![Marion Jones Marion Jones](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/marion-jones-8658-1.jpg)
Marion Jones became the first female athlete to win five track and field medals in a single Olympic game. She was, however, stripped of all her Olympic medals after she admitted to using steroids. She also spent 6 months in jail for being involved in a check-fraud case.
![Javier Sotomayor Javier Sotomayor](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/javier-sotomayor-1.jpg)
![Steve Ovett Steve Ovett](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/steve-ovett-1.jpg)
Apart from winning a gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Steve Ovett also set six world records. He once ruled the middle-distance running scene. A talented footballer in his teens, he later chose athletics, since he wanted to pursue a sport that wouldn’t make him dependent on his teammates.
Steve Cram is a British former athlete who dominated the middle-distance running event during the 1980s alongside other athletes like Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe. During the summer of 1985, Cram set world records in the mile run, 2000m, and 1500m during a 19-day period. He is the first person to run 1500m under three-and-a-half minutes.
Sebastian Coe is a politician and former athlete who represented Great Britain in two Olympic events. He won four Olympic medals including two gold medals as a middle-distance runner. In 2012, he was inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame. The same year, Coe was honored at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
![Kajsa Bergqvist Kajsa Bergqvist](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/kajsa-bergqvist-40363-1.jpg)
Known as the queen of high jump, Swedish athlete Kajsa Bergqvist has won numerous medals, including an Olympic bronze. Before she deviated to track events at age 10, Bergqvist had experimented with sports such as swimming and football. She has been a UNICEF ambassador and is openly bisexual.
![Ray Ewry Ray Ewry](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/ray-ewry-1.jpg)
![Mal Whitfield Mal Whitfield](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/mal-whitfield-1.jpg)
![Lawrence Okoye Lawrence Okoye](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/lawrence-okoye-1.jpg)
British track and field athlete, Lawrence Okoye played rugby for his school before taking up discuss throw. She won gold medal at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships and thereafter competed in the 2012 London Olympics in the following year. Later, he concentrated on football, participating in the NLF, before returning to discuss throwing, securing first place at 2021 European Athletics Team Championships.
![Viktor Saneyev Viktor Saneyev](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/viktor-saneyev-63580-1.jpg)
![Frankie Fredericks Frankie Fredericks](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/frankie-fredericks-115193-1.jpg)
![Thomas Röhler Thomas Röhler](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/thomas-rhler-94916-1.jpg)
![Joe Canning Joe Canning](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/joe-canning-96129-1.jpg)
![So Wa Wai So Wa Wai](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/so-wa-wai-119138-1.jpg)
![Adhemar da Silva Adhemar da Silva](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/adhemar-da-silva-1.jpg)
![Marcell Jacobs Marcell Jacobs](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/marcell-jacobs-118140-1.jpg)
![Adam Gemili Adam Gemili](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/adam-gemili-111426-1.jpg)
![Jessica Hull Jessica Hull](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/jessica-hull-1.jpg)
A noted Australian distance runner and national record holder for the 1500m, Jessica Hull has been in the limelight since her time at the Oregon University, USA. In 2019, she turned pro and set a new personal best of 4:01.80 in the semi-final at the IAAF World Championships. She came eleventh in the final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
![Matthew Centrowitz Jr. Matthew Centrowitz Jr.](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/matthew-centrowitz-jr--120052-1.jpg)
![Lee Chin Lee Chin](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/lee-chin-95954-1.jpg)
![Distria Krasniqi Distria Krasniqi](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/distria-krasniqi-1.jpg)
![Ben Flower Ben Flower](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/ben-flower-1.jpg)
![Elana Meyer Elana Meyer](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/elana-meyer-132880-1.jpg)
![Emma Pooley Emma Pooley](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/emma-pooley-133144-1.jpg)
![Valeriy Borzov Valeriy Borzov](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/valery-borzov-1.jpg)
![Bobby Morrow Bobby Morrow](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/bobby-morrow-1.jpg)
![Jakub Vadlejch Jakub Vadlejch](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/jakub-vadlejch-134251-1.jpg)
![Tatiana Grigorieva Tatiana Grigorieva](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/tatiana-grigorieva-112506-1.jpg)
Tatiana Grigorieva is a retired Australian pole vaulter. Born in Russia, she migrated to Australia in 1997 and took up pole vaulting, becoming one of the world's best within a year. In a career spanning a decade, she won Olympic, Commonwealth, and World Championship medals. She retired in 2007. She has also appeared in many TV programs and commercials.
![Rhonex Kipruto Rhonex Kipruto](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/rhonex-kipruto-1.jpg)
![Koji Murofushi Koji Murofushi](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/koji-murofushi-40531-1.jpg)
![Abel Mutai Abel Mutai](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/abel-mutai-102873-1.jpg)
![Saif Saaeed Shaheen Saif Saaeed Shaheen](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/saif-saaeed-shaheen-102854-1.jpg)
![Yordanka Donkova Yordanka Donkova](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/yordanka-donkova-91267-1.jpg)
Yordanka Donkova was 5 when she lost 3 fingers on her right hand in an accident, but that didn’t stop her from becoming one of the best Bulgarian hurdling athletes. She not just won a World Indoor Championship silver but is also an Olympic gold and bronze medalist.
![Tiki Gelana Tiki Gelana](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/tiki-gelana-1.jpg)
Tiki Gelana is an Ethiopian athlete who specializes in long-distance running. She achieved popularity in 2012 when she won the gold medal and created a new Olympic record in the women's marathon event at the Olympic Games in London. From 2012 to 2017, Tiki Gelana held the Ethiopian national record for marathon with a personal best time of 2:18:58.
![Eddie Tolan Eddie Tolan](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/eddie-tolan-60733-1.jpg)
![Isaac Makwala Isaac Makwala](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/isaac-makwala-125102-1.jpg)
![Ilona Slupianek Ilona Slupianek](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/ilona-slupianek-133265-1.jpg)
![Jeffrey Julmis Jeffrey Julmis](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/jeffrey-julmis-1.jpg)
![Nery Brenes Nery Brenes](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/nery-brenes-1.jpg)
![Moses Kiptanui Moses Kiptanui](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/moses-kiptanui-102824-1.jpg)
![Eddie Brennan Eddie Brennan](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/eddie-brennan-1.jpg)
![Conrad Mainwaring Conrad Mainwaring](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/conrad-mainwaring-127246-1.jpg)
![Lyukman Adams Lyukman Adams](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/lyukman-adams-123434-1.jpg)
![Ferry Svan Ferry Svan](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/ferry-svan-100195-1.jpg)
Ferry Svan is a Swedish professional logging sportsman who has many honors to his name. He is the first Swedish person to compete in a World Championship in logging sports, the first Swede to win a World Championship, and the youngest person to compete in logging sports as a Senior athlete.
![Gillian Cooke Gillian Cooke](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/gillian-cooke-124283-1.jpg)
![Jared Tallent Jared Tallent](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/jared-tallent-108596-1.jpg)
Jared Tallent is an Australian athlete who specializes in race walking. He won the gold medal in the men's 50 kilometers race walk event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. A four-time Olympic medalist, Jared Tallent currently holds the Olympic record in the 50 kilometers race walk category. In 2012, he was named Australian Flame Athlete of The Year.
![Chao-Tsun Cheng Chao-Tsun Cheng](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/chao-tsun-cheng-134250-1.jpg)
![Ewell Blackwell Ewell Blackwell](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/ewell-blackwell-61846-1.jpg)
![Lascelles Brown Lascelles Brown](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/lascelles-brown-1.jpg)
Jamaican-born Canadian bobsledder Lascelles Brown is an Olympic silver medalist and a former World Champion. His illustrious career has seen him compete internationally for Jamaica, Canada, and Monaco. He is regarded as one of the world’s finest brakesmen. He is the first Jamaican-born athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.