What does it take to be among sport's greatest?
The public often only sees many Olympic athletes perform every four years. Their efforts are judged in a microcosm, whether it turns out to be their best day or their worst.
But Pierre de Coubertin, father of the modern Olympics, recognized that the Games are more than just that: "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
The Olympics' founding principles are about respect, excellence, and friendship. These values have guided the modern iterations of the Games and the transcendent athletes who capture the attention of audiences worldwide.
It's from this context that Olympic legends are born, those athletes whose stories and feats turn them into icons.
In the Olympic installment of our Eras series, we consider the finest 25 Olympians of this millennium and the contributions they made to become cemented as legends.
To better categorize each athlete's accomplishments, we've broken our series into five daily groupings: international standouts, Canadian legends, winter wonders, summer sensations, and greatest American heroes. The athletes on our list represent the best in fields not already covered by our prior Eras installments.
Everyone on our lists has medaled in the Games, but we also considered the achievements of some of these legends in the professional realm.
We begin with international standouts - athletes from outside North America who rose to prominence starting with the 2000 Syndey Games because of their athletic abilities and embodiment of Olympic values.
Previous installments of this series: NBA | MLB | NFL
Wednesday: Canadian legends
Thursday: Winter wonders
Friday: Summer sensations
Saturday: Greatest American heroes
Signature performance: Bolt ran the 100m in 9.63 seconds at the London Games on Aug. 5, 2012, to set an untouched Olympic record. Although Bolt earned the world record of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships, his effort 12 years ago lowered the Olympic milestone he set in 2008 and remains the meet's standard.
Why he's here: The sprint king's accomplishments on the track are unmatched, making him one of the Olympic movement's transcendent icons. Bolt's name dominates the record books unlike anyone else in the sport's history.
Let's start with Bolt's top times. The Jamaican sprinter is the record holder in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m at the Olympics and world championships. It's not just that Bolt achieved these milestones, but how he did it. Bolt's first Olympic showing at Athens in 2004 did little to predict his future success, with a leg injury hampering the 18-year-old before he got eliminated in the first round of the 200m.
The 2008 Beijing Games was Bolt's true coming out party, winning gold in the 100m and 200m. He followed that up with additional gold-medal performances in the same events at 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro, making him the only sprinter to win three consecutive golds in both events. He has eight Olympic gold medals altogether.
No one has come close to supplanting Bolt as the "world's fastest man" since he retired. In his record-setting 100m at the 2009 World Championships, he averaged 37.58 km/h (23.35 mph) and hit a top speed of 44.72 km/h (27.79 mph). Bolt also set a 200m world record in the same championship with a time of 19.19 seconds.
Signature performance: Nadal and Marc Lopez earned men's doubles gold in a thrilling match against Romania's Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. The victory made Nadal the second man to win both singles and doubles Olympic gold since tennis returned to the international meet in 1988 after he also won singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Why he's here: It's hard to mention Nadal without accounting for his cohorts in the Big Three - Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic - who dominated tennis for a good period. While they all have an unquestioned claim to greatness, Nadal has garnered more Olympic success than the other two.
Nadal's two Olympic medals merely scratch the surface of his trophy collection. His 14 French Open titles - the most by any player at one Grand Slam - have earned him the moniker "King of Clay." Added to the list are his two Wimbledon victories, four US Open titles, and two Australian Open wins.
The 2024 Paris Olympics will be Nadal's fourth and final Games. He'll compete in singles and team with Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in doubles. Alcaraz was born the year before Nadal made his Olympic debut in 2004.
Signature performance: Thompson-Herah made history at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 by setting a Games record in the women's 100m. Clocking in at 10.61 seconds, she surpassed the previous record of 10.62 seconds set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988. Thompson-Herah's electrifying performance secured her second consecutive Olympic gold in the event, reaffirming her status as one of the fastest women in history.
Why she's here: Thompson-Herah solidified her legacy as one of the greatest sprinters in Olympic history with her unparalleled performances in the 100m and 200m. At the 2016 Olympics, she captured the world's attention by winning gold in both events, becoming the first woman to achieve that double since Griffith-Joyner in 1988. The two wins also marked Thompson-Herah's first in any major international competition.
The Jamaican star's success continued in Tokyo, where she defended her titles spectacularly by scoring the 100m Olympic record and a personal best of 21.53 seconds in the 200m. Thompson-Herah's back-to-back victories in both events underscored her dominance and placed her in a league of her own, making her the first woman to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in both sprint events.
Signature performance: Farah electrified the home crowd at the 2012 London Olympics with his historic double victory in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. In the 10,000, Farah surged into the lead with just four laps to go, showcasing his remarkable finishing kick to secure gold. Farah's performances in London earned him widespread acclaim and solidified his status as one of the greatest long-distance runners in the Games' history.
Why he's here: Farah's distance running first captured global attention at the London Olympics.
He replicated his success at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, again claiming gold in the 5,000 and 10,000. The 10,000 victory was notable for its drama, with Farah tripping and needing to come from behind to pass the leaders. The achievement made him the second man in history to win both events at consecutive Olympics, joining Finland's Lasse Virén. Queen Elizabeth II knighted Farah in 2017.
Farah's success isn't limited to the Olympics. He also won gold in the same events at the world championships in 2013 and 2015, making him the first man to defend both distance titles at the international meet. His result of 2:05:11 in 2018 is the sixth fastest winning time in the history of the Chicago Marathon, one of the six annual world marathon majors.
Standout performance: After earning a bronze and silver in consecutive Winter Games, Edin won a gold medal for Sweden at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Why he's here: Edin steadily climbed the podium over his four Olympics. He debuted at the 2010 Vancouver Games, where his rink finished fourth. He led Sweden to a bronze medal at the Sochi Olympics and then skipped his country to a silver in PyeongChang in 2018. Edin completed his medal collection with a gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Beyond his Olympic successes, Edin is a seven-time world champion, including five of the last six times it's been held. He's been instrumental in promoting curling in Sweden and internationally, inspiring a new, global generation of curlers in a sport once largely dominated by Canadians.
Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.
