Power ranking the greatest U.S. track and field stars of all-time

Don’t blink, or you’ll miss some of the fastest Americans in the history of track and field. We’ll rank the top 10 athletes in this area from the United States, and we hope that you’ll pass the baton to the next reader as the 2024 Paris Olympics draw upon us.

The NBC Olympics website tells a pretty amusing story about Thorpe after a dominant performance in the 1912 Olympics. He won the pentathlon and decathlon without much resistance in Stockholm, and the Swedish King reportedly told Thorpe, “Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world.”

Some might be surprised to see Thorpe’s name on a list associated with track and field. He’s perhaps best known as the NFL’s original star, driving attention to the league when it was established in 1920.

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Rudolph’s resilience is a testament to why athletes and people in general should never give up on their dreams. As Women’s History’s website details, Rudolph’s childhood was marred with illness, as she suffered from polio and scarlet fever. Doctors told her that she would never be able to walk when she was in elementary school.

Rudolph overcame the odds to become one of the most revered track athletes of all time. She became the first American woman ever to win three gold medals in a single Olympics, which she achieved in 1960 in Rome.

Griffith-Joyner only lived to be 38 years old, which robbed her of the chance to appear at the Olympics as a luminary figure for the rest of her life. She made the most of her athletic career, winning three gold medals in the Seoul 1988 Games.

“Flo-Jo”, as she was called, has her name all over the track and field record books. She set records in the 100 meter and 200 meter races in what was arguably the best year of her career in 1988. Sports Foundation’s website still calls her the fastest woman of all-time.

Ewry might be the most unknown individual on this list. He won eight Olympic gold medals in the early 1900s, but wasn’t the prototypical track star we might come to know today. Like Rudolph, Ewry also overcame polio at a young age to reach great athletic heights, as noted by the Olympics’ website.

NBC’s Olympics website noted that Ewry took home three gold medals in the span of a few hours in the 1900 Paris Olympics. He was victorious in the standing long jump, standing high jump, and standing triple jump.

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Joyner-Kersee has one of the most impressive legacies in the sport. Track and Field Forever’s website noted that she set world records in both the heptathlon and the long jump. She was a mainstay at the Olympics, appearing in the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 Games.

Sports Illustrated decided to give Joyner-Kersee arguably one of the highest honors an athlete can receive. The outlet named her the best female athlete of the 20^th century. In addition to her competitive success, Joyner-Kersee created an impactful foundation, where the slogan on her website reads “there is gold in all of us.”

It can be hard for the eye to keep tabs on some of the fastest sprinters in history. Johnson made sure that wasn’t a problem, as Sports Foundation’s website remembers the gold shoes he often competed in. They also called out his upright running style as a unique claim to fame.

In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Johnson became the first man to win Olympic gold in the 200 meter and 400 meter races. Many times track and field athletes specialize in shorter distance or longer distances, but Johnson proved that he could excel regardless of race length.

In 2004, ESPN wrote a piece naming Moses the greatest male American runner ever. They highlighted his long stride and superior leg strength, which reduced the number of total strides between hurdles in the 400-meter events.

Complete Sports’ website put a catchy observation together about Moses’ dominance in the 400-meter hurdle races. They wrote that for exactly nine years, nine months and nine days, Moses did not lose a 400-meter hurdle race. The site also notes that he broke his own world record four different times.

Felix has won seven Olympic gold medals, the most of any female in track and field history. Ebony Magazine that she is the best to “ever do it”, regardless of gender. She remained humble when asked by the outlet whether this distinction has changed her life. “These accomplishments are amazing and I’m grateful for them, but I think at the end of the day, not too much will change.”

The Olympics’ official website noted that Felix retired from the sport at age 36 in 2022. She told NBC Sports shortly after that she can “do other things,” as she’s been vocal in trying to enable change for African American women and to improve maternity leave processes for female athletes.

ESPN noted that Owens was named the greatest track and field star for the first half of the 20^th century. He would go on to global fame a year later, but put his name on the map in 1935. He set world records at the Big Ten championships in one afternoon, in four different events.

Unlike his counterparts on this list, Owens only competed in one Olympics, the 1936 edition in Berlin. Given the heated geopolitical climate surrounding the event, Owens’ performance and success took on a life of its own. He won four gold medals in those Games, and became a historic figure with that performance.

Lewis ran and jumped circles over the competition in the 1980s and 1990s, so much so that World Athletics named him the greatest athlete of the 20^th century. He was a special short-distance sprinter, and was just as a proficient in long-jump competitions. ESPN noted that “King Carl” had a “long, golden reign.”

The Olympics’ official website notes that Lewis is one of only four athletes to have won nine gold medals at the Olympics. It’s not only his ultimate success that puts him at the top of the sport. His longevity was also something to behold, as he participated in the 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics.

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