The Most Famous

ATHLETES from South Africa

This page contains a list of the greatest South African Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 134 of which were born in South Africa. This makes South Africa the birth place of the 25th most number of Athletes behind Belgium, and Norway.

Top 10

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

1. Santos (b. )

With an HPI of 61.74, Santos is the most famous South African Athlete. Their biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.

Santos may refer to:

2. Erika (b. )

With an HPI of 61.49, Erika is the 2nd most famous South African Athlete. Their biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Erika may refer to:

3. Alan (b. )

With an HPI of 61.06, Alan is the 3rd most famous South African Athlete. Their biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Alan may refer to:

4. Esther Brand (1922 - 2015)

With an HPI of 60.49, Esther Brand is the 4th most famous South African Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Esther Cornelia Brand (née van Heerden; 29 September 1922 – 20 June 2015) was a South African athlete. She competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal in the high jump, placed 20th in the discus throw. She was the first African woman to win an Olympic track and field event. Brand was ranked world #1 in the high jump in 1940–41 and 1952, #3 in 1951 and #5 in 1939. In 1941 she equaled the world record of 1.66 m. Born in Springbok, Northern Cape, she attended Maitland High School in Cape Town, South Africa. She died after a fall in 2015.

5. Reggie Walker (1889 - 1951)

With an HPI of 58.74, Reggie Walker is the 5th most famous South African Athlete. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Reginald Edgar Walker (16 March 1889 in Durban – 5 November 1951) was a South African athlete and the 1908 Olympic champion in the 100 metres.

6. Oscar Pistorius (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 57.75, Oscar Pistorius is the 6th most famous South African Athlete. His biography has been translated into 63 different languages.

Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius ( pist-OR-ee-əs, Afrikaans: [pəˈstuəriœs]; born 22 November 1986) is a South African former professional sprinter. He was the 10th athlete to compete at both the Paralympic Games and Olympic Games. Pistorius ran in both nondisabled sprint events and in sprint events for below-knee amputees. Both of his feet were amputated when he was 11 months old as a result of a congenital defect; he was born missing the outside of both feet and both fibulas. Pistorius' career ended when he was convicted of murder. He was first convicted of culpable homicide of his then-girlfriend, which was subsequently upgraded to murder upon appeal. After becoming a Paralympic champion, Pistorius attempted to enter nondisabled international competitions, over persistent objections by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and arguments that his artificial limbs gave an unfair advantage. Pistorius prevailed in this legal dispute. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Pistorius was the first amputee to win a nondisabled world track medal. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Pistorius was the first double-leg amputee participant. On 14 February 2013, Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, paralegal and model Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria home. He claimed he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder hiding in the bathroom. He was arrested and charged with murder. At his trial the following year, Pistorius was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of culpable homicide. He received a five-year prison sentence for culpable homicide and a concurrent three-year suspended sentence for a separate reckless endangerment conviction both in October 2014. Pistorius was temporarily released on house arrest in October 2015 while the case was presented on appeal to a panel at the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, which overturned the culpable homicide verdict and convicted him of murder. In July 2016, Judge Thokozile Masipa extended Pistorius's sentence to six years. On appeal by the state for a longer prison sentence, the Supreme Court of Appeal increased the prison term to a total of 15 years less time served. Pistorius was released on parole on 5 January 2024 after serving a total of 8.5 years in prison, in addition to seven months of house arrest.

7. Sid Atkinson (1901 - 1977)

With an HPI of 55.58, Sid Atkinson is the 7th most famous South African Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Sidney James Montford Atkinson (14 March 1901 – 31 August 1977) was a South African athlete, winner of 110 m hurdles at the 1928 Summer Olympics.

8. Bevil Rudd (1894 - 1948)

With an HPI of 54.64, Bevil Rudd is the 8th most famous South African Athlete. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Bevil Gordon D'Urban Rudd (5 October 1894 – 2 February 1948) was a South African athlete, the 1920 Olympic Champion in the 400 metres.

9. Marjorie Clark (1909 - 1993)

With an HPI of 53.41, Marjorie Clark is the 9th most famous South African Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Marjorie Rees Clark (later Smith, 6 November 1909 – 15 June 1993) was a South African former track and field athlete, who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics and in the 1932 Summer Olympics. She was born in Bulwer, KwaZulu-Natal and competed for the Albion Ladies Athletic Club. In 1928 Clark finished fifth in the Olympic high jump event. She also participated in the 100 m competition, but was eliminated in the semi-finals. Four years later she won the bronze medal in the 80 m hurdles contest at the 1932 Olympics. In the 1932 high jump event she finished fifth again and in the 100 m competition, but was eliminated in the first round. Also at 1928 Women's Amateur Association Championships Miss Clark won both the 100 yds hurdles & high jump. At the 1934 British Empire Games she won the gold medal in the 80 m hurdles contest as well as in the high jump event. As a member of the South African relay team she finished fourth in the 110-220-110 yards competition. In the 100 yards contest and in the 220 yards event she was eliminated in the first round.

10. Stefan Mitrović (b. )

With an HPI of 52.09, Stefan Mitrović is the 10th most famous South African Athlete. Their biography has been translated into 12 different languages.

Stefan Mitrović may refer to: Stefan Mitrović (water polo) (born 1988), Serbian water polo player Stefan Mitrović (footballer, born 1990), Serbian football centre-back for Gent Stefan Mitrović (footballer, born January 2002), Serbian football defender for Proleter Novi Sad Stefan Mitrović (footballer, born August 2002), Serbian football attacking midfielder for Oud-Heverlee Leuven

People

Pantheon has 134 people classified as South African athletes born between 1888 and 2005. Of these 134, 121 (90.30%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living South African athletes include Santos, Erika, and Alan. The most famous deceased South African athletes include Esther Brand, Reggie Walker, and Sid Atkinson. As of April 2024, 102 new South African athletes have been added to Pantheon including Santos, Erika, and Alan.