10 Greatest Sports Polymaths

The top 10 Sports PolymathsPeople who excelled in more than one sport

I have a fascination for those who excelled in multiple sports.

Sharing this list of my heroes. Many of whom I discovered while making the list.

As this list tells you, the sporting polymath is a dying breed

Just out of top 10

11. Alex Zanardi –F1 driver who won two CART championships in US. After losing both his legs, won para-olympic medals in cycling

12. Christa Luding – Winter Olympic golds in speed skating and a silver in Summer Olympic in cycling

13. Babe Zacharias – Olympic track and field medals and a basketball player. Also the first woman to be a golf celebrity

And…

14. Dennis Compton – the cricket legend played football for Arsenal (and England in an unofficial match)

15. Sir George Thomas – 21 time All England Badminton champ, 2 time England chess champion and Wimbeldon doubles semi-finalist

16. Johnny Douglas –England cricket captain. His only Olympic gold in boxing is marred by controversy

10. CB Fry

Allrounder & England cricket captain 1896 - 1912

Long jump world record holder

Played football for England

(also an academician & prolific writer)

9. Shaun Palmer

World Champ snowboarder

World No 5 mountain biker

Professional Motocross racer

Professional auto racer

Gold medal in X games skiing

Known as one of the architects of modern extreme sports

8. Simen Agdestein

Norwegian chess Grandmaster

7 time national champ

Runners up in world junior championship in ‘86

Also former coach of Magnus Carlsen

Played professional football for 9 years and also represented Norway

7. Carl Schuhmann

Leading gold medal winner in 1896 Olympics

3 – Gymnastics

1 – wrestling

Also competed in athletics and weightlifting

6. Clara Hughes

2 cycling medals in 96 Summer Olympics

4 medals (2 gold) across 3 Winter Olympics

Only person to have won multiple medals in both Summer & Winter Games

5. Bo Jackson

‘85 Hiesman trophy as leading college American football player

NFL player – ’87 - ’92

Celebrated professional baseball player ‘86 – ’94

Only athlete to be an All-Star in two major American sports

4. Max Woosnam

Tennis gold and silver at 1920 Olympics

Captain of Manchester City FC and England

Century at Lords

147 break in snooker

Famous for defeating Charlie Chaplin at TT with a butter knife

3. Jim Thorpe

Won Pentathlon and decathlon in 1912 Olympics

Controversially stripped of his medals. Reinstated well after his death.

Played American football, baseball and basketball professionally.

2. Lottie Dod

5 time Wimbeldon champ

British amateur golf champ

Played hockey for England

Archery silver medal in ‘08 Olympics

1. Fred Perry

You are No 1 on this list if you were world champ in your second sport

8 grand slam tennis titles

Ist to complete career slam

Table Tennis world champ in ‘29