10 Best Athletes In The World
It’s a discussion that comes up frequently among sports fans: who are the best athletes in the world?
At PledgeSports, we have helped athletes and teams from almost every sport known to man raise money through sports crowdfunding. However, as die hard sports nuts, we have always debated who are the best athletes in sport today?
This is based on athletes who are currently competing and we’ve looked at consistency, dominance and physical ability in creating this list. So, without further ado, these are our 10 Best Athletes On Earth. Enjoy!
Simone Biles
Kicking off our list of best athletes is American gymnast Simone Biles. With 4 Olympic golds and 10 World Championship gold to her name, Biles is the most decorated American female gymnast in World Championships history, with a total of 14 medals.
Aged 20, Simone has been rewriting the USA and World gymnastics record books since her teens, and her domination is just getting started.
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Wladimir Klitschko
Now aged 41, boxing legend Wladimir Klitschko has been present on lists like this one for nearly two decades and is certainly one of the greatest boxers ever, as well as one of the world’s best athletes.
Known throughout his career for incredible fitness, stamina and strength, Klitschko has been near unbeatable his entire career, boasting a record of 64 wins from 69 fights, 53 of which were knockouts.
the second-longest reigning heavyweight champion in boxing history, Dr Steelhammer successfully defended his belt on 23 occasions, putting him ahead of Muhammad Ali (19) and Larry Holmes (20), and second only to Joe Louis (25).
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After coming within seconds of beating current unified world heavyweight Anthony Joshua in November 2016, it looks like he’ll have another bite at the cherry later in 2017. A win this time round will further cement his status as a true great.
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Katie Ledecky
Katie Ledecky is a no brainer when it comes to naming the best athletes. Widely considered as the best swimmer in the world, Ledecky is entering Michael Phelps territory.
Still only 20 years old, she won five gold medals and broke three world records at the 2015 World Championships in Russia. She also became the first swimmer to win the 200, 400, 800 and 1500 metre freestyles in a major competition.
Ledecky would go on to break her 400m and 800m records at Rio 2016 on the way to picking up 4 golds at the Games. She then repeated her World Championship success in 2017, claiming another 5 gold medals. To date, she has broken 13 world records and is still only a Sophmore.
While on the topic of swimming, the great Michael Phelps obviously deserves a mention and had he not retired recently, he most likely would have been the first name on this list. the most decorated American Olympian of all-time with 28 medals, Phelps has set an incredibly high bar for the future of swimming.
Another US swimmer who will most likely join the group of best athletes in the near future is 20-year-old Caeleb Dressel. With 2 Olympic golds from Rio 2016 and a record-equalling 7 golds at the 2017 World Championships, Dressel has quality and potential by the truckload. Can he match Phelps? Time will tell.
LeBron James
Tipped for success since he was a teenager, there is virtually nothing LeBron James hasn’t achieved in basketball.
Since being drafted straight out of high school by his local Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, James has been instrumental to the success of any team he has played in. Individually, he has the ability to change and dictate a game and that’s reflected in his 12 NBA All-Stars, 4 NBA MVPs, 2 NBA Finals MVPs, and the fact that he is the Cavs’ highest scorer of all time.
His stint in Miami also came with some impressive accolades as James won two NBA Championships, as well as leading the Heat to a 27-game winning streak – the longest in NBA history.
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Still only 32, James has played seven consecutive NBA Finals since 2011, winning three of them, and his run is unlikely to stop soon.
Roger Federer
The undisputed GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), Roger Feder is the sporting gift that just keeps on giving. Since overcoming Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001 and taking on the torch for men’s tennis, Federer has been, for the best part, untouchable. And, as proved by an insane 2017, he still is, despite heading for his 36th birthday.
Roger Federer has the most major wins in men’s tennis of all time with 19 singles tournaments to his name (8x Wimbledon, 5x US Open, 5x Australian Open, 1x French Open). Next to him is Rafael Nadal with 15 majors and Pete Sampras with 14 major wins. in addition, the silky Swiss native holds the record for longest time spent as the world’s No.1 ranked men’s tennis player – an eye-watering 302 weeks.
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Many critics wrote off Federer’s career following an injury-ridden 2016. but to the delight of sports fans around the world, Federer’s precision and power throughout the 2017 season have left his fellow ATP competitors in awe. He has rediscovered his best tennis and looks as untouchable now as he did ten years ago.
Usain Bolt
The fastest man on the planet, ever. How could Usain Bolt not feature as one of the best athletes in the world?
Not only has Bolt won 9 Olympic gold medals, but he is also the only Olympian in history to win both the 100m and 200m in world record times. His glittering career comes to an end this summer at the World Championships in London where the Jamaican will no doubt be focused on going out in style and adding to his tally of 11 World championship golds.
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When the curtain does come down, the sprinter will have left us all with incredible memories of his speed, style and superior work ethic. There may never be another athlete like him. But certainly one to watch is Wayde van Niekerk.
Serena Williams
Hard to believe, but Serena Williams has been winning major tennis championships for nearly 20 years. Since she burst onto the tennis scene in 1998, Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles titles. She also has four Olympic gold medals (three doubles, one singles).
Currently ranked No. 15 in the world following her break from the game this summer, Williams’ victory at the Australian Open in January saw her surpass Steffi Graff as the most successful Grand Slam player to ever grace the women’s game. At 35 she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Cristiano Ronaldo
With Ronaldo leading the line at Manchester United, they dominated England and Europe over the coming seasons and so it came as no surprise when Real Madrid came calling.
And when he arrived at the Bernabeu, everything went swimmingly. Ronaldo ripped through La Liga defenders like it was nobody’s business, and the goals record he amassed, which at United had been superlative, became simply outrageous, scoring an eye-watering 285 goals in 265 appearances.
God has blessed him with every conceivable gift one might need to become one of the best athletes of his generation. With 5 league titles between England and Spain, 3 Champions League titles (including the first back-to-back success ever), a European Championship and 4 Ballon d’Or awards, there are few who would dispute that he belongs on this list.
Sonny Bill Williams
Arguably one of the most all-round professional athletes on this generation, Sonny Bill Williams has not only played and starred at the highest level of Rugby Union, Rugby League and Rugby 7’s but also, along the way, has held both the NZPBA Heavyweight Championship and WBA International Heavyweight belts.
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When it comes to Rugby, Sonny Bill has been around the block, winning almost everything he competed in. As well as 12 domestic championships in Rugby League and an appearance at the Rio 2016 Olympics, the real jewels in Sonny Bill’s crown are the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup victories with New Zealand, where he played a key role in both championships to help his country to victory.
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