The 10 Greatest Athletics Men's Field Athletes of All Time, Ranked
Who is the greatest athletics men's field athlete of all time? We ranked every legend across five criteria — Statistics, Peak Performance, Longevity, Cultural Impact, and Strength of Competition — to produce a definitive GOAT Score. Here are the results.
| # | Athlete | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergey Bubka | 8.18 |
| 2 | Armand Duplantis | 7.85 |
| 3 | Al Oerter | 6.93 |
| 4 | Mutaz Barshim | 6.19 |
| 5 | Jonathan Edwards | 6.09 |
| 6 | Jan Železný | 5.67 |
| 7 | Yuriy Sedykh | 5.45 |
| 8 | Ashton Eaton | 5.04 |
| 9 | Ryan Crouser | 4.81 |
| 10 | Christian Taylor | 3.01 |
Sergey Bubka treated the pole vault like a personal playground, clearing heights no one thought possible and then raising the bar one centimeter at a time. He broke his own world record 35 times, a st...
- ★First over 6 meters (1985)
- ★35 world records
- ★6 world championship golds
Why #1: Tops the rankings thanks to elite statistics. 1 Oly gold, 6 WC golds = 7 total, 35 WRs — clear stats leader despite WR strategy
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Armand "Mondo" Duplantis is rewriting the pole vault record books with a frequency that makes Sergey Bubka look cautious. The Swedish-American prodigy has broken the world record 14 times and counting...
- ★2 Olympic gold medals (2020, 2024)
- ★3 World Championship golds
- ★14+ outdoor world records
Why #2: Falls just behind Sergey Bubka but excels in cultural impact. Charismatic, bringing PV mainstream, Swedish-American crossover, social media presence
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Al Oerter was never the favorite, but he always found a way. Four consecutive Olympic discus golds from 1956 to 1968 - the only track athlete to win the same event four times - came despite injuries, ...
- ★4 consecutive Olympic golds (discus)
- ★Only track athlete with 4 straight golds
- ★Set Olympic record each time
Why #3: Falls just behind Armand Duplantis but excels in longevity. 1956-1968 (4 consecutive Olympics, 12 years), nearly made 1980 team at 43
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Mutaz Barshim produced one of the most memorable Olympic moments in history when he chose to share the Tokyo 2020 high jump gold with Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi rather than jump off — the two embracing...
- ★1 Olympic gold (shared, Tokyo 2020)
- ★1 Olympic silver, 1 Olympic bronze
- ★3 World Championship golds
Why #4: Falls just behind Al Oerter but excels in strength of competition. Modern high jump, deep international fields with Tamberi — strongest HJ era
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Jonathan Edwards' triple jump world record of 18.29m, set at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, has stood for 31 years — and counting. He was the first man over 18 metres, and the record has ...
- ★1 Olympic gold (2000)
- ★1 Olympic silver (1996)
- ★2 World Championship golds
Why #5: Falls just behind Mutaz Barshim but excels in peak performance. WR 18.29m has stood 31 years, first over 18m — one of athletics' most enduring records
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Jan Železný threw the javelin farther and more consistently than anyone in history. Three consecutive Olympic golds (1992-2000), three World Championship golds, and a world record of 98.48m that stood...
- ★3 Olympic golds (1992, 1996, 2000)
- ★1 Olympic bronze (1988)
- ★3 World Championship golds
Why #6: Falls just behind Jonathan Edwards but excels in longevity. 1988-2000 (4 Olympics, 12 years), medals across the full span
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Yuriy Sedykh's hammer throw world record of 86.74m, set in 1986, has stood for 40 years — the longest-standing world record in men's athletics. The Soviet champion won Olympic gold at Montreal 1976 an...
- ★2 Olympic golds (1976, 1980)
- ★1 Olympic silver (1988)
- ★1 World Championship gold
Why #7: Falls just behind Jan Železný but excels in peak performance. WR 86.74m has stood 40 YEARS — longest-standing record in men's athletics, untouchable
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Ashton Eaton was the "World's Greatest Athlete" and he earned the title. Back-to-back Olympic decathlon golds (2012, 2016), two World Championship golds, and a world record of 9,045 points that may st...
- ★2 Olympic golds (2012, 2016)
- ★2 World Championship golds
- ★Decathlon WR 9,045 points
Why #8: Falls just behind Yuriy Sedykh but excels in cultural impact. "World's Greatest Athlete" title — but decathlon has limited mainstream appeal
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Ryan Crouser has dominated shot put like no one since the Cold War-era throwers. Two Olympic golds, three World Championship golds, and a world record of 23.56m make him the most decorated shot putter...
- ★2 Olympic golds (2016, 2020)
- ★3 World Championship golds
- ★Shot put WR 23.56m
Why #9: Falls just behind Ashton Eaton but excels in strength of competition. Modern era, deep global shot put field with Kovacs, Walsh as rivals
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Christian Taylor dominated the triple jump for the better part of a decade, winning Olympic gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016, plus World Championship golds in 2015 and 2017. His rivalry with Pedro Pab...
- ★2 Olympic golds (2012, 2016)
- ★2 World Championship golds (2015, 2017)
- ★1 WC silver
Why #10: Falls just behind Ryan Crouser but excels in strength of competition. Modern TJ, Pichardo rivalry — competitive era
Affiliate links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
How Rankings Change Under Different Philosophies
GOAT rankings depend on what you value. Here is the top 3 under each preset:
Default
- 1.Sergey Bubka8.18
- 2.Armand Duplantis7.85
- 3.Al Oerter6.93
Record Breaker
- 1.Sergey Bubka8.27
- 2.Armand Duplantis7.88
- 3.Al Oerter6.72
Olympic Icon
- 1.Sergey Bubka8.07
- 2.Armand Duplantis7.78
- 3.Mutaz Barshim6.64
Our Methodology
Every score is backed by data. Learn how we evaluate athletics men's field athletes across our five criteria.
Read the full methodology →Create Your Own Rankings
Disagree with our ranking? Adjust the weight sliders to build your own GOAT formula.
Interactive Athletics Men's Field Rankings