, Ivan Mauger, Joe Davis and John Surtees. I think I have spelt them correctly.
John D
John, Thank you for the encouraging comments. I looked up these suggestions you made and they do seem worthy of this list. Certainly Michael Schumacher of Formula One racing fame needed no introduction. I looked up Phil Taylor and Ivan Mauger who both seemed to dominate their competitions in darts and motorcycle racing as did John Surtees who is the only person to win racing championships on two wheels and four wheels. Some may object to a dart thrower as an athlet, but they would also object to golf pros being athletes as well.
Michael Johnson? Seriously?
Not Wayne Gretsky or Michael Jordan?
anonymous, thank you for dropping by. The athletes featured in this article are all in individualized sports. The feats they accomplished were done without the aide of teammates. I agree that Gretzky and MJ were dominate players, but they could not have accomplished their feats alone. I have long admired Jordan as the best basketball player of any era. However, recently I have begun to question the overall talent of the NBA in the 1990s when Jordan seemed so unstoppable. The Magic-Bird-Dr. J era had ended. Houston had Olajuwon and Utah Malone and Stockton, but there really wasn't much competition for Jordan during his run of six championships and multiple league MVPs. Wayne Gretzky was certainly the Great One, but I'm not sure how much he would have done without Marty McSorley and other Edmonton players to protect his backside. Usain Bolt and the Horse Secretariat do deserve to be in this article.
Worthy as all these champions are, the most dominant in his sport was undoubtedly Donald Bradman, with a batting average I confidently predict will never be approached, let alone beaten.
I would also give Phil Taylor an honorable mention.
So you mention Lance Armstrong but not Eddy Merckx????? Completely ridiculous - as Lance, to his credit, would be the first to acknowledge!
David "Big Dave" Foster OAM (born 20 March 1957, Devonport, Tasmania) is a world champion woodchopper, and Tasmanian community figure.
He started woodchopping with his father, George Foster, in 1978, and between them they won the World 600 mm Double-handed Sawing Championship eleven years straight. He and his brother Peter Foster continued competing and winning this event for another ten years, until 1999, making David a world champion 21 years straight. The pair lost in 2000, but re-gained the championship in 2001, after which David's son Stephen took over as his woodchopping partner.
His other achievements in woodchopping include winning the Australian Axeman of the Year award nine times in a row; winning every major woodchopping event in Australia and New Zealand; becoming the first person in sporting history to have won 1000 championships; and been the only axeman to have ever won six out of seven championships at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
Richard, Thank you for let us know about the amazing record David Foster. His dominantion of his sport seems unprecedented.
I forgot to mention that Ivan Mauger had won all his championships in a period of speedway at its high against some of the best the sport has ever see, includung Barry Briggs, Ove Fundin, Ole Olsen, Ronnie Moore and Peter Collins that's not including winning three Long Championships. Phil Taylor is playing the best darts players ever and breaking records all the way. Maybe Agostini or Rossi on tarmac with two wheels
Thank you John Darby for the additions. Rossi definitely deserves a mention. I am not sure that darts can be classified as an "athletic" event, but then I did include two golfers which some also exclude as an athletic event.
We have a program called Sportsman of the year and Phil Taylor never made the short list because the BBC only broadcast the BDO world championship who are an inferior Darts league. although many complained. Darts is hand eye coordination, as is golf, archery and fencing. not the most strenuous of sports but still sports.
Nice to see motorcyclist in your list. great site, Thanks
I've just watched that guy David Foster. what a machine.
vitalirostoff@gmail.com 19 months ago
What about Sergei Bubka or Alexander Karelin?
Bubka owns every pole vaulting record and has hundreds of world titles under his belt.
Alexander Karelin had the longest undefeated streak in Greco-Roman wrestling. From 1988 to 2000 he didn't have single point scored on him and won every world class and olympic gold medal until his first loss in 2000 resulting in a silver medal at the olympics.