Inarguably, one of the greatest Olympians in the world if not the greatest, Michael Phelps has a staggering 28 medals to his name which is by far the most by an Olympian to date. The whole world would agree if one was to say that, MICHAEL PHELPS is the greatest athlete and the best Olympian ever. Nobody would ever deny this say: 8 Gold medals in 2008, 18 in total with Rio.

Nicknamed "The Baltimore Bullet", Michael Phelps also holds the record for the most first-place finishes in a single Olympic edition by overhauling his fellow countryman Mark Spitz's record of 7 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In addition to his hunger for winning medals, the 36-year-old also has a total of 39 world records under his belt, which includes 29 individual records and 10 relay records.

The American sprinter may not stand out on his medal tally but there is a lot more to his achievement. Jesse Owens was on a record-breaking spree at the 1935 Big ten track meet shattering three world records in a gap of an hour, the milestone that has never been achieved to date and is famously known as the greatest 45 minutes in sports history.

Jesse Owens went on to win 4 Olympic gold medals at the track and field events held the very next year in Germany. His achievements still stand tall because of the politics that were clouded around the American sprinter and he played a crucial role in defying Adolf Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. Hence, to imagine what Jesse Owens has achieved, he is one of the greatest Olympians in the world.

The former Soviet Union Artistic gymnast made a huge impact in Gymnastics and Larisa Latynina is credited with the honor of establishing the Soviet Union as a great force in Gymnastics over the years. In addition to her remarkable achievement of achieving 14 individual Olympics medals, which includes 9 gold medals, the former gymnast has also been playing a crucial role in guiding the young gymnasts.

Larisa Latynina also holds the record for the most gold medals by a gymnast in both Male and female categories, with 9 gold medals to her name. Hence, Latynina deserves a place on our list of greatest Olympians in the world.

The fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt has made a name for himself on the sprint track. The retired Jamaican holds three world records to his name, namely in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 x 100 m relay.

The 36-year-old who knows nothing about coming second has won an astonishing 8 gold medals to his name and his record of 9.58 secs is certain to stand tall for at least a few years. Usain Bolt smashed almost every sprinting record. This greatest Olympian is the reigning champion of the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. He has won 6 Olympic Gold medals in sprinting and he is definitely gonna add more to his name in this year’s edition.

Another American top the charts and this time it is the former track and field superstar Carl Lewis. With a career that spanned over 15 years, Lewis undoubtedly was a fierce hunter for medals. Considered to be the “greatest Olympian in the world” by various media establishments for his incredible achievements, Lewis was definitely the face of America in the ’80s. Carl Lewis is also only one of the three Olympians to have ever won a gold medal in the same individual event in four consecutive Olympic games.

Carl Lewis won 10 medals including 9 gold across 4 summer games breaking countless records along the way. An explosive athlete from a very young age, Lewis made it to the 1980 American Olympic team for the long jump and the 4 x 100 m relay events. But, the Olympic boycott precluded Lewis from competing in Moscow. This greatest Olympian finished his Olympic career with 10 medals of which 9 were gold medals, a feat no track and field athlete has bettered, he was the only athlete ever to successfully defend his Olympic long jump title. In 1999, Lewis was voted by the IOC as the 'Sportsman of the century'.

Former American champion swimmer, Mark Spitz has a total of 11 Olympic medals to his name which includes 9 gold. Spitz was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Olympics, in addition to his exemplary performance he also managed to win all the medals in a world-record-setting time.

Currently 71 years old, Mark Spitz was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1977 and deserves a place on the top of the greatest Olympians in the world. He did it in style when he won 7 Gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics, all in world record timings. Nobody has ever won 7 events at any Olympics in such a fancy way.

Suffering from severe Asthma throughout her childhood, Jackie Joyner-Kersee overcame the odds and went on to claim three gold medals on the biggest stage. With a total of 6 medals to her name in the heptathlon and long jump, she stands to be one of the greatest female athletes of all time.

Currently aged 59, Jackie Joyner-Kersee is an active philanthropist in various child-related activities and she is also playing a vital role in guiding young talents.

“What is one million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?” The famous words by one of the greatest boxers to have ever contested in the Olympics, the late Teofilo Stevenson, who turned down a 5-million USD deal to fight Mohammad Ali.

Teofilo Stevenson is one of the three boxers to have ever won three gold medals. Stevenson never turned professional and ended his boxing career as an amateur boxer. It would have been really interesting had he turned professional as he was considered to be the best at the time and who knows, the Cuban may have made it among the biggest names of the sports. Teofilo Stevenson becomes one of the greatest Olympians in the world.

The first black-African gold medalist at the Olympics, Abebe Bikila created history by winning back-to-back gold medals in the Marathon. The Ethiopian made came to the limelight by winning his first marathon by running barefoot.

Abebe Bikila - the greatest marathon runner had a sad ending to his career as his upper body was paralyzed after a fatal car accident and later passed away in the year 1972, at the age of 41. The legend has many venues, stadiums, and schools named after him and he is still considered to be one of the greatest Olympians in the world.

After contracting polio at a very young age, Ray Ewry of the United States spent a few years of his childhood in a wheelchair. With 8 gold medals to his name in the standing long jump event, this greatest Olympian, to date remains one of the greatest Olympians of all time with his sheer dedication combined with perseverance to overcome the odds still serves to be an inspiration for many.

Ray Ewry’s eight gold medals for individual record stood all alone for more than 100 years until Micheal Phelps of the USA overhauled the tally by claiming 13 medals in his career.