ATHLETES from Syria

Top 4

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

1. Ghada Shouaa (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 40.70, Ghada Shouaa is the most famous Syrian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages on wikipedia.

Ghada Shouaa (Arabic: غادة شعاع; born September 10, 1972) is a retired Syrian heptathlete. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, she won her country's first and only Olympic gold medal. She was also a World and Asian heptathlon champion. She is considered one of the best Asian and Arab female athletes of all time. She was a Syrian flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She has represented Syria in her two strongest multi-event disciplines, the individual high jump and long jump events. She holds the Syrian high jump records with 1.87 m outdoors (1996), in javelin with 54.82 m (1999) in 200 m with 23.78 (1996), in long jump with 6.77 (1996) and in shot put with 16.25 (1999). Shuaa's heptathlon results include finishing 25th at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, 24th at the 1991 World Championships, third at the 1999 World Athletics Championships and first at the 1994 Asian Games. She is also multiple gold medalist at the Arab Athletics Championships. With a performance of 6942 points at the Hypo-Meeting, which moved her into the world all-time Top 25 and she went down in history as the best Asian and Arab heptathlete. Shouaa's career coincided with those of older compatriot, three-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Olympic champion Denise Lewis.

2. Maxie Parks (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 35.41, Maxie Parks is the 2nd most famous Syrian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Maxwell Lander ("Maxie") Parks (born July 9, 1951) is an American former athlete from Fresno, California. Winner of the USA Olympic Trials in 1976, he did not gain a medal in the individual event (he came fifth), but did become a winner of a gold medal in 4 × 400 m Men's relay race with Herman Frazier, Benny Brown, and Fred Newhouse at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. In the 1970s he competed for the UCLA for several years. In 1977 he ran on the 1977 IAAF Athletics World Cup, anchoring the 4 × 400 m relay team to what appeared to be a runaway victory when he collapsed on the track with a severely pulled hamstring 150m from the finish. This unfortunate injury denied the USA a seemingly certain victory in the team competition, the victory instead going to East Germany. Parks did not compete again that season, but did return in 1978 to again capture the national title at 400 m. Any hope of Olympic success in 1980 was denied by the USA boycott of those games, but in any event Parks's form meant he only reached the semi-final stage at the Olympic trials. Prior to UCLA he was a graduate of Washington Union High School, then Fresno City College. In 1979 Parks coached for the Athletes in Action. Parks was in 2010 honoured as a member of the '100 Stars for 100 Years' for Fresno City College. In the publicity for the event, Parks is stated as having received the honour of being, in 1990, inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. Parks has also been elected into the California Community College Track and Field Hall of Fame

3. Majd Eddin Ghazal (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 25.30, Majd Eddin Ghazal is the 3rd most famous Syrian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Majd Eddin Ghazal (Arabic: مجد الدين غزال; born 21 April 1987) is a Syrian high jumper. He utilizes the Fosbury Flop style, jumping off his left leg. He was the national flag bearer at the 2012 Summer Olympics and at the 2016 Summer Olympics. In the Men's high jump event, he ranked 28th and did not advance to the final in 2012. He qualified for the finals and finished 7th in 2016.

4. Man Asaad (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 24.76, Man Asaad is the 4th most famous Syrian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Man Asaad (Arabic: معن أسعد / ALA-LC: Maʻn Asʻad, Arabic pronunciation: [maʕn ˈʔasʕad]; born 20 November 1993) is a Syrian heavyweight weightlifter who competes in the +109 kg category. He won the bronze medal in the men's +109 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. He also won bronze medal in the men's +109 kg Clean&Jerk event at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships held in Bogotá, Colombia.