Acknowledging that any try and rank the 100 greatest athletes on the planet since 2000 is troublesome, the sports activities community ESPN solid forward to compile an inventory of the highest 100 athletes of the twenty first century. Included amongst them are Jamaican observe and subject icons, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce.
Usain Bolt, eight-time Olympic champion
Usain St. Leo Bolt was born in Sherwood Content material, Jamaica in 1986 and is taken into account the highest male dash athlete of all time. He has gained eight Olympic gold medals and is the document holder of the boys’s 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4×100-meter relay. ESPN ranked Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, often called “Lightning Bolt and some of the acknowledged athletes on the planet, at Quantity 9 on its listing. Bolt is the one sprinter to win gold within the 100-meter and 200-meter races at three consecutive stagings of the Olympic Video games. ESPN highlighted an iconic photograph taken of Bolt at his fourth and closing look on the Olympics in Rio in 2016 during which the athlete is depicted trying again at his rivals within the semifinal of the 100-meter competitors as he surgest to a win.
Bolt established his first world document within the 100 meters when he was simply 21 with a time of 9.58 seconds. His document nonetheless stands. He has gained 11 World Championships, together with consecutive titles within the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4×100-meter relay from 2009 to 2015, excepting a 100-meter false begin in 2011. He’s the primary runner to take 4 World Championship titles within the 200 meters and is the primary male athlete to run the 100-meter distance underneath 9.7 and 9.6 seconds. He has been named IAAF World Athlete of the 12 months, and Observe & Subject Athlete of the 12 months. He obtained the BBC Abroad Sports activities Character of the 12 months 3 times and the Laureus World Sportsman of the 12 months 4 occasions. In 2016, Time journal listed him as one of many 100 Most Influential Individuals of the 12 months. He retired following the World Championships in 2017.
Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, eight-time Olympic medalist
Shelly-Ann Fraser was born in 1986 within the Waterhouse neighborhood of Kingston. A observe and subject dash athlete, Fraser Pryce is taken into account one of many high sprinters in historical past, with a profession spanning over 15 years. ESPN ranked her at Quantity 77. She has persistently gained titles in all main observe and subject competitions and her signature 100-meter occasion, together with eight on the Olympics. In 2008, she turned the primary girl from the Caribbean to win a gold medal within the 100 meters, and on the 2012 Olympics, she turned the third girl to defend an Olympic title.
On the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, she gained a silver medal within the occasion and have become probably the most adorned sprinter on the Video games. She has additionally made historical past as one of many high athletes on the World Athletics event, taking house ten gold medals, 5 silver, and one bronze. She turned the primary mom in 24 years to win a 100-meter title in 24 years on the 2019 Champions, and in 2022 at age 35, she turned the oldest sprinter in historical past to grow to be a world champion. She was named the IAAF World Athlete of the 12 months in 2013. Fraser Pryce has gained probably the most particular person worldwide dash titles in historical past and is the third quickest girl in historical past along with her private 100-meter greatest time of 10.60 seconds. Including the distinguished Laureus World Sports activities Sportswoman of the 12 months Award to her achievements in 2023, she has usually been described as the perfect feminine sprinter of all time.
ESPN’s rating methodology
For the newest rankings, ESPN expanded the sector of athletes to incorporate these exterior of North America. ESPN editions worldwide made nominations and contributed to the voting course of, with voters contemplating solely athletes’ performances because the 12 months 2000. For the final top 100 list, ESPN relied on over 70,000 votes from its contributors.
Picture – Deposit Photos
