The Most Famous
ATHLETES from Pakistan
Top 3
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Pakistani Athletes of all time. This list of famous Pakistani Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Milkha Singh (1935 - 2021)
With an HPI of 53.43, Milkha Singh is the most famous Pakistani Athlete. His biography has been translated into 37 different languages on wikipedia.
Milkha Singh (20 November 1929 – 18 June 2021), also known as "The Flying Sikh", was an Indian track and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army. He is the only athlete to win gold at 400 metres at the Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. He also won gold medals in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games. He represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in recognition of his sporting achievements. The race for which Singh was best remembered is his fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games, which he had entered as one of the favourites. He led the race till the 200m mark before easing off, allowing others to pass him. Various records were broken in the race, which required a photo-finish and saw American Otis Davis being declared the winner by one-hundredth of a second over German Carl Kaufmann. Singh's fourth-place time of 45.73 seconds was the Indian national record for almost 40 years. From beginnings that saw him orphaned and displaced during the Partition of India, Singh has become a sporting icon in his country. In 2008, journalist Rohit Brijnath described Singh as "the finest athlete India has ever produced". Singh died from complications of COVID-19 on 18 June 2021, at the age of 91, five days after his wife, Nirmal Saini.
2. Abdul Hamid (1927 - 2019)
With an HPI of 39.40, Abdul Hamid is the 2nd most famous Pakistani Athlete. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Abdul Hamid Hamidi (7 January 1927 – 11 July 2019) was a field hockey player from Pakistan. He was born in Bannu. He scored 48 International goals in just 55 appearances for Pakistan. He won silver medal in 1956 Summer Olympics and gold medal in 1960 Summer Olympics. After his retirement from professional competition, he managed the national team on several occasions, including during the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games. He also served as the secretary general of the Pakistan Hockey Federation. As of 2017, he lived in Islamabad.
3. Noor Alam (1929 - 2003)
With an HPI of 35.52, Noor Alam is the 3rd most famous Pakistani Athlete. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Noor Alam (5 December 1929 – 30 June 2003) was a field hockey player from Pakistan. He won gold medal in 1960 Summer Olympics and a silver medal in 1956 Summer Olympics. He was also the member of winning Pakistani team of 1958 and 1962 Asian Games.
Pantheon has 3 people classified as athletes born between 1927 and 1935. Of these 3, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased athletes include Milkha Singh, Abdul Hamid, and Noor Alam. As of April 2022, 1 new athletes have been added to Pantheon including Noor Alam.
Deceased Athletes
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Newly Added Athletes (2022)
Go to all RankingsWhich Athletes were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Athletes since 1700.
