There is no single scientific ranking that determines which sports players are the “most athletic.” Athleticism can mean different things, including speed, strength, endurance, agility, balance, coordination, explosiveness, reaction time, and the ability to perform several of those qualities at once.
If the question is about all-around athletic ability, decathletes have one of the strongest claims to the title. The decathlon is specifically designed to test athletes across a broad range of physical skills. World Athletics describes it as an all-around athletics test because competitors must master 10 different events over two days.
However, athletes in sports such as football, basketball, soccer, rugby, hockey, gymnastics, swimming, combat sports, and tennis can also demonstrate exceptional athleticism. The difference is that each sport emphasizes a different combination of physical abilities.
Decathletes: The Classic All-Around Athletes
Decathletes are often the first athletes mentioned when discussing overall athleticism.
The men’s decathlon consists of:
- 100-meter sprint
- Long jump
- Shot put
- High jump
- 400 meters
- 110-meter hurdles
- Discus
- Pole vault
- Javelin
- 1,500 meters
Competitors receive points for their performances in each event, and the athlete with the highest total wins.
That combination makes the event unusually demanding. An athlete must be fast enough to sprint, explosive enough to jump, strong enough to throw, coordinated enough to clear hurdles and pole-vault, and fit enough to finish with a 1,500-meter race.
In other words, a great decathlete cannot rely on just one physical advantage.
Kevin Mayer currently holds the men’s world record with 9,126 points, while former American champion Ashton Eaton is second on the World Athletics all-time list with 9,045 points. Damian Warner is also among the highest scorers in history.
The women’s equivalent is the heptathlon, which tests seven events and similarly requires a broad combination of physical skills.
NFL Players Combine Speed, Strength and Power
NFL players are another strong candidate when people discuss the most athletic sports players.
American football requires different body types and skill sets, so there is no single physical profile for every position. A wide receiver may need extraordinary acceleration and catching ability, while a linebacker requires strength, explosiveness and reaction speed. Offensive linemen need exceptional strength and power, while defensive backs can depend heavily on acceleration, agility and body control.
Football also demands athleticism in short bursts. Players repeatedly accelerate, stop, change direction, jump, tackle, block or evade opponents.
That makes NFL athleticism different from the athleticism demonstrated by a marathon runner or decathlete. An NFL player does not need to excel at a 1,500-meter race, for example, but may need an exceptional combination of explosive power, speed, balance and physical strength.
NBA Players Have Exceptional Size and Movement Skills
Basketball players are particularly impressive because many must combine height with speed, coordination and agility.
Elite basketball players can sprint up and down the court, change direction quickly, jump repeatedly and control the ball while reacting to opponents. Guards generally emphasize quickness and ball handling, while larger players can combine significant size with mobility and jumping ability.
The sport also requires hand-eye coordination. Players must shoot, pass, dribble and defend while making decisions in a rapidly changing environment.
Some basketball athletes are especially unusual because of their physical combination. A very tall athlete who can move, jump, accelerate and coordinate movements at an elite level possesses a rare athletic profile.
Soccer Players Need Endurance, Speed and Agility
Soccer players are among the most complete athletes when endurance and repeated movement are considered.
A soccer match requires players to remain active for long periods while repeatedly accelerating, slowing down, changing direction and competing for the ball. Players also need technical coordination because running ability alone does not produce an elite soccer player.
The most athletic soccer players often combine:
- Acceleration
- Agility
- Balance
- Endurance
- Coordination
- Lower-body power
- Reaction speed
A winger, for example, may need explosive speed to beat a defender, while a midfielder may need exceptional endurance to cover large amounts of ground.
Soccer therefore represents a different version of all-around athleticism than the decathlon.
Gymnasts Have Extraordinary Body Control
Gymnasts deserve special consideration because their sport places enormous demands on strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and body control.
A gymnast may need to generate considerable force while controlling the body through complicated movements in the air. Balance and spatial awareness are also critical.
Gymnastics is not primarily about being the fastest athlete or lifting the heaviest weight. Instead, it rewards an extremely precise combination of strength and movement control.
That makes gymnasts some of the most technically athletic competitors in sports.
Swimmers Combine Endurance and Power
Elite swimmers demonstrate another form of athleticism.
Swimming requires athletes to generate propulsion through the arms, legs and torso while maintaining highly efficient technique. Depending on the event, swimmers may specialize in explosive speed or sustained endurance.
A 50-meter freestyle specialist requires exceptional power and speed, while a distance swimmer needs extraordinary aerobic endurance.
Swimmers also need coordination because small technical differences can have a major effect on performance.
Hockey Players Need Speed on Ice
Ice hockey creates an unusual athletic challenge because players must perform at high speed while skating.
Elite hockey players need powerful legs, balance, coordination, acceleration, agility and reaction speed. They must also control a puck and respond to opponents while moving across a slippery surface.
The ability to accelerate, stop and change direction on skates makes hockey athleticism particularly distinctive.
Players also need enough physical strength to withstand contact while maintaining control and making decisions.
Rugby Players Combine Multiple Physical Qualities
Rugby is another sport where players can demonstrate an unusually broad range of physical characteristics.
Depending on position, rugby players may need speed, endurance, strength, tackling ability, balance and power. The game involves running, passing, contact and repeated high-intensity efforts.
A back may depend heavily on speed and agility, while a forward may place greater emphasis on strength and physical power.
The combination makes rugby players excellent examples of multi-dimensional athleticism.
Tennis Players Need Speed, Coordination and Endurance
Tennis may not look as physically demanding as some contact sports, but elite players require an impressive collection of athletic abilities.
Players must react to a ball traveling at high speed, move quickly in multiple directions, stop suddenly, change direction and strike the ball accurately.
Long matches can also require considerable endurance.
Tennis therefore combines reaction time, agility, coordination, balance, speed and stamina. The athlete must repeatedly perform explosive movements without losing technical precision.
Track and Field Athletes Dominate Individual Physical Skills
If athleticism is measured by a specific physical characteristic, specialists often outperform athletes from team sports.
Sprinters are among the world’s fastest athletes. Distance runners demonstrate extraordinary endurance. High jumpers and long jumpers display explosive power and coordination. Throwers demonstrate tremendous strength and power.
World Athletics separates track and field into categories including sprints, middle- and long-distance events, hurdles, jumps, throws and combined events.
The key distinction is specialization.
A 100-meter sprinter may possess greater maximum speed than almost any team-sport athlete, but a decathlete is required to perform well across a much wider range of events.
What Makes an Athlete “Most Athletic”?
A useful way to compare athletes is to break athleticism into several qualities.
| Athletic quality | Sports where it is especially important |
|---|---|
| Speed | Sprinting, football, soccer, hockey |
| Strength | Football, wrestling, rugby, throwing events |
| Endurance | Distance running, cycling, swimming, soccer |
| Agility | Basketball, soccer, tennis, hockey |
| Explosive power | Sprinting, jumping, football, basketball |
| Coordination | Gymnastics, tennis, baseball, hockey |
| Balance | Gymnastics, skating, skiing |
| Reaction time | Hockey, baseball, tennis, combat sports |
| Overall versatility | Decathlon, heptathlon, multi-sport athletes |
This is why declaring one group of athletes the best is difficult. A heavyweight power athlete and an elite distance runner can both be extremely athletic while possessing very different physical abilities.
So, Which Sports Players Are the Most Athletic?
If “most athletic” means the broadest combination of physical abilities, decathletes are arguably the strongest answer.
The decathlon deliberately combines sprinting, jumping, throwing, hurdling, pole vaulting and middle-distance running. World Athletics specifically describes it as an all-around athletics test.
Among team-sport athletes, NFL players, NBA players, soccer players, hockey players and rugby players all have strong claims, but for different reasons.
Gymnasts stand out for body control and relative strength. Sprinters dominate pure speed. Distance runners dominate endurance. Swimmers combine technique with endurance and power. Hockey players combine skating ability with speed and coordination.
So there is no universally accepted “most athletic athlete.” The answer depends on which qualities are being measured.
Why Decathletes Are Often Considered the Best All-Around Athletes
The strongest argument for decathletes is versatility.
A specialist can dedicate most of their training to one physical skill. A decathlete has to prepare for 10 different events. That means developing speed without sacrificing strength, strength without losing mobility, and endurance without compromising explosive ability.
World Athletics’ all-time results illustrate just how unusual these athletes are. Kevin Mayer’s world-record performance included a 10.55-second 100 meters, 7.80-meter long jump, 16.00-meter shot put, 2.05-meter high jump, 48.42-second 400 meters, 13.75-second 110-meter hurdles, 50.54-meter discus, 5.45-meter pole vault, 71.90-meter javelin and a 4:36.11 1,500 meters.
Those results show why decathlon is such a demanding test of versatility.
The Bottom Line
The sports players who are “the most athletic” depend on how athleticism is defined.
For overall versatility, decathletes have perhaps the strongest claim. Their event requires them to combine speed, strength, power, jumping ability, coordination, technique and endurance.
But there are also exceptional athletes in football, basketball, soccer, hockey, rugby, gymnastics, swimming, tennis and many other sports. Each develops a different combination of physical qualities.
Ultimately, athleticism is not just about being fast, strong or muscular. The most complete athletes are those who can combine several physical abilities with coordination, technique, decision-making and consistency under competitive pressure.