ESPN's top 25 Australian athletes of the 21st century
By ESPN staff,
10 hours ago
Who are Australia's top 25 athletes since 2000? Given it's the 25th year of the 21st century, and coincidentally an Olympic year, it's the perfect time to take stock.
Australia has produced some phenomenal athletes across a multitude of different sports, codes, and disciplines, and ranking their contributions (post-Jan. 1, 2000) is an incredibly difficult thing to do.
From Catchy Freeman's awe-inspiring 400m run at Sydney 2000, to the recent heroics of tennis champion Ash Barty, and football star Sam Kerr, to local code legends like Lance Franklin and Cameron Smith. Trying to rank these athletes is hard, but we've given it a crack ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games .
The team in the United States have published a worldwide top 100, taking into account athletes from all over the globe, with more than 70,000 votes tallied from ESPN contributors across the company. For this exercise, we've looked solely at Australian athletes.
Note: For this exercise, only achievements posted after Jan. 1, 2000 are taken into consideration, even if the athlete's success spanned either side of the millennium.
READ: ESPN's global top 100 professional athletes since 2000
1. Ian Thorpe, swimming
Key accomplishments: 2-time Olympian, 5-time Olympic gold medallist, 9-time Olympic medallist, 10-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, 22 world records set
No Australian boasts a greater swag of Olympic gold medals than the man universally known as "Thorpey". The freestyle icon was a dominant force in the pool during the early 2000s, setting world records for fun in the 200m and 400m distances. Thorpe's crowning achievement came at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens when he prevailed over the star-studded 200m final field -- which included the greatest Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, as well as Grant Hackett and Peter van den Hoogenband -- to win swimming's "Race of the Century". -- Jake Michaels
2. Ash Barty, tennis
Key accomplishments: 3-time Grand Slam champion, 15 totals singles titles, women's world No. 1 for 121 weeks, 5-time Newcombe medallist, 2-time Don Award winner, 2020 Young Australian of the Year, Officer of the Order of Australia
Barty achieved greatness in such little time that it's bizarre to think she's still just 28 years of age despite having been retired from the tennis circuit for two years. But, before her 26th birthday, she conquered the tennis world, played cricket professionally, and flirted with the idea of a golf career -- some people just have it all! Possessing a wicked backhand slice which frustrated opponents to no end, Barty's greatest strength was her clinical placement and fantastic game sense. Winning a Grand Slam is no easy feat -- her three Slam singles titles are the most of any Australian since the turn of the century -- and her astonishing 121 weeks as women's world No. 1 (including 114 weeks in a row) is seventh all time in women's tennis -- behind Monica Seles (178), Martina Hingis (209), Chris Evert (260), Serena Williams (319), Martina Navratilova (332), and Steffi Graf (377). Talk about tennis royalty. Barty called time on a glittering career after her third Grand Slam title -- a home triumph in Melbourne in 2022, to focus on family and motherhood in her hometown of Ipswich. From a sports perspective, however, it leaves behind the big question of just how much more could she have achieved, had she desired. -- Matt Walsh
3. Lauren Jackson, basketball
Key accomplishments: WNBA 2001 1st round, 1st overall pick, 2x WNBA Champion, 3x WNBA MVP, WNBA Finals MVP, 7x WNBA All-Star, 6x WNBL champion, 3xWNBL MVP, 4x WNBL Grand Final MVP, 5x Olympic Games, 3x Olympic silver medal, Olympic bronze medal, World Cup gold medal, 2x World Cup bronze, Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Retiring not once, but twice, and still playing the game, Lauren Jackson has immortalized herself as, if not the world's best female basketballer, at least Australia's best basketballer. Now set for her fifth Olympic Games, 12 years after her last appearance, Jackson continues to beat back father time and finds herself yet again as one of the star players in the Opals squad. With a list of accomplishments that never seems to end from Olympic medals to Grand Final MVPs, Jackson has achieved huge feats across her incredible career. Overcoming a partial Achilles tendon tear at 42 to continue competing on the international stage says everything about an athlete who's continued to fight her way to the top of the game over a 25-year career. -- Brittany Mitchell
4. Ellyse Perry, cricket
Key accomplishments: 2-time Women's World Cup winner, 6-time T20 World Cup champion, Commonwealth Games gold medallist, 3-time ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year, 3-time Belinda Clark Award winner, first person to have appeared in both ICC and FIFA World Cups.
Ellyse Perry's habit of setting records and picking up trophies has long made her the face of Australian women's cricket. Talented enough to excel in two sports, making her debut for the Matildas and women's cricket team at 16, her decision to pursue cricket full-time took her game to another level. One of the greatest ever all-rounders, she is the first woman to play 300 internationals for Australia and was the first Aussie cricketer to hit 6000 runs and 300 wickets in international cricket. She's a record breaker, a history maker, an inspiration, and a legend. -- Marissa Lordanic
5. Sam Kerr, football
Key accomplishments: Australia's all-time leading international scorer, Women's Asian Cup winner, 7-time Golden Boot winner (A-League Women, NWSL, FAWSL), 6-time league winner, 5-time cup winner, 2-time Asian Women's Footballer of the Year, 2018 Young Australian of the Year
"There is no sports person in Australia, male or female, to top Sam Kerr right now" were the words that accompanied the Matildas skipper's unforgettable World Cup semifinal goal against England last year. She has led from the front, in more ways than one, for club and country for years. Whether it be slotting the winning penalty at the 2010 Asian Cup final or back flipping her way around Wembley after another FA Cup final win, scoring goals and picking up trophies is what she does. Despite injury, she is still arguably the best Australian footballer going around and has inspired generations of youngsters with her amazing deeds. -- Marissa Lordanic
6. Ricky Ponting, cricket
Key accomplishments: ODI World Cup titles (captain) 2003, 2007, three Ashes series victories, most Test and ODI hundreds for Australia, captain of joint-most Test wins in a row, ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year 2006 and 2007
One of the dominant figures of Australian batting, Ricky Ponting spent much of the time among the very best in the world, lighting up the game with his pulls and drives. In 2003 he averaged over 100 in Test cricket, and between 2002 and 2008 he only went two years without scoring at least 1000 runs in Tests. Ponting took over from Steve Waugh as captain in both ODI and Test cricket, scoring a defining 140 in the 2003 World Cup final, and his tally of 48 victories in 77 Tests gave him a win percentage second only to Waugh in the game's history. Ponting was also one of the greatest all-round fielders. -- Andrew McGlashan
7. Shane Warne, cricket
Key accomplishments: Test series win in India 2004, Leading wicket-taker in 2005 Ashes, three Ashes series victories, first bowler to 600 and 700 Test wickets
Shane Warne was already well-established as a legend of the game by 2000, but his powers did not wane. In fact, in Test cricket, there is a remarkable symmetry: 357 wickets at 25.17 from 2000 onward compared to 351 at 25.66 beforehand. He was part of one of the game's rarer achievements, a series win in India, and was a leading figure in the epic 2005 Ashes. Warne saved one of his greatest performances for his final series, against England in 2006-07, when he conjured victory from nowhere in Adelaide. Two games later, at his home ground of the MCG in his penultimate Test, he claimed an historic 700th Test wicket. The standing he held within the game was on full display when he passed away aged 52 in 2022. -- Andrew McGlashan
8. Emma McKeon, swimming
Key accomplishments: 2-time Olympian, 11 Olympic medals (5 gold), 20 Commonwealth Games medals (most in history), currently holds 3 world records
Emma McKeon is Australia's most decorated Olympian and thoroughly deserves her place inside the top 10. The soon-to-be three-time Olympian etched her name in the annals of Aussie sporting history after a record-breaking Tokyo Games that saw her take home an incredible seven medals -- the most by a female swimmer at a single Olympic Games. Her four golds that summer were also accompanied by three Olympic records and one world record, her new tally of 11 medals edging her past fellow champion of the pool Ian Thorpe to become the most accomplished Australian in any Olympic sport. The 30-year-old also holds the record for the most Commonwealth Games medals, highlighting the dominance she's had across her exceptional career. -- Jarryd Barca
9. Tim Cahill, football
Key accomplishments: 50 goals in 104 Australia caps, four World Cup appearances, first Australian to score at a men's World Cup, three Asian Cup appearances, 2015 Asian Cup champion, 2004 Olympian, 226 Premier League appearances with 56 goals, Australia Cup winner, 2006 Ballon d'Or nominee, Officer of the Order of Australia, Sport Australia Hall of Fame
Perhaps the best way to sum up Cahill's importance to Australian football is to reminisce on five of his 50 goals in green and gold. The first two came in the same game, on a famous afternoon in Kaiserslautern in 2006, where he scored twice in five minutes to lift the Socceroos to a roaring come-from-behind win over Japan, their first-ever win at a World Cup. The last two also came in the same game, against Syria, when a brace delivered by two trademark headers -- the second in the 109th minute -- lifted Australia to a come-from-behind win that kept them on track to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. And the one in between? His remarkable volley against the Netherlands in 2014, netting one of the all-time great World Cup goals in Brazil. Major moments he almost made routine, as for nearly 15 years, when the Socceroos needed a goal, Cahill was there. -- Joey Lynch
10. Stephanie Gilmore, surfing
Key accomplishments: 8-time WSL World Champion 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2022 (the most of any woman), 34 total WSL Championship Tour wins, Surfers' Hall of Fame inductee
Widely regarded one of the greatest surfers in the history of the sport, Stephanie Gilmore nicknamed "Happy Gilmore" entered the surfing world at age 19 and has since won a record eight World WSL titles -- the most of any female. Impressively, her wins span over three decades, with her first coming in 2007, and her last coming just two years ago in 2022. Her ability to read the waves and superior paddling strength has helped make the ocean her own. Gilmore's resume speaks for itself and It was only fitting that she was the first of two female surfers to represent Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Gilmore is a pioneer for the sport as she led the charge for equal prize money; she has changed the face of not just women's surfing but also surfing in general. -- Isadora McLeay
11. Lleyton Hewitt, tennis
Key accomplishments: 2-time Grand Slam champion, 30 total singles titles (28 since Jan. 1, 2000), 2-time Davis Cup winner (one since Jan. 1, 2000)
It's almost easy to underrate Hewitt and his success given his prime era came as the likes of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras were slowing down, and while Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic were only coming up. But his resume is undeniable, and he stands as one of Australia's greatest ever tennis players. He spent 80 weeks at No. 1 in the men's rankings, was the youngest male to reach No. 1 status until Carlos Alcaraz, all as an undersized (178cm) yet doggedly determined defender -- a style almost ahead of its time when you look to peak Djokovic, Nadal, and Andy Murray. Clinching a breakthrough Slam at the US Open in 2001 at just 20 years of age and backing it up at the US Open in 2002, Hewitt's success came quickly, and he only fell agonisingly short at his home Slam in Melbourne in 2005. With winning records over other dominant No. 1s of the era such as Agassi, Sampras, and Moya, Hewitt is the quintessence of Australian grit. He was also inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001. -- Matt Walsh
12. Adam Gilchrist, cricket
Key accomplishments: ODI World Cup titles 2003 and 2007, stand-in captain for series win vs. India, second highest strike-rate for Test batter with 5000+ runs, second-most dismissals in Tests as wicketkeeper
Like Warne, Adam Gilchrist changed the game. Every side wanted to replicate what he brought, especially as a dynamic No. 7 batter in Test cricket who helped reshape Australia into an even more dominant force. "Just hit the ball," is how he once described his philosophy on batting and he lived up to the billing. For three weeks in 2002 he held the record for the fastest double century in Test cricket when he flayed South Africa in Johannesburg. One of his many extraordinary displays came in the 2007 ODI World Cup final against Sri Lanka when he scored 149 off 104 balls while batting with a squash ball in his glove on the advice of a coach back home in a bid to aid his grip. -- Andrew McGlashan
13. Alexander Volkanovski, mixed martial arts
Key accomplishments: UFC Featherweight champion 2019-2023, 6 title defences, 2023 UFC Fighter of the Year, 2nd longest featherweight winning streak [11] in history
Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski became a household name in Australia and across the world of mixed martial arts with his incredible run to the UFC featherweight crown. The boy from Wollongong swept all before him, including a 3-0 trilogy over future Hall of Famer Max Holloway, and a victory over Jose Aldo in the Brazilian great's backyard. After sitting atop the featherweight standings for three years, Volkanovski chased his "double-champ" dream when he took on Islam Makhachev at lightweight in Perth at the start of 2023. In what was later awarded the "Fight of the Year", Volkanovski finished the five rounds raining down blows on his Russian opponent's head. While it wasn't enough to steal the result, Volkanovski's performance still drew widespread praise. A rematch wouldn't end quite so famously, before Volkanovksi then lost his featherweight strap to Ilia Topuria in February of this year. The Australian is desperate to get it back. -- Sam Bruce
14. Dylan Alcott, tennis
Key accomplishments: 6x Australian Open champion (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), 3x French Open champion (2019, 2020, 2021), 2x Wimbledon champion (2019, 2021), 3x US Open champion (2015, 2018, 2021), 4x Paralympics gold medal (2008, 2016 [singles and doubles tennis], 2021), Golden slam (2021), Australian Paralympian of the Year (2016), Australian of the Year (2022).
Establishing himself as the best wheelchair tennis player in the world over a seven-year career, Dylan Alcott soon became a household name across Australia for his accomplishments not just on the court but also his inspiring attitude. "The biggest thing is that for every one thing you can't do, there are 10,000 others you can," Alcott said as advice for young people with disabilities. From winning Paralympic gold medals to his six years as world No. 1, Alcott brought not just wheelchair tennis, but all Paralympic sports, out from the shadows and into focus across Australia. -- Brittany Mitchell
15. Cadel Evans, cycling
Key accomplishments: 2011 Tour de France Champion, 2009 World Road Race Champion, 2002 Commonwealth Games -- Road Time Trial Gold Medal/Road Race Silver Medal, 1998 & '99 Mountain Bike XC World Cup champion, Four-time Olympian.
In 2011 Evans became the first and to date only Australian to win the Tour de France, after finishing a close second in both 2007 and 2008. He remains one of only three winners not from a European country. Evans was born in Katherine, Northern Territory in 1977 and started competing on mountain bikes in 1995. He officially switched to road racing in 2001 where he enjoyed international success during a time when the sport was marred by athletes using illegal performance enhancing methods. Evans retired from cycling in 2015 after competing in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. -- Darren Arthur
16. Kostya Tszyu, boxing
Key accomplishments: Former IBF, WBC, WBA, The Ring light-welterweight world champion, member of International Boxing Hall of Fame
If Kostya Tszyu isn't Australia's greatest boxing product, then he simply cannot be ranked any lower than second. Over the last 30 years, nobody from Down Under comes close to matching Tszyu's achievements, stature, and aura in the sport. In 2001, Tszyu became the first boxer in 34 years to unify the light-welterweight division when he hammered Zab Judah in Las Vegas. He finished his illustrious career with a professional record of 31 wins (15 of which won him or retained world titles), two losses and one no-contest. Tszyu's boxing legacy is now being carried by his two sons, Tim and Nikita. -- Jake Michaels
17. Lance [Buddy] Franklin, Australian rules football
Key accomplishments: 354 games, 1066 goals (fourth most in history), 2 premierships, 4 Coleman Medals, 8-time All-Australian, 13-time club leading goalkicker
Franklin ended his glittering 19-year career as arguably the greatest AFL player of all time, his long list of individual accolades hardly doing his impact on the game and the legacy he left behind justice. In 2008, "Buddy" - as he is more commonly known - kicked more than 100 goals in a premiership-winning season for Hawthorn, and is still to this day the last man to achieve the triple-figure feat. He then became the fourth man in VFL/AFL history to break the magical 1000-goal barrier in 2022 to solidify his status as an utter champion of the sport. Buddy produced some of the best moments in footy history, and his next-level skill, athleticism and sheer football brilliance will be impossible to forget. -- Jarryd Barca
18. Ariarne Titmus, swimming
Key accomplishments: 2-time Olympic gold medallist, 7-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, current 200m and 400m women's freestyle world record holder
The Ariarne Titmus story is barely half written, and yet the understated swimmer from Tasmania is already firmly among the nation's most accomplished. The 23-year-old become a household name during the Tokyo Games in 2021, upstaging American megastar Katie Ledecky to win gold in the 400m freestyle, before backing up with victory in the 200m race. Titmus will look to defend her titles later this month in Paris, as well as play a key role in the women's 200m freestyle relay team. If this list was redone a decade from now, few would be surprised if Titmus had climbed into the top five. -- Jake Michaels
19. Cameron Smith, rugby league
Key accomplishments: 2-time Rugby League World Golden Boot Award, 2-time Dally M Medal best and fairest player, 4-time Wally Lewis Medal (State of Origin), 2-time World Cup Champion (Australia), 11-time State of Origin Series Winner (Queensland), 3-time NRL Premiership Winner (Melbourne Storm), Most capped player in NRL history (430 games), Highest points scorer in NRL history (2,786)
Cameron Smith is arguably the greatest rugby league player in the history of the game. Love him or loathe him, usually based on your personal affiliations, his achievements in the game cannot be overstated. He has captained his club, state and country to multiple titles, whilst revolutionilising the way the game and the position of hooker were played. His longevity and resilience are even more astonishing considering he played in the sport's toughest position, along the way making more tackles than anyone in NRL history (16,917). Smith retired from rugby league in 2020 after playing his entire first grade career with Melbourne Storm and having represented his state 42 times and his nation 56 times. -- Darren Arthur
20. Steven Smith, cricket
Key accomplishments: ODI World Cup titles 2015 and 2023, T20 World Cup title 2021, World Test Championship 2023, 4-0 Ashes win as captain 2017-18, ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year 2015
Often termed the best since Bradman, Steven Smith's rise to the No. 1 batter in the world was a remarkable story having begun his Test career as a legspin-bowling allrounder batting at No. 8. From the moment of his first century there was a rapid evolution and between 2014-2017 he was prolific. Then came an extraordinary fall from grace when, as captain, he was banned for a year for his part in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. However, he returned with back-to-back centuries against England and averaged more than 100 in the 2019 Ashes either side of being concussed by Jofra Archer at Lord's. His ODI record has also been impressive and he struck a century in the 2015 World Cup semifinal against India to book a place in the final at the MCG. -- Andrew McGlashan
21. Gary Ablett Jr., Australian rules football
Key accomplishments: 357 games, 445 goals, 2 Brownlow Medals (2009, 2013), 8-time All-Australian, 6-time club best and fairest, 3-time AFLCA Champion Player of the Year, 5-time AFLPA Champion Player of the Year
Injuries may have plagued the latter stages of Ablett's career, but it's easy to see why he is still regarded by many as one of the greatest to ever grace a footy field; his evasiveness, speed, and innate goal-sense something to marvel at. After dazzling his way through the 2007 preliminary final in a coming-of-age night at the MCG, the son-of-a-gun helped lift the Cats to a drought-breaking premiership the following week, before saluting again two seasons later in 2009. That year would also deliver his first of two Brownlow Medals, and had he not suffered a season-ending injury in the middle of 2014, a third would also be in his pocket. No player has ever polled more Brownlow votes throughout their career than Ablett Jr, and in a staggering achievement, he tallied 20 or more votes in eight consecutive seasons (2007-2014) -- a stretch that includes his high-profile move to expansion club Gold Coast, where he would continue to break records. -- Jarryd Barca
22. Anna Meares, cycling
Key accomplishments: 2-time Olympic gold medallist, 6-time Olympic medallist, 5-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, 11-time world champion, 4-time Olympian, Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee
Anna Meares is one of Australia's greatest ever track cyclists, having delivered at all major levels of competition. What is perhaps forgotten about the sprint star's storied career was her devastating accident ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when she suffered an array of serious injuries including torn ligaments, bruising, a dislocated shoulder and fractured C2 vertebra, which came just two millimetres from a clean break. But she would be back training just 10 days later and eventually won silver in the sprint behind Victoria Pendleton at the Beijing Games. The Brit would go on to become Meares' greatest rival, with the duo's showdown in the same event in London four years later one of the blockbuster moments of 2012 Games. Meares powered past Pendleton at her home Olympics to claim gold and savour a sweet victory, before she would go on to contest a fourth and final Games in Rio. Meares is Australia's Chef de Mission in Paris. -- Sam Bruce
23. Glenn McGrath, cricket
Key accomplishments: ODI World Cup titles 2003 and 2007, leading wicket-taker 2007 World Cup, three Ashes series victories, Test series win in India, first Australia fast bowler to 400 and 500 Test wickets
Glenn McGrath was another part of Australia's all-conquering team early in the 2000s. His strength was an unremitting off-stump line and an immaculate length. As with Warne, the statistical split of his career showed he remained a great until retirement - he took 297 wickets at 20.53 from 2000 onwards - and his career best 8 for 24 came in 2004. During the 2003 ODI World Cup he took what remain the best figures in the tournament's history with 7 for 15 against Namibia. He is the joint-leading wicket-taker for Australia in ODIs. Post retirement he has left an even greater legacy, raising millions of dollars for breast care nurses in memories of his late wife Jane. -- Andrew McGlashan
24. Karrie Webb, golf
Key accomplishments: 7-time major champion [Chevron Championship 00, 06; Women's PGA Championship 01; U.S. Women's Open 00, 01; Women's Open 02; Evian Championship '14]; LPGA Tour money winner 00; LPGA Tour Player of the Year 00, 40 career wins, World Golf Hall of Fame
Karrie Webb inspired a generation of women's golfers in Australia with her deeds around and after the turn of the millennium, winning titles all over the world. The Queenslander's major record remains the best of any Australian golfer -- male or female -- and she was always tough to beat on home soil, compiling four Australian Opens and five ANZ Ladies Masters. Webb enjoyed a long-running rivalry with Swedish great Annika Sorenstam, with the duo having now carried that over to the Senior tour. Webb has also received an Order of Australia and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2022. -- Sam Bruce
25. Cathy Freeman, athletics
Key accomplishments: Olympic gold medal (2000), Sydney Olympic cauldron lighter, Commonwealth Games gold (2002).
It's the single most iconic moment that has seared itself into the minds of millions of Australians. Cathy Freeman in her green, full-body suit steaming ahead of her rivals to claim the 2000 Sydney Olympics 400m gold medal in front of over 100,000 jubilant fans in the stands and millions more watching on television from home across Australia. For many Australian Olympians bound for Paris, this is the moment that sparked a dream and one that lives on, 24 years later, as one of Australia's greatest ever sporting memories. It would be the twilight of her career, with Freeman representing Australia once more at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 before she'd hang up the spikes. But for those 49.11 seconds, she captivated a nation like no one had ever before, or probably will again. -- Brittany Mitchell
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