Btw, jusdging by your comments on Bob Beamon and in particular Michael Johnson, why isn't Usain Bolt in the list. The only nman in history to break the world record in both the 100 and 200m in taking gold - and what performances they were!

Jonathan, London, UK

Bobby Morrow...Gold-100m, Gold-200m, Gold 4x400 (1956 Melbourne)...greatness!

Tony S., Plano, Texas, USA

Any list of this nature is always going to be... controversial. It will feature glaring omissions, weird inclusions and just the damn right ridiculous. Plus, it doesn´t claim to list the defacto greatest Olympians just the ones that come to the authors mind at the time of writing. I enjoyed it.

Andrew Adebowale, Cumbuco, Brasil

...and what about Steve Redgrave who won gold medals in rowing in 5 consequtive olympics - how could you omit that!

1984 Gold Medal Coxed Four
1988 Gold Medal Coxless Pair
1988 Bronze Medal Coxed Pair
1992 Gold Medal Coxless Pair
1996 Gold Medal Coxless Pair
2000 Gold Medal Coxless Four

John Madden, Aberdeen,

Merlene Ottey definitely received the short end of the stick, would have medals of higher quality if it werent for the drug users and although this maybe biased everyone who thinks logically can agree that the manner in which Usain Bolt performed has never been seen before

A. Morrison, Spanish Town, Jamaica

Usain Bolt definatley now sits in the top ten.....ahead of Micheal Johnson. 3 golds, 3 world records which he accomplished at 21yrs old & during his first couple of days at 22yrs. He's phenomenal!!

Kayde-Ann, Mandeville, JAMAICA

Bob Mathias... and where is Lasse Viren???? 5000 & 10000 champion TWICE. Al Oerter should be higher on the list than he is, for having had the best brought out in him during 4 consecutive gold medals in the discus (and never having been favored).

Bill, Dallas, USA

Carl Lewis is the greatest Olympic fraud of all - he tested positive to a banned stimulant at the '88 US trials. Had he received the basic three month ban he would have been ineligible for Seoul. In the ultimate irony - he received the 100 medal following a positive from Johnson = what a charlatan!

Rick, Brisbane, Australia

Lightening Bolt jump in front of many of these person. 3 events, 3 gold and 3 world records.

Anthony , Kingston, Jamaica

I agree with Sunil of Rochester. Also - I would have to mention my personal favorite - Bob Hayes.

Steve, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

It is interesting that you exclude drug takers but fail to properly take into account the single person whose record was most affected by them. Of course that was Merlene Ottey. She spent a god portion of her carrer competing against drug takers first from the East, and then from the West.

Jonathan, London,

Peter Snell was a true hero for the sport, good inclusion!

Timothy Marshall, London, United Kingdom

ah mark spitz? also jesse owens deserves to be higher, the context of him humiliating hitler's "master race" is unparalleled

Sunil, Rochester, USA

The most grievous omission is Babe Didrikson. At the 1932 she won gold in the javelin, 80m hurdles and tied for gold (awarded silver because judges disapproved of her style) in the high jump. The only reason she didnt win more was that she was limited to 3 events.

Tom Dussault, Newbury, Berks, UK

Definitely Juatorena, and what about Bob Mathias? He won gold in the '48 decathlon as a 17-year old, just a kid out of high school. Followed up by another gold in "52 games.

L Pettit, Texas, USA

where is mark spitz did you just forgot the man?

ash, melbourne,

I find it rather disappointing that Heike Drechsler is named a cheat. She has proven herself well after 1989 and also became an olympic champion for the reunited Germany. That´s what I call talent!

Andrea, Halle, Germany

Rather than saying that Emil Zatopek was the first athlete to win gold in the 5000m 10000m and Marathon at the same games (1952) surely you should say that he is the ONLY athlete to have performed this feat (or have I missed something?)

John Stephens, London,

alberto juantorena of Cuba won the 400m / 800m double in 1976. the 800m in world record time and the 400m a low altitude world record.

this is unprecedented and will never ever be done again by either a man or woman. definitely deserves a spot in the top 50.

Michael, Sydney,

Lee Evans world record in the 400 metres that stood for 2 decades. Not to mention the relay win as well. I would have had Tommie Smith too.

GaZ Lew, London, UK

A partisan nomination for Clara Hughes the Canadian who won 2 bronze medals in cycling in the 96 and 2000 Summer Olympics followed by another bronze in the 2002 Winter Olympics and a gold and silver in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Only one gold but medals in both Summer and Winter Olympics.

denis bernicky, montreal , canada

what about Iolanda Balas from Romania double olympic champion(1960,1964) in the high jump. She dominated the event for 10years winning 140 consecutive competions and setting 14 world records her final one standing for 10 years.

Mike, Perth, UK

Several glaring omitions. Alberto Juantorena's uniqe feat is not recognized? Valery Brumel owned the high-jump in the pre-Fosbury era. And where is Jan Seberle, perhaps the greatest athlete ever? Many complaints are about the omissions of non-Western athletes, but where is Bob Hayes?

Leo, Detrot,

Allow me to correct myself-I meant Roman Sebrle. But, while on the subject, where is Donovan Bailey-the savior of the Atlanta games?

Leo, Detrot,

Flawed list. Performances before WW I are not comparable. Number of competitors in the 1904 Steeplechase, won by Lightbody was seven and only two nations competed. Suggesting that Lighbody's 3 golds in St. Louis and Athens are superior to Snell's 3 golds in Rome & Tokyo is bonkers.

Reggie Walker, Chichester, USA

It's a team sport I admit but Steve Redgrave's performance over 5 straight Olympics is hard to question

Robert Newman, Leamington Spa, England

It rankles me that Lee Evans' achievement in the 400m at the 1968 Mexico Olympics is never held in the same esteem as Bob Beaman's long jump. His world record stood for 20 years, just 3 less than Beaman.

David Wiseman, Mark Spitz would be a fish out of water in an athletics stadium!

Stratford Tony, Salisbury, UK

Hey man, why didn't you put Jim Thorpe on your list, or did I miss it!? One would think he'd be vital on a list like this!

Ryan, NORTHBRIDGE, MA

Michael Jordan.

David, Ames, USA, IA

james! what about the Acne, the deep voice, masculine jaw and huge shoulders. still circumstantial but lets have a reality check.

andy bower, london,

What's the circumstantial evidence linking Flo-Jo to doping? Everyone always said she was too good not to be doping but I don't think it ever went beyond that. When she died young suspicions were heightened further but you must need more than this to leave her out.

James, London,

What?No Mark Spitz?No Eric Heiden(the athlete who dominated skating from sprints all the way to 10,000 meters with world records at every distance did not make your list?This latter made world class competitors look like boys!

alex, st.georges,

Where is Sergey Bubka? 35 world records, won the pole vault event in 6 consecutive IAAF World Championships, olympic champion. Had dominated the pole vault for more than 10 years, between 1984 and 1994.

PM, Toronto,

alberto jauntorena the only man to pull off the 400 800 metres double.a sprint and a middle distance .superb!! top five for me

glenn Nicholls, lowestoft, suffolk

The Jamaican Bobsleigh team?

To live in a country full of snow and then be god at snow based sport is obvious. To come from the caribbean and compete is superhuman.

Andy, bham, uk

That Marion Jones who had to give back her gold medals after doping?

Fred, London,

Where are Ben Johnson and Marion Jones?

Jim, Brussels, Belgium

You have forgotten one of the all time greatest: Alberto Juantorena. Montreal 1976 gold medallist 400 and 800 mt. No one else has done that. How could you have missed him?

MC, Oxford,

Uh....read history and it shows the US with by far the most medals in Olympic Track and Field History. That's not bias, it's fact.

Ben, Chicago, Il

What about Mark Spitz!!?? Oh sorry, someone already said that.

Didn't it occur to the Spitz/Redgrave/Pinsent promoters that the list is 100% track and field ?

Getting past the shocking lack of athletes from other sports, I agree with the sentiment that Moses is probably the most prominent absentee, at least from recent decades.

Steve, San Jose, CA, US

Ed Moses instead of Frankie Fredericks?

Ally, Auckland, NZ

I cannot believe the following three athletes have been overlooked:

Steven Redgrave (England) 6 olympic rowing medals, 5 gold in 84, 88, 92, 96, 00 and 1 bronze in 84.

Matthew Pinsent (England) 4 Olympic Gold Medals 92, 96, 00 and 04

Jame Tomkins (Australia) 3 gold 92, 96 and 04, 1 bronze 00

Anthony, Melbourne, Australia

WHAT! No Gabriela Szabo!
Must be a mistake Dave!!!!!!!

Adam Szabo, London, UK

Oh and to you guys asking for Mark Spitz to be include, Redgrave?? etc...

You'll notice that Dave Powell's expertise is in Athletics, read Track & Field!

Hence only Track & Field ATHLETES. Simple really. It ain't rocket science!

Adam Szabo, London, UK

Alberto Juantorena?

Sebastien, Cannes,

Dawn Fraser, wins 100 fs in 56, 60, 64

Jason, Geelong, Australia

Yes Mark Spitz? Even Phelps should be included. This top fifty seems to be limited to primarily track and field events which udermines the great variety that the games have to offer. Sir Steve Redgrave should also be included for his inspiring achievements.

Conoe, Dublin, Ireland

Heard of a guy called Mark Spitz?

David Wiseman, Sydney, Australia

Dave, NYC, US

quite apart from the fact jamaica's ascendancy is relatively recent i think if you check a map jamaica is actually in the west

colonel, amsterdam,

I'm disappointed that the list did not include Herb Elliot who dominated his races and was an outstanding athlete.

Wallace Curtis, London,

People, please remember this is a list of greatest Olympic performers, not best athletes. Who delivered the goods when it counted? Yes Gebrselassie set lots of world records but never at the Olympics. If Jesse Owens performance in 1936 deserves a higher ranking because of political and humanitarian statement then why not have Tommie Smith and John Carlos for their stand for black rights in 1968. Bob Beamon is rightly included because his one performance is still talked of so much today. Not included in this list but another memorable performance of note under intense public pressure was Cathy Freeman in 2000. I am also a little puzzled at not including Ed Moses. 1976 was his first international meet and he won gold in a world record time.

Ed, London,

Ed Moses should be there, he dominated his event for ten years, virtaully re-inventing it. Between 1977 and 1987, he won 122 consecutive races and set the world record in his event four times. Only the Moscow boycott denied him a hattrick of golds.

Mark, Newcastle,

What happened to the person who may have been the fastest runner of all time? Bob Hayes! Although he only ran in the 1964 Olympics, he won the 100 in very near 10.00 World Record by 3 meters on a "churned up" cinder track from lane 1 that had the 10,000 heats run on it immediately before and anchored the 4 by 1 in 8.6 to a World Record in what many believe to be the most explosive display of human speed to this date!!!!

Jim Spellman, Belle Harbor, New York, USA

Edwin Corley Moses

Jason, Sligo, Ire

So Heike and Renate Stecher are out but JJK and Valerie BH are in???

Flumpy, London, UK

How in the world do you set 24 world records throughout your career, and get ranked by some writer as #41 ( Haile Gebrsellasie)? Major bias.

Mark, Tallahassee, United States

Jesse Owens shoould have gotten at least number two. For him, being a black man, and going to Germany during a time during the belief that the Arian race was superior, he stood for more than just times, medals and winning. He stood for equality amongst all of the unites races. I would like to see anyone perform the way he did with the circumstances he faced in 1936. In front of hitler.

TR, Acworth, Georgia

As long as the reader takes special note that this is, indeed, opinion-based, and for entertainment value, these lists can be fun and thought-provoking to be certain. Having said all of that, the extensive caviats presented prior to your disclosure of the list suggests your own doubts as to the logic used.
I have never thought that there should be any particular extra weight given to the fact that an athlete had performed in more than one Olympiad, for example. Because of the fact that some systems allow for an athlete to be "appointed" to an Olympic team for his/her country makes that an un-even playing field. Also, the magnitude of a particular moment in time that frames itself around the period of an Olympiad can make that moment unparalleled against all others and therefore transcends mere competition. With that in mind, anybody who can place someone ahead of Jesse Owens and the feat accomplished in 1936, must certainly be using a unique kind of barometer.

Coach Webb, Los Angeles, California

30 out of 50 speak english and 23 are Americans. Tottaly unfair. How can you place Beamon at 11th place? The one jump athlete? And what do you mean by saying I don't count athletes with strong circumstantial links to doping. Carl Lewis is one of them also but he is 1st in your list.
Saneyev who won medals (3g, 1s) in 4 Olympics in only 17th and Oerter with 4g, 15th! Meyfarth won 2g in 1972 and 1984 a unique achievement but she is not listed (perhaps because she doesn't speak english...). Cierpinsky won two marathons as Bikila did (oops he is German too).
These lists are always controversial and I think it's better for eveyrone to keep them for himself.
Great Olympian is also the one who comes as an unerdog and grabs gold like Van Langen or Patoulidou (these stories revive the David vs Goliath battle) , not only the one who wins 3 medals and two of them come with the help of 3 other athletes.
You might say "this is your opinion". Well, that's what I am saying about you mr Powell

Vassilis Georgiotis, Athens, Greece

Where is 1-25? I can only get 26-50

Dale Mais, Valley Center, CA

We are only up to number 26...

JP, london,

Mike Larrabee certainly belongs on the list if, for no other reason he was the oldest 400/4x400 relay gold winner. Also the oldest world record holder in the 400.

John George, Carlsbad, CA

it is easy to tell the western bias in this ranking. you might as well say "Top 50 western olympic athletes" because we all know athletics is dominated by jamaica, ethiopia, kenya etc

Dave, NYC, US