The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Canada

This page contains a list of the greatest Canadian Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 87 of which were born in Canada. This makes Canada the birth place of the 14th most number of Athletes behind Hungary, and Norway.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Canadian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Canadian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Canadian Athletes.

1. Donald Arnold (1935 - 2021)

With an HPI of 54.42, Donald Arnold is the most famous Canadian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages on wikipedia.

Donald John Arnold (July 14, 1935 – June 27, 2021) was a Canadian competition rower and Olympic champion. He was born in Kelowna, British Columbia. He received a gold medal in coxless fours at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, together with Archibald MacKinnon, Lorne Loomer and Walter D'Hondt. At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Arnold received a gold medal in eights, and a silver medal in coxed fours. He received a silver medal in eights at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, as a member of the Canadian team. He died in North Vancouver, British Columbia at the age of 85 from heart failure in 2021.

2. Ethel Smith (1907 - 1979)

With an HPI of 51.81, Ethel Smith is the 2nd most famous Canadian Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Ethel May Smith (July 5, 1907 – December 31, 1979) was a sprinter from Canada who won two medals at the Amsterdam 1928 Summer Olympics: a bronze medal in the 100 m, and a gold team medal in the 4 × 100 m relay. Smith was born into a poor family and quit school in the eighth grade to work at the Toronto's Garment District. She won the 220 yards at the national championships in 1927 and the 60 yards at the Ontario Championships in 1929. The same year she retired from competitions.

3. Terry Fox (1958 - 1981)

With an HPI of 51.60, Terry Fox is the 3rd most famous Canadian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 46 different languages.

Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research; over C$850 million has been raised in his name as of September 2022. Fox was a distance runner and basketball player for his high school, now named after him, and Simon Fraser University. His right leg was amputated in 1977 after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, though he continued to run using an artificial leg. He also played wheelchair basketball in Vancouver, winning three national championships. In 1980, he began the Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research. He hoped to raise one dollar from each of Canada's 24 million people. He began with little fanfare from St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, in April and ran the equivalent of a full marathon every day. Fox had become a national star by the time he reached Ontario; he made numerous public appearances with businessmen, athletes, and politicians in his efforts to raise money. He was forced to end his run outside Thunder Bay when the cancer spread to his lungs. His hopes of overcoming the disease and completing his run ended when he died nine months later. Fox was the youngest person named a Companion of the Order of Canada and won the 1980 Lou Marsh Award as the nation's top sportsman. He was named Canada's Newsmaker of the Year in both 1980 and 1981 by The Canadian Press. Considered a national hero, he has had many buildings, statues, roads, and parks named in his honour across the country.

4. Percy Williams (1908 - 1982)

With an HPI of 48.62, Percy Williams is the 4th most famous Canadian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Percy Alfred Williams (May 19, 1908 – November 29, 1982) was a Canadian athlete, winner of the 100 and 200 metres races at the 1928 Summer Olympics and a former world record holder for the 100 metres sprint.

5. Duncan McNaughton (1910 - 1998)

With an HPI of 47.85, Duncan McNaughton is the 5th most famous Canadian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Duncan Anderson McNaughton (December 7, 1910 – January 15, 1998) was a Canadian athlete, who competed mainly in the high jump. He went on to a career in petroleum geology.

6. Doug Rogers (1941 - 2020)

With an HPI of 47.50, Doug Rogers is the 6th most famous Canadian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Alfred Harold Douglas Rogers (January 26, 1941 – July 20, 2020) was a Canadian Olympic competitor in judo, and the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal in the sport. He was an honoured member in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. His best results were a silver medal in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and a gold medal at the Pan American Games, in 1967. He was a student of Masahiko Kimura.

7. Earl Thomson (1895 - 1971)

With an HPI of 46.89, Earl Thomson is the 7th most famous Canadian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Earl John "Tommy" Thomson (February 15, 1895 – May 19, 1971) was a Canadian athlete, a specialist in the high hurdles. In 1920 he became the first Olympic gold medalist in 110 m hurdles from outside the United States.

8. Étienne Desmarteau (1873 - 1905)

With an HPI of 46.80, Étienne Desmarteau is the 8th most famous Canadian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Joseph-Étienne Desmarteau (4 February 1873 – 29 October 1905) was a Canadian athlete, winner of the weight throwing event at the 1904 Summer Olympics.

9. Jane Bell (1910 - 1998)

With an HPI of 46.77, Jane Bell is the 9th most famous Canadian Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Florence Jane Bell (June 2, 1910 – July 1, 1998) was a Canadian track and field athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.

10. David Hall (1875 - 1972)

With an HPI of 46.70, David Hall is the 10th most famous Canadian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

David Connolly Hall (May 1, 1875 – May 27, 1972) was an American track athlete, track and basketball coach, and university professor. He served as the head basketball coach at University of Oklahoma from 1907 to 1908 and at University of Washington from 1908 to 1910. He was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and died in Seattle. He won the bronze medal in the 800 metres track and field race at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. His time in the final is unknown. The race was won by Alfred Tysoe, who had taken second in the preliminary heat which Hall had won with a time of 1:59.0. Hall also competed in the 1500 metres at the 1900 Olympics, placing fourth.

People

Pantheon has 410 people classified as Canadian athletes born between 1873 and 2005. Of these 410, 356 (86.83%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Canadian athletes include Peter Kirby, Archibald MacKinnon, and Vic Emery. The most famous deceased Canadian athletes include Donald Arnold, Ethel Smith, and Terry Fox. As of April 2024, 322 new Canadian athletes have been added to Pantheon including Peter Kirby, Frank Dixon, and George Campbell.