# The athletes with the most World Athletics Championships golds

Allyson Felix holds the record with 14 golds and Usain Bolt leads the men with 11: the most successful athletes in the history of the World Athletics Championships. Who is the greatest?

- 47 votes · 20 items
- Mar 1, 2026 · retrogamer.lost
- https://even.best/en/l/3129/the-athletes-with-the-most-world-athletics-championships-golds

## Top 20

1. **Allyson Felix** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — USA: 14 golds, the overall record, between 2005 and 2022.
2. **Noah Lyles** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — USA: the 200-metre king of the 2020s.
3. **Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Jamaica: the queen of the 100 metres.
4. **LaShawn Merritt** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — USA: 400 metres and relays.
5. **Michael Johnson** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — USA: the 200 and 400 metres in golden shoes.
6. **Usain Bolt** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Jamaica: 11 golds, the men's record, in the 100, 200 and relay.
7. **Carl Lewis** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — USA: sprints and long jump in the 1980s and 90s.
8. **Sergey Bubka** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Ukraine/USSR: six golds in a row in the pole vault.
9. **Lars Riedel** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Germany: five discus titles.
10. **Gail Devers** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — USA: sprint hurdles and 100 metres.
11. **Sanya Richards-Ross** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — USA: 400 metres and relays.
12. **Jeremy Wariner** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — USA: 400 metres and relays.
13. **Kenenisa Bekele** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ethiopia: long-distance legend.
14. **Faith Kipyegon** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Kenya: the queen of the 1,500 metres.
15. **Tirunesh Dibaba** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ethiopia: 5,000 and 10,000.
16. **Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — USA: world-record 400 m hurdler.
17. **Natasha Hastings** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — USA: 4x400 relay golds.
18. **Mo Farah** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Great Britain: six golds in the 5,000 and 10,000.
19. **Melissa Jefferson-Wooden** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — USA: the sprinter who swept Tokyo 2025.
20. **Jessica Beard** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — USA: relay specialist.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.