







Occupation
ATHLETES
With 6,025 biographies, Athletes are the 5th most common occupation in Pantheon, behind Politicians, Actors, and Writers.
People
Pantheon has 13,841 people classified as athletes born between 800 BC and 2010. Of these 13,841, 11,866 (85.73%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living athletes include Bob Beamon, Carl Lewis, and Usain Bolt. The most famous deceased athletes include Jesse Owens, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Dick Fosbury. As of April 2024, 1604 new athletes have been added to Pantheon including Ren Hayakawa, Park Sung-soo, and Nasser El Sonbaty.
Living Athletes
Go to all RankingsBob Beamon
1946 - Present
HPI: 69.98
Carl Lewis
1961 - Present
HPI: 67.90
Usain Bolt
1986 - Present
HPI: 67.72
Mike Powell
1963 - Present
HPI: 66.86
Ronnie Coleman
1964 - Present
HPI: 66.70
Michael Johnson
1967 - Present
HPI: 65.77
Marita Koch
1957 - Present
HPI: 65.40
Lasse Virén
1949 - Present
HPI: 64.55
Marina Doria
1935 - Present
HPI: 64.21
John Walker
1952 - Present
HPI: 63.96
Ole Einar Bjørndalen
1974 - Present
HPI: 63.72
Efren Reyes
1954 - Present
HPI: 63.34
Deceased Athletes
Go to all RankingsEmil Zátopek
1922 - 2000
HPI: 75.90
Paavo Nurmi
1897 - 1973
HPI: 75.77
Abebe Bikila
1932 - 1973
HPI: 75.20
Jesse Owens
1913 - 1980
HPI: 75.19
Sigfrid Edström
1870 - 1964
HPI: 71.78
Florence Griffith Joyner
1959 - 1998
HPI: 71.53
Spyridon Louis
1873 - 1940
HPI: 71.13
Thomas Burke
1875 - 1929
HPI: 71.09
John Flanagan
1873 - 1938
HPI: 68.43
Iolanda Balaș
1936 - 2016
HPI: 67.84
Robert Hichens
1882 - 1940
HPI: 67.59
Louis Zamperini
1917 - 2014
HPI: 67.42
Newly Added Athletes (2025)
Go to all RankingsRen Hayakawa
1987 - Present
HPI: NaN
Park Sung-soo
1970 - 2025
HPI: 56.98
Nasser El Sonbaty
1965 - 2013
HPI: 54.10
Robby Naish
1963 - Present
HPI: 52.27
Andrei Chemerkin
1972 - 2025
HPI: 51.87
Carsten Bunk
1960 - Present
HPI: 50.25
Jan Tops
1961 - Present
HPI: 49.98
Giorgi Mshvenieradze
1960 - Present
HPI: 49.92
Leif Andersson
1961 - Present
HPI: 49.79
Sivert Guttorm Bakken
1998 - 2025
HPI: 49.69
Felicia Țilea-Moldovan
1967 - 2025
HPI: 49.27
Larysa Berezhna
1961 - Present
HPI: 49.22
Places
Most athletes were born in United States (1499), Germany (980), and Russia (680). By city, the most common birth places were Budapest (137), Moscow (86), and Berlin (61).
Places Over Time
The earliest biographies classified as athletes in Pantheon are Archon of Pella, Theagenes of Thasos, and Coroebus of Elis. The concentration of athletes was largest during the Television Era, which lasted from 1950 to 1989. Some birth or death locations for earlier athletes are unknown, which may account for timeline differences below.
Lifespans
Which Athletes were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 25 most globally memorable Athletes since 1700.































