Day 1 - World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 — The greatest American male track and field athletes (Pictured: Ryan Crouser - Getty Images)

Top 5 American male track and field athletes of all time ft. Jesse Owens, Ryan Crouser

Modified Jul 06, 2024 08:26 GMT

Track and field is one of the most coveted disciplines at the Summer Olympics, and nobody knows it better than the United States of America. Ever since the first modern Olympics were held at Athens in 1896, the American team has dominated the sport like no other.

With 826 Olympic medals, including 344 golds, the USA stands at the top of the leaderboard for overall track and field wins at the Games. The former Soviet Union and Great Britain are a distant 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Moreover, there are some track and field athletes from the USA who have not just claimed victories but also redefined the history of the discipline. From Jesse Owens' heroics at Berlin to the iconic achievements of Ryan Crouser, the list is quite long.

Here are five of the greatest track and field athletes from the USA who have created an irrefutable legacy of their own at the Olympics:

5 of the greatest USA Track and Field Athletes ft. Jesse Owens & more

#5) Ryan Crouser

When Randy Barnes broke the shot put world record in 1988, nobody had thought that any athlete would come even close to that mark, let alone break it multiple times.

Ryan Crouser, the GOAT shot putter - Getty Images

However, Ryan Crouser is made of different stuff. The 31-year-old shot putter from Portland, Oregon is well on the course to create further history if he wins another Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024 for the USA. He has already broken the world record twice, his personal best of 23.56m being the current one in the event.

What Michael Johnson was once to sprinting, Crouser is to field events: almost unmatchable. If Ryan wins the Olympic gold for the USA this time, he will become the greatest ever athlete to have graced the sport.

#4) Carl Lewis

Until the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, nobody thought that Jesse Owens' record at the Berlin Olympics could ever be broken. Nobody, except Carl Lewis, a young 23-year-old sprinter from Birmingham, Alabama.

Carl Lewis, one of the greatest American sprinters - Getty Images

Lewis won gold medals in the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay. Interestingly, he was booed by the audience despite winning the gold medal in the long jump because he had once claimed that he wished to break the record of Bob Beamon. He eventually did so in 1991, only to be outsmarted by Mike Powell, who broke the record moments later.

Nevertheless, by the time Lewis quit athletics, he was one of the most decorated track and field athletes with 9 Olympic gold medals and a silver medal to his name.

#3) Bob Beamon

Can one Olympics make you a living legend? Maybe, if your name is Robert Beamon.

Bob Beamon (L), the legend who redefined long jump - Getty Images

Beamon was a good athlete, but not a very strong contender for the men's long jump gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics, held in 1968. He didn't do great in the qualifications until his teammate cum mentor Ralph Boston, who had won the gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960, helped him for his final attempt.

When Bob Beamon made his attempt in the finals, it took the officials 20 minutes to simply measure the leap. When the results came out, neither the officials nor Beamon could believe it. He had jumped 8.90m, breaking the world record by a huge distance of 55 centimeters.

Even if Beamon had jumped the distance at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he would still have won the gold medal by a huge distance of 49 centimeters.

#2) Michael Johnson

Another athlete who created long lasting records in track and field is Michael Duane Johnson. He made the USA take notice when he played an important role in the country's gold medal victory in the 4x400m relay at the Barcelona Olympics held in 1992, despite suffering from bouts of food poisoning.

Michael Johnson, one of the most iconic American sprinters - Getty Images

Johnson never looked back after that. He created new records in the 200m, 300m and 400m. In fact, his world record for the 400m lasted a whopping 17 years, until a young Wayde Van Niekerk from South Africa broke it at the Rio Olympics in 2016 with a time of 43.03 seconds. Johnson's time was 43.18 seconds.

Johnson was also a stickler for ethics. When it turned out that one of his team members from Sydney 2000, Andrew Pettigrew, had been found guilty of doping, Michael voluntarily returned his gold medal. He claimed that he had been let down by Pettigrew.

#1) Jesse Owens

Not many know that 'Jesse' was actually the result of a clerical error, since the teacher wasn't well aware about the athlete's origins from Alabama. She misinterpreted his 'J.C.' as 'Jesse', and that's how James Cleveland Owens became famous as 'Jesse' Owens.

Jesse Owens (R) with Lynn Davies, another Olympic champion - Getty Images

However, Owens' greatest claim to fame would come more than two decades later, when he was selected for the Berlin Olympics in 1936. The organizers did not exactly aim for a prosperous and inclusive Olympics, but Jesse Owens did make it one. The way he thanked fellow competitor Luz Long from Germany for his assistance continues to be one of the greatest tales of sportsmanship even today.

Jesse Owens became the first African American athlete to win the 'big four', i.e., gold medals in the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay, apart from setting new records in several of them.