The Greatest Sprinters of All Time

Sports
Rankings are based not only on best times but also sustained excellence, medals won, and versatility across various distances.
 
1)  Usain Bolt: 8 Olympic golds and 11 World Championship golds
100 m: 9.58-current world record    (Berlin 2009)
200 m: 19.19-current world record   (Berlin 2009)
400 m: 45.28    (Kingston 2007)
4 x 100 m relay: 36.84-current world record (London 2012)
 
2)  Carl Lewis: 6 Olympic golds and 6 World Championship golds
100 m: 9.86   (Tokyo 1991)
200 m: 19.75   (TAC/Mobile Championships 1983)
4 x 100 m relay: 37.40   (Barcelona 1992)
 
3)  Michael Johnson: 4 Olympic golds and 8 World Championship golds
100 m: 10.09   (Knoxville 1994)
200 m: 19.32-currently 3rd all time   (Atlanta 1996)
400 m: 43.18-current world record   (Sevilla 1999)
 
4)  Jesse Owens: 3 Olympic golds
100 m: 10.2   (Berlin 1936)
200 m: 21.1   (Berlin 1936)
 
5)  Yohan Blake: 1 Olympic gold (2 silvers) and 2 World Championship golds
60 m: 6.75   (New York 2008)
100 m: 9.69- currently 2nd all time   (Kingston 2012)
200 m: 19.26- currently 2nd all time   (Brussels 2011)
4 x 100 m relay: 36.84-current world record (London 2012)
 
6)  Tyson Gay: 1 Olympic silver and 3 World Championship golds
100 m: 9.69-currently 2nd all time  (Shanghai 2009)
200 m: 19.58- currently 5th all time (New York 2009)
400 m: 44.89   (Gainesville 2010)
 
7)  Maurice Greene: 2 Olympic golds and 5 World Championship golds
60 m: 6.39-current world record   (Madrid 1998 and Atlanta 2001)
100 m: 9.79   (Athens 1999)
200 m: 19.86   (Stockholm 1997)
 
8)  Justin Gatlin: 1 Olympic gold and 3 World Championship golds
60 m: 6.45-currently 5th all time   (Boston 2005)
100m: 9.74-currently 5th all time   (London 2012)
200m: 19.57   (Starkville 2002)
 
9)  Jim Hines: 2 Olympic gold
100 m: 9.95- first to officially break the 10-second barrier, a record he held for 15 years (Mexico City 1968)

 

10)  Asafa Powell: 1 Olympic gold and 2 World Championship golds
100 m: 9.72-currently 3rd all time   (Lausanne 2008)
200 m: 19.90   (Kingston 2006)
400 m: 45.94   (Sydney 2009)

 

Note: medals won in other field events are not counted in totals (notably long jump golds for Owens and Lewis)
 

5 Comments

  4. That just isn’t the 400m record anymore, Wayde van Niekerk has it now, from 2016

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