With this thought in mind, we’ve put together a list, albeit controversially, of the World’s 25 Most Motivational Athletes.
The ability of an athlete to inspire others isn’t purely about their performance. Criteria for inclusion included their ability to come back from adversity, their ability to win against quality competition again and again and their sportsmanship - how they handled themselves whether winning or loosing.
(Each entry has a link for more information and a YouTube link for video).
The World’s 25 Most Motivational Athletes
1. Lance Armstrong (USA) - did well at cycling, got cancer, then came back & conquered the cycling world with seven Tour de France wins . But what cements his No.1 position is that he has put his immense power as an athlete of the world to great use through his establishment of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and commitment to the cause to end cancer.Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
2. Muhammad Ali (USA) - Cassius Clay won an Olympic Gold (1960) and three heavy weight world titles. "I am the greatest" and "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" became his trademarks as he transcended sport in his retirement. According to Ali’s website "Ali has devoted himself to humanitarian endeavors around the globe. He is a devout Muslim, and travels the world over, lending his name and presence to hunger and poverty relief, supporting education efforts of all kinds, promoting adoption and encouraging people to respect and better understand one another. It is estimated that he has helped to provide more than 22 million meals to feed the hungry."
It’s not bragging if you can back it up.
3. Michael Jordan (USA) - Definitely the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan was probably the most effectively marketed athlete of his generation. Through multiple comebacks and a stint in Baseball, His Airness proved his athleticism again and again, inspiring millions to be like Mike. For the record, he earned six NBA titles and two Olympic Golds. His charity work in his own name and through his Jordan Brand is ongoing and so far includes $5 million to Chicago’s Hales Franciscan High School, and donations to Habitat for Humanity and a Louisiana branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.
4. Michael Phelps (USA) - 14 Gold Medals in two Olympics at just 23 years old - a testament to his remarkable ability in one of the toughest sports as well as the number of opportunities to win medals in multiple events in swimming . Phelps was a 15 year old at the Sydney Olympics, finishing 5th in the 200m butterfly. Only Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina (born 1934) holds more total career Olympic medals with 18 (nine gold), compared to Phelps’s 16 (14 gold). Extra credit to Phelps for donating a $1 million bonus from the Beijing Olympics to start his own charity.
You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.
5. Andre Agassi (USA) - Andre was the child prodigy who reinvented himself as a 30-something tennis player to win eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. His post-win gesture of blowing kisses to spectators on each side of the court was admired as a humble acknowledgment of the crowd’s support of him and tennis. Wikipedia says Agassi is regularly cited as the most charitable and socially involved player in professional tennis. It has also been surmised that he may be the most charitable athlete of his generation. He is the founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (in 1994), which has raised over $60 million for at-risk children in Southern Nevada.
To the US open crowd at his last match: You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams, dreams I could have never reached without you. Over the last 21 years, I have found you. And I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life. Thank you.
6. Steve Redgrave (GBR) - one of the most enduring successful Olympians of all time - 5 gold medals in rowing at 5 Olympics , a feat shared by just four athletes. Sir Steve is now committed to providing a better deal for the Third World through both his FiveG clothing range and the Steve Redgrave Fund which raised £5 million in five years. His charity work addresses problems associated with lack of exercise, obesity, social inclusion and confidence among children and young people in Britain.
I’ve had it. If anyone sees me near a boat they can shoot me. (After winning his 4th gold).
7. Paavo Nurmi (FIN) - Considered the greatest Track & Field athlete of all time, Nurmi won a total of nine gold and three silver medals in the 12 events in which he competed at the Olympic Games from 1920 to 1928. Nurmi has won the most Olympic medals in Track & Field, 12 total. In 1932, Nurmi was unable to compete at the Olympics, as he had received money for his running and was thus considered a professional. (Born 1987, died 1973). Mind is everything. Muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind.
8. Emil Zátopek (CZE) - was probably best known for his amazing feat of winning three gold medals in athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki . He won gold in the 5 km and 10 km runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life. In total Zátopek won five gold and one silver medals at the Olympics. (Born 1922, died 2000).
Great is the victory, but the friendship is all the greater.
9. Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) - Jackie Joyner-Kersee has amassed 20 records in the heptathlon and long jump and has won three Olympic gold medals (2 silver, 1 bronze). Off the track, she is a business executive who runs her own sports-marketing firm. Her Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation sponsors programs for disadvantaged youth and has raised more than $12 million to build a safe haven for young people to come learn, play, and contribute back to their community.
The medals don’t mean anything and the glory doesn’t last. It’s all about your happiness. The rewards are going to come, but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing.
10. Nadia Comaneci (ROM) - One of the world’s best known Gymnasts, Comaneci was the first gymnast to receive a perfect 10 in Olympic competition. At 14, this Romanian dynamo captured the hearts and minds of the world with her daring and perfection. More recently, as contributing editor of International Gymnast Magazine, she is still very involved in her sport. She speaks five languages and is a TV commentator at major gymnastics competitions. Nadia has spoken at the UN, is involved with the Special Olympics and Muscular Dystrophy Association. She has also personally funded the construction and operation of the Nadia Comaneci Children’s Clinic, a clinic in Bucharest that provides low-cost and free medical and social support to Romanian children. Currently she is Honorary Consul General of Romania to the United States to deal with bilateral relations between the two nations.
Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win.
11. Roger Bannister (GBR) - At the time, many well educated people strongly believed that it was not possible to run a mile in less than four minutes. However, Banister’s determination and spirit resulted in him proving the doubters wrong, running 3:59.4 for the 1609 metres in 1954 . Since his success, thousands of others have followed in his footsteps. Sir Bannister doesn’t rate his famous run as his greatest achievement, instead he cites his "subsequent 40 years of practicing as neurologist and some of the new procedures he introduced as being more significant."
The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.
12. Vitaly Scherbo (RUS) - Arguably the greatest or most successful male gymnast of all time, he is the only male gymnast ever to have won a world or Olympic title in all eight events: at the 1992 Olympics , he won 6 of 8 events (team, all-around, and 4 of 6 event finals - more golds at a single Olympics than any other gymnast in Olympic history); and at various World Championships throughout his competitive years, he collectively won every event. He now runs the Vitaly Scherbo School Of Gymnastics in Las Vegas.
13. Dan Jansen (USA) - Over the course of his career, Jansen skated eight world records over 500m and 1000m, however, his mid-race falls during 1988 and 1992 Olympic races gained him notoriety for failing despite being favorite. After years of heart break, Jansen finally won an Olympic gold in his final race in 1994 in a world record time. He set up the Dan Jansen Foundation in memory of his sister, with the purpose of fighting leukemia. He is also a supporter of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation where he is a honorary board member.
I remember standing on that podium, … and for the first time probably before or since, wishing our national anthem had more verses.
14. Martina Navratilova (CZE/USA) - Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. Navratilova is involved with various charities that benefit animal rights, underprivileged children, and gay rights. Navratilova Vs Evert video .
The mark of great sportsmen is not how good they are at their best, but how good they are their worst.
15. Chris Evert (USA) - Evert also won 18 grand slam titles including three Wimbledons, seven French Opens, two Australian Opens and six U.S. Opens. Evert’s graceful appearance, quiet demeanor, outward appearance of gracious sportsmanship, and positive public image made her a favorite with the media and fans. Evert currently operates a tennis academy bearing her name in Boca Raton, Florida where she lives with husband and golfer Greg Norman.
I was very, very shy as a younger girl, just petrified of people. Tennis helped give me an identity and made me feel like somebody.
16. Arnold Schwarzenegger (AUT/USA) - Arny’s sheer size , action-hero movie roles and great accent has seen him transcend sport. Schwarzenegger, the current Governor of California, is also among the richest in the list with as much as $200 million in assets on conservative estimates. He donates his Governor’s salary of $175,000 per year to charities.
For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.
17. John Maclean (AUS) - The first athlete in a wheelchair to swim the English channel, complete the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon and the Molokai Challenge (ocean kayaking). He also rowed at the Beijing Paralympics (Silver medal), completed a Sydney-Hobart yacht race and was in the Australian Olympic Team in 2000 where he was a finalist in the 1500m wheelchair race. Maclean puts back into sport with gusto as well, especially via his John Maclean Foundation which provides support and assistance to Australian wheelchair users under the age of 18.
From thinking there was no way I could go on, I was now thinking there was no way I could not.
18. Dara Torres (USA) - Torres won three Silver Medals in the pool at the Beijing Olympics. Unremarkable in this field, but she was 41 years old and the mother of a two-year old. In total, Torres is a nine-time Olympic medalist (four gold, four silver, four bronze), first taking gold in the 4 x 100m at the 1984 Olympics in LA. She has also won at least one medal in each of the five Olympics in which she has competed, making her one of only a handful of Olympians to earn medals in five different Games.
I feel like I have so many middle-aged women who look up to me. I want them to feel proud, and feel like they can do what they set out to do. I would never do anything to disappoint these women.
19. Jenny Thompson (USA) - The 10-Time Olympic Swimming Medalist and has won the most medals by any U.S. female Olympic athlete. Of late, Thompson received her medical degree and now works as an anesthesiologist in Boston.
20. Annika Sorenstam (SWE) - The most dominant player in women’s golf. Throughout her career , she has established new records in the LPGA (72 wins) and Ladies European Tour, won countless awards and events, and brought unprecedented attention to women’s golf. Her achievements have changed how women’s golf is played, covered and viewed, and in her rise to mainstream athlete and celebrity, she has had a positive impact on all women’s sports. Her Annika Foundation is "dedicated to providing inspirational experiences, and educational and financial resources that will help children in need to realize their full potential".
If you think about it, the golf ball doesn’t know which country you’re in.
21. Wayne Gretsky (CAN) - Called the greatest player of all time and despite his unimpressive stature, strength, and speed, Gretzky’s intelligence and reading of the game were unrivaled. He was adept at dodging checks from opposing players, and he could consistently anticipate where the puck was going to be and execute the right move at the right time. His current activities include TV and movie appearances, endorsements, a restaurant in his own name and the Wayne Gretzky Foundation which had raised over $1 million dollars in support of youth in hockey.
A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.
22. Dean Karnazes (USA) - This ultra-fit man most recently made big news for running 50 marathons in 50 states of the US in 50 days. He used the runs to send the message to Americans to get off the couch and reclaim their health . His charity, Karno Kids, aims to improve youths’ health and wellness and preserve the environment and open spaces.
Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.
23. Tiger Woods (USA) - Just saying his first name is enough to know who. Tiger demands respect - so far he’s won 14 majors and been the No 1 golfer the longest. His list of achievements is longer than his drive and which, in turn, has driven massive earnings. Hence, his charitable actions include the Tiger Woods Foundation (focusing on youth development), the Tiger Woods Learning Center (a school in California), and contributions through golf events and a concert which bears his name. And when all his activities tire him, there’s his sports drink, Gatorade Tiger. Listen to Earl Woods talk about Tiger.
Tiger is no longer a candidate for this list due to his indiscretions.
24. Erik Weihenmayer (USA) - The first blind person to climb Mt Everest in 2001, Weihenmayer has since climbed the seven tallest peaks on each continent. Erik’s feats have earned him an ESPY award, recognition by Time Magazine for one of the greatest sporting achievements of 2001, an ARETE Award for the superlative athletic performance of the year, the Helen Keller Lifetime Achievement award, Nike’s Casey Martin Award, and the Freedom Foundation’s Free Spirit Award. He speaks to audiences on harnessing the power of adversity, the importance of a "rope team," and the daily struggle to pursue your dreams.
People get trapped into thinking about just one way of doing things.
25. Rocky Balboa (USA) - Ok, ok, the Sylvester Stallone character in these six movies is fictional, but Rocky’s rugged tenacity has inspired millions to fight with their heart. Who can’t remember the running up the stairs montage!
Yo Adrian!
How’d we go? Did we leave out your favorite inspirational athlete? Your comments are also welcome.
By Michael Blackburn, BAppSci (Hons), PhD (Sports Science). Michael has won two World Titles, competed in three Olympics in Sailing (winning a Bronze medal) and coached at a fourth (2008). Visit Website
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