Athletes from Germany

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary German Athletes of all time. This list of famous German 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 German Athletes.

1. #1

   

   Luz Long

   1913 - 1943

   HPI 66.6328 languages

   Luz Long was a German Olympic athlete who helped Jesse Owens win a gold medal in the 1936 Olympics.

2. #2

   

   Marita Koch

   b. 1957

   HPI 65.4041 languages

   East German sprint track and field athlete (born 1957)

3. #3

   

   Fritz Hofmann

   1871 - 1927

   HPI 63.9329 languages

   German sprinter and gymnast (1871-1927)

4. #4

   

   Dora Ratjen

   1918 - 2008

   HPI 63.4619 languages

   Dora Ratjen, also known as Heinrich Ratjen, was a German athlete who is most famous for her controversial participation in the women's high jump event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Ratjen was later revealed to be a male athlete who had been forced to compete as a woman by the Nazi government in order to...Read moreShow less

   Dora Ratjen, also known as Heinrich Ratjen, was a German athlete who is most famous for her controversial participation in the women's high jump event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Ratjen was later revealed to be a male athlete who had been forced to compete as a woman by the Nazi government in order to promote their ideology of Aryan superiority. The incident remains a notable example of the use of sports for political propaganda, and Ratjen's story is often cited as an example of the exploitation and mistreatment of athletes under totalitarian regimes.

5. #5

   

   Friedrich Traun

   1876 - 1908

   HPI 62.8828 languages

   German tennis player

6. #6

   

   Klaus Wolfermann

   1946 - 2024

   HPI 62.2128 languages

   West German javelin thrower

7. #7

   

   Karl Hein

   1908 - 1982

   HPI 61.9324 languages

   German hammer thrower (1908–1982)

8. #8

   

   Gisela Mauermayer

   1913 - 1995

   HPI 61.8424 languages

   German discus thrower (1913–1995)

9. #9

   

   Karin Balzer

   1938 - 2019

   HPI 61.2026 languages

   East German hurdler

10. #10

    

    Annelie Ehrhardt

    1950 - 2024

    HPI 61.1528 languages

    East German hurdler