Jon Anderson names the top 50 world sportspeople of 2024
In an Olympic year, the task of ranking the biggest stars in world sport is even tougher. See JON ANDERSON’s ultimate list and have your say.
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A soaring pole vaulter from Sweden, a Japanese baseballer like no other and the finest female hurdler of all-time. The world sportspersons of 2024 were in rarefied air.
To think the above trio in Armand Duplantis, Shohei Ohtani and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, pipped a male cyclist named Tadej Pogacar or golfer Scottie Scheffler, both of whom rewrote the record books this year.
See Ando’s list of the top 50 Aussie sports stars of 2024 then check out the international list below.
50. JOEY LOGANO
(NASCAR, USA, 34)
Tall for his profession at 188cm, Logan was far from dominant during the season, but when it mattered the No.22 Ford Mustang won his third NASCAR championship.
49. CASSANDRE BEAUGRAND
(TRIATHLON, FRANCE, 27)
In 2024 she entered the stuff of triathlon legend in becoming the only female triathlete (and second after Alistair Brownlee) to have won Olympic gold, World Championship gold and European Championship gold.
48. BOBBY FINKE
(SWIMMING, US, 25)
Defended his Olympic 1500m title in the best possible fashion when he broke the world record with a blistering 14:30.67sec. Also finished second in the 800m.
47. TRAVIS HEAD
(CRICKET, AUSTRALIA, 30)
Gone from a bloke who was dropped last year in India to the most destructive batsman in the game. Plays with the free-flowing nonchalance of Adam Gilchrist, leaving opposition bowlers clueless.
46. HARMANPREET SINGH
(FIELD HOCKEY, INDIA, 28)
Scored 10 times for India at the Paris Olympics where his nation collected a bronze medal, leading to him being named World Player of the Year, his third such honour.
45. GRACE BROWN
(CYCLING, 32)
Has any Australian sportsperson retired in such glory? Olympic time-trial gold medal, a fourth national time-trial title, the prestigious Liege-Bastogne-Liege in July followed by the UCI world championship in the individual time-trial.
44. CONNOR McDAVID
(ICE HOCKEY, CANADA, 27)
One of those rare players to win the Most Valuable Player award in the Stanley Cup playoffs despite his Edmonton Oilers not winning the title.
43. KATIE TAYLOR
(BOXING, IRELAND, 38)
The Bray Bomber began her sporting life as a footballer before dominating the pugilistic world. Her win over Amanda Serrano in 2024 was one of the fights of the year.
42. LUKA DONCIC
(BASKETBALL, SLOVENIA, 25)
The most unathletic point guard in the NBA, “Luka Magic” was the NBA scoring champion in 2024 via his work for the Dallas Mavericks (NBA First Team).
41. ALEX PAVLOU
(INDYCARS, SPAIN, 27)
In defending his championship, Pavlou became the first back-to-back and also three-time IndyCar champion in the Dallara DW12 chassis era. Formula 1 awaits.
40. LOTTE KOPECKY
(CYCLING, BELGIUM, 29)
After finishing second in 2023 to Demi Vollering, Kopecky was named female cyclist of the year after a campaign in which she won the World Championships and Paris-Roubaix.
39. NATHAN CLEARY
(RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIA, 27)
Rugby League on a world stage is a bit like Gridiron in that not many countries play it, but Cleary is the equivalent of Patrick Mahomes when it comes to influence on his code.
38. JOSH ALLEN
(GRIDIRON, USA, 28)
A standout pre-New Year favourite for the NFL MVP, and a pivotal reason why the Buffalo Bills are one of the favourites for Super Bowl LIX. Allen is trying to dethrone Patrick Mahomes as King Quarterback.
37. CLARESSA SHIELDS
(BOXING, USA, 29)
The best female boxer on the planet fought just once in 2024 when she destroyed Vanessa Lepage-Jeanisse to maintain her unbeaten record. She now requires a genuine challenge.
36. SARAH SJOSTROM
(SWIMMING, SWEDEN, 31)
A true legend of her sport, Sjostrom has competed in five straight Olympics, with her most successful being her most recent when she claimed the 50m and 100m freestyle in Paris.
35. JON JONES
(MMA, USA, 37)
The man in his sport, Jones returned to the ring in 2023 after a three-year absence to win the UFC heavyweight title, before this year stopping Stipe Miocic with a spectacular spinning back kick in the third round.
34. SIFAN HASSAN
(ATHLETICS, THE NETHERLANDS, 31)
The Paris Olympics provided the venue for Hassan to enter distance running royalty. Her win in the marathon saw her become the only woman to win Olympic gold in the 5000-10,000-Marathon.
33. JASPRIT BUMRAH
(CRICKET, INDIA, 31)
Has long been rated among the world’s best paceman, but in 2024 he took his cricket to a whole different level with his mastery of most Australian batsmen.
32. NAOYA INOUE
(BOXING, JAPAN, 31)
Two fights for two knockout wins in 2024 to retain his unified belts at super bantamweight. “The Monster” lives up to his nickname in every way possible, being undefeated in 28 fights (25kos).
31. OLEKSANDR USYK
(BOXING, UKRAINE, 37)
He twice stared down the towering presence of the Gypsy King in Tyson Fury, and twice proved himself the better man. No point in a third fight as Usyk has bigger fish to fry.
30. JAKARA ANTHONY
(MOGULS SKIING, AUSTRALIA, 28)
The girl from Barwon Heads completely dominated her world of moguls, winning 14 of 16 World Cup races, culminating in all three available titles.
29. KATIE LEDECKY
(SWIMMING, USA, 27)
The most decorated female swimmer in history. After winning the 800m-1500m double at Paris, Ledecky was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.
28. JANNIK SINNER
(ITALY, TENNIS, 23)
Would like to have ranked him higher after victories in the Australian Open, Wimbledon and Tour Finals, but failing drug tests in 2024 casts a shadow over his season.
27. LARA GUT-BEHRAMI
(ALPINE SKIING, SWITZERLAND, 33)
Already a legend in her chosen sport, the 160cm wife of soccer player Valon Behrami produced one of her finest seasons to take the overall World Cup title.
26. JAMES McDONALD
(JOCKEY, AUSTRALIA, 32)
Eleven wins over the Flemington spring carnival and over 100 Group 1 victories stakes his claim as Australia’s finest ever jockey, and that of the best in the world right now. And “J-Mac” has years ahead of him.
25. PATRICK MAHOMES
(GRIDIRON, USA, 29)
May not be the best to date in the 2024 season, but it was in February when Mahomes masterminded the Super Bowl LVIII overtime victory for Kansas City. He was named MVP.
24. MARIT BOUWMEESTER
(SAILING, THE NETHERLANDS, 36)
The most successful female sailor in Olympic history after she claimed gold in her Laser in Paris, following medals the three Olympics prior. Named Female Sailor of the Year.
23. MAX VERSTAPPEN
(FORMULA 1, THE NETHERLANDS, 27)
What began as a season that could break all records, “Mad Max” came back to the field as the McLarens and Ferrari closed the gap on his Red Bull. Still, a fourth straight world championship was handy.
22. A’JA WILSON
(BASKETBALL, USA, 28)
WNBA and Olympic MVP in 2024, plus Olympic gold medallist, Wilson was queen of the boards in a year where she became the first WNBA player to score 1000 points in a season.
21. ANTOINE DUPONT
(RUGBY, FRANCE, 27)
Was man of the match in a victorious Champions Cup final before winning a gold medal for France in the Olympic Sevens and being named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year.
20. BEATRICE CHEBET
(ATHLETICS, KENYA, 24)
Standing just 152cm, Chebet broke the world 10,000m record in May before claiming the magical 5000m-10,000m double at the Paris Olympics.
19. SUMMER McINTOSH
(SWIMMING, CANADA, 18)
The prodigy hasn’t been able to beat Ariarne Titmus in the 400m, but by the end of Paris McIntosh had won three individual gold medals and one silver.
18. NIKOLA JOKIC
(BASKETBALL, SERBIA, 29)
The Joker, who plays as a centre for the Denver Nuggets, added a third NBA MVP to his glowing CV in 2023-24, and an Olympic silver medal.
17. JESSICA FOX
(KAYAK/CANOE, AUSTRALIA, 30)
“Don Bradman on water” has been the world’s dominant female paddler for more than a decade, yet her Olympic CV was not representative of that standing. It all changed at Paris with two gold medals.
16. NELLIE KORDA
(GOLF, USA, 26)
Her start to the 2024 LPGA Tour was better than anything Tiger ever did, with Korda winning five straight tournaments from seven titles for the year, including her second major.
15. KAYLEE McKEOWN
(SWIMMING, 25)
The female swimmer of the Paris Olympics after defending her gold medals in the 100-200m backstroke. No other Australian has won four individual Olympic Gold medals.
14. AITANA BONMATI
(SOCCER, SPAIN, 26)
Was named FIFA’s best women’s player for the second year running, adding to the two Ballon d’Ors she has also won. She plies her trade for Barcelona in the midfield.
13. LETSILE TEBOGO
(ATHLETICS, BOTSWANA, 21)
His blistering 19.46sec win in the Olympic 200m prompted a public holiday in Botswana and two houses were also awarded to Tebogo by his adoring government.
12. VINICIUS JUNIOR
(SOCCER, BRAZIL, 24)
The Real Madrid striker was a surprise loser to Rodri in the Ballon d’Or, something that was overlooked when FIFA named him the men’s player of the year.
11. RAI BENJAMIN
(ATHLETICS, USA, 27)
His 400m hurdles race against world record-holder Karsten Warholm and Brazilian Alison dos Santos was the highlight of the Games, with Benjamin taking the spoils … for now.
10. MARCO ODEMATT
(ALPINE SKIING, SWITZERLAND, 27)
Completed one of the more dominant alpine seasons in history when he claimed the Overall World Cup title, plus Super-G, Giant Slalom and Downhill.
9. SIMONE BILES
(GYMNASTICS, USA, 27)
The 142cm Pocket Rocket was under huge pressure in Paris after her meltdown in Tokyo. She faced her demons and left with gold in the individual all-round and the vault.
8. NAFI THIAM
(HEPTATHLON, BELGIUM, 30)
Never heard of her? Well, she’s the greatest all-round female athlete on the planet, winning the heptathlon in Paris. But wait, there’s more. She also won the heptathlon at Tokyo in 2020 and Rio in 2016.
7. FAITH KIPYEGON
(ATHLETICS, KENYA, 30)
Clearly the greatest female 1500m runner in history, adding Paris to Tokyo and Rio to give her three straight gold medals in the event and a world record during the year.
6. LEON MARCHAND
(SWIMMING, FRANCE, 22)
Like Cathy Freeman at Sydney in 2000, Marchand carried the weight of a nation on broad shoulders. The result? Four individual gold medals, which placed him in the world of Michael Phelps.
5. SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER
(GOLF, USA, 28)
Not since the days of Tiger Woods has a male golfer been so dominant on the US PGA Tour, Scheffler winning seven times including the US Masters, Tour Championship and The Players Championship.
4. TADEJ POGACAR
(CYCLING, SLOVENIA, 26)
He was unbeatable in the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and World Championship road race. The ultimate accolade came when he was compared with Eddy Merckx.
3. SYDNEY McLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE
(ATHLETICS, USA, 25)
The 400m hurdles gold medallist in world record time, she is the first track athlete to break four world records in the same event, and the first woman to break 52sec and 51sec. Now for sub-50sec.
2. SHOHEI “SHOWTIME” OHTANI
(BASEBALL, JAPAN, 30)
The first man in history to hit more than 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same Major League Baseball season. And even with injury preventing him from pitching, he still led the LA Dodgers to the World Series.
1. ARMAND “MONDO” DUPLANTIS
(POLE VAULT, SWEDEN, 25)
Duplantis broke his own world record three times during the season, the second with a leap of 6.25m to win Olympic gold with a staggering gap of 30cm to the silver medallist. Broke his record again (6.26m) at the Diamond League in August.
Originally published as Jon Anderson names the top 50 world sportspeople of 2024
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