The athletes with the most World Athletics Championships golds
The top 3 according to 47 votes from people: Allyson Felix · Noah Lyles · Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. (Updated Mar 1, 2026.)
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?
Top 20
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1
Allyson Felix
USA: 14 golds, the overall record, between 2005 and 2022.
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2
Noah Lyles
USA: the 200-metre king of the 2020s.
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3
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Jamaica: the queen of the 100 metres.
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4
LaShawn Merritt
USA: 400 metres and relays.
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5
Michael Johnson
USA: the 200 and 400 metres in golden shoes.
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6
Usain Bolt
Jamaica: 11 golds, the men's record, in the 100, 200 and relay.
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7
Carl Lewis
USA: sprints and long jump in the 1980s and 90s.
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8
Sergey Bubka
Ukraine/USSR: six golds in a row in the pole vault.
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9
Lars Riedel
Germany: five discus titles.
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10
Gail Devers
USA: sprint hurdles and 100 metres.
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11
Sanya Richards-Ross
USA: 400 metres and relays.
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12
Jeremy Wariner
USA: 400 metres and relays.
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13
Kenenisa Bekele
Ethiopia: long-distance legend.
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14
Faith Kipyegon
Kenya: the queen of the 1,500 metres.
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15
Tirunesh Dibaba
Ethiopia: 5,000 and 10,000.
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16
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
USA: world-record 400 m hurdler.
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17
Natasha Hastings
USA: 4x400 relay golds.
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18
Mo Farah
Great Britain: six golds in the 5,000 and 10,000.
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19
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
USA: the sprinter who swept Tokyo 2025.
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20
Jessica Beard
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.
Is something missing?
Comments (3)
Felix 14 golds is insane regardless of how you count it
Ranking by gold count is pointless when relay golds count the same as individual ones. Bubka's six in a row is worth more than half of these
relays are still gold medals mate, you still have to run