Fury, Hamilton, Joshua, Ennis-Hill: Who is the best British athlete of all time?

Britain has been graced with exceptionally talented athletes over the years, but who has the right to be called the best British athlete ever? 

Deciding on Britain’s best ever athlete has long been a fiercely discussed topic of conversation and we’re here to settle the debate once and for all. 

Britain is blessed with a plethora of sporting talent, both past and present. Indeed, over the years British athletes have excelled in pretty much every major sport – we’ve been lucky enough to watch Olympic gold medallists, boxing world champions and Formula 1 stars in action. 

With so many exceptional athletes to choose from, we thought the best way to decide Britain’s greatest ever sportsperson was to rank them using a trusty TierMaker. 

We’ve taken who we believe to be the best 30 British athletes of all time and separated them into five categories. 

The rankings are predominantly based on these athletes’ achievements in their respective sports, though some consideration has been paid to overall influence and legacy. 

Both male and female athletes have been factored into this list as we want to honour all of Britain’s best sportspeople as equally as we can. 

It’s also worth noting that this is a purely subjective exercise. You may well have your own opinions based on who you idolised growing up, but try and give our list a chance. 

Given the abundance of exceptional British footballers, it would be too hard to narrow down your Steven Gerrards from your Frank Lampards, or your Bobby Moores from your Bobby Charltons. Instead, why don’t you check out our list of England’s best ever strikers. 

Anyway, now that’s all clear, take a gander at our list below: 

Adam Peaty, Nick Faldo, Paula Radcliffe, Charlotte Edwards, Michael