Walter Payton was an American football player, known as "Sweetness," who left an indelible mark on the NFL as a record-breaking running back for the Chicago Bears.
Mark Spitz is an American former competitive swimmer, nine-time Olympic champion, and world record holder who dominated the sport in the early 1970s.
Abebe Bikila was an Ethiopian long-distance runner who made history as the first African to win an Olympic gold medal and the first person to win consecutive golds in the Olympic marathon.
Matt Biondi is an American retired competitive swimmer and Olympic gold medalist, renowned for his exceptional speed and dominance in the pool.
Amanda Beard is an American swimmer, seven-time Olympic medalist, and world-record holder in breaststroke events.
Ian Botham is a former English cricketer, renowned for his exceptional all-round skills, and a prominent sports personality in the UK.
Marilyn Bell was a Canadian long-distance swimmer who made history by becoming the first person to swim across Lake Ontario in 1954.
Steven Redgrave is a legendary British rower who won gold medals in five consecutive Olympic Games, cementing his status as one of the greatest athletes in history.
Sir Edmund Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer, best known for being the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
Alison Hargreaves was a British mountaineer who made history as the first woman to solo climb Everest without supplemental oxygen.
Maurice Herzog was a French alpinist, writer, and politician who led the first successful ascent of Annapurna, the tenth highest mountain in the world, in 1950.
Ueli Steck, a renowned Swiss ultrarunner, known for his incredible endurance and speed, who redefined the boundaries of mountain running and trail racing.