Find out more about the greatest 20th Century Athletes, including Ross Rebagliati, Usain Bolt, Oscar Pistorius, Debi Thomas and Jesse Owens.
Usain Bolt21 August 1986, Jamaican
Olympic athlete
Oscar Pistorius22 November 1986, South African
Runner
Jesse Owens12 September 1913, American
Jim Thorpe28 May 1888, American
Athlete
Dennis Weaver04 June 1924, American
Actor
Milkha Singh20 November 1929, Indian
Indian track and field athlete
Mo Farah23 March 1983, British
Athlete
Carl Lewis01 July 1961, American
Eric Liddell16 January 1902, Scottish
Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark26 May 1968, Danish
Eldest Son of Queen of Denmark Margrethe II
Jim Kelly05 May 1946, American
Athlete
Steve Prefontaine25 January 1951, American
Long-distance Runner
Fatima Whitbread03 March 1961, British
Javelin Thrower
Jay Silverheels26 May 1912, Canadian
Actor
Justin Gatlin10 February 1982, American
Sprinter
Roger Bannister23 March 1929, British
Former British Athlete Who Ran The First
Wilma Rudolph23 June 1940, American
Allyson Felix18 November 1985, American
Track and field athlete
Sebastian Coe29 September 1956, British
Middle Distance Runner, Politician
Cathy Freeman16 February 1973, Australian
Sprinter
Hicham El Guerrouj14 September 1974, Moroccan
Athlete
Breaux Greer19 October 1976, American
Olympic Athlete
Jackie Joyner-Kersee03 March 1962, American
Athlete
Magnús Scheving10 November 1964, Icelander
Writer
Linford Christie02 April 1960, British
Retired Sprinter
Daley Thompson30 July 1958, British
Decathlete
Abebe Bikila07 August 1932, Ethiopian
Olympic marathon champion
Ashton Eaton21 January 1988, American
Decathlete
Sergey Bubka04 December 1963, Ukrainian
Pole Vaulter
Steve Cram14 October 1960, British
Athlete
Matti Nykänen17 July 1963, Finnish
Olympic athlete
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Valerie Adams06 October 1984, New Zealander
Shot Putter
Dot Jones04 January 1964, American
Actress
Gail Devers19 November 1966, American
Athlete
Allan Wells03 May 1952, British
Sprinter
Liz McColgan24 May 1964, British, Scottish
Athlete
Stefka Kostadinova25 March 1965, Bulgarian
Olympic athlete
Ben Johnson30 December 1961, Canadian
Sprinter
Betty Cuthbert20 April 1938, Australian
Athlete
Keshorn Walcott02 April 1993, Trinidadian
Olympic athlete
Satcha Pretto05 April 1980, Honduran
Journalist
Anna Chicherova22 July 1982, Armenian
Olympic athlete
Michael Johnson13 September 1967, American
American olympic athlete
Nadia Comaneci12 November 1961, Romanian
Olympic Champion Gymnast
Irving Saladino23 January 1983, Panamanian
Long Jumper
Hadi Saei10 June 1976, Iranian
Former Taekwondo Athlete & Olympic Gold Medalist
Maurice Greene23 July 1974, American
Track & Field Sprinter
Emil Zatopek19 September 1922, Czech
Long Distance Runner
Eddie Hall15 January 1988, British
Athlete
Wim Hof20 April 1959, Dutch
Athlete
Thakur Anoop Singh23 March 1989, Indian
Actor
Cameron Winklevoss21 August 1981, American
Entrepreneur, Rower
Florence Griffith Joyner21 December 1959, American
Sprinter
Paul DePodesta16 December 1972, American
Chief strategy officer
Allison Stokke22 March 1989, American
Athlete
Marion Jones12 October 1975, Belizean, American
Basketball player, Sprinter
Peter Norman15 June 1942, Australian
Athletics competitor, Sprinter
Aimee Mullins20 July 1976, American
Athlete
Sagarika Ghatge08 January 1986, Indian
Model
Dominique Moceanu30 September 1981, American
Artistic gymnast
Dave Mirra04 April 1974, American
Extreme sports athlete
Caster Semenya07 January 1991, South African
Olympic Athlete
Tommie Smith06 June 1944, American
Sprinter, American football player
Clarence Clemons11 January 1942, American
Musicians
Lolo Jones05 August 1982, American
Sprinter, Bobsledder, Athletics competitor
Ellen Whitaker05 March 1986, British
Show jumper
Mary Lou Retton24 January 1968, American
Artistic gymnast
Shavarsh Karapetyan19 May 1953, Armenian
swimmer
Greg Louganis29 January 1960, American
Platform diver, Autobiographer, Diver, Coach
Aleksandr Karelin19 September 1967, Russian
Politician, Amateur wrestler
Mike Tindall18 October 1978, British
Rugby union player
Jarome Iginla01 July 1977, Canadian
Ice hockey player
Jimmy White02 May 1962, British
Snooker player, Pool player, Screenwriter
Rebecca Adlington17 February 1989, British
Swimmer
Alina Kabaeva12 May 1983, Uzbekistan, Russian
Politician, Model, Artistic gymnast, Rhythmic
Daniil Kvyat26 April 1994, Russian
Racecar driver
Efren Reyes26 August 1954, Filipino
Pool player
Cael Sanderson20 June 1979, American
Amateur wrestler, Coach
Yohan Blake26 December 1989, French, Jamaican
Sprinter, Athletics competitor
John Carlos05 June 1945, American
Sprinter, Athletics competitor, Association
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce27 December 1986, Jamaican
Sprinter, Athletics competitor
Kenenisa Bekele13 June 1982, Ethiopian
Long-distance runner, Athletics competitor
Delilah DiCrescenzo07 February 1983, American
Athletics competitor
Nils Lofgren21 June 1951, American
Musician
Aliya Mustafina30 September 1994, Russian
Artistic gymnast
P. T. Usha27 June 1964, Indian
Athletics competitor
Casey Stoner16 October 1985, Australian
Motorcycle racer, Racing driver
Katarina Johnson-Thompson09 January 1993, British
Athletics competitor
Nicola Adams26 October 1982, British
Boxer
Paula Radcliffe17 December 1973, British
Marathon runner, Long-distance runner, Athletics
Dean Karnazes23 August 1962, American
Ultramarathon runner
Tyson Gay09 August 1982, American
Sprinter, Athletics competitor
Kelly Holmes19 April 1970, British
Middle-distance runner
Rulon Gardner16 August 1971, American
Amateur wrestler, Mixed martial artist