For the first ever Fittest 50, Sport Illustrated’s editors and writers used a 40-point rating system based on four unique criteria to answer one simple question: who is the fittest athlete in sports?
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Fitness for the professional athlete it is the very foundation of success. But even among the pros, some athletes stand head and sculpted shoulders above the rest. The natural question, then: Who is the fittest athlete in sports? For our first-ever Fittest 50, SI’s editors and writers set out to find the answer. We assessed the best of the best across all sports, using a 40-point rating system based on four criteria.
• Strength: the pushing power of a lineman or the force of an ultimate fighter.
• Speed: the top end of a sprinter or the burst of a running back.
• Endurance: a runner’s bottomless reserve or a boxer’s ability to keep going in a bout.
• Agility: the balance of a downhill skier or a euro step at full speed on the breakAs the rankings that follow make clear, the fittest of the fit come in all shapes and sizes, and from all corners of the athletic world. Count down to see who’s the fittest of them all.
50. Steve Weatherford
Speed: 4 + Strength: 7 + Agility: 7 + Endurance: 2 = TOTAL: 20
49. James Ihedigbo
Speed: 4 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 5 + Endurance: 4 = TOTAL: 22
48. Thomas Jones
Speed: 4 + Strength: 8 + Agility: 4 + Endurance: 6 = TOTAL: 22
47. Ryan Lochte
Speed: 6.5 + Strength: 5 + Agility: 4.5+ Endurance: 6.5 = TOTAL: 22.5
46. Meb Keflezighi
Speed: 5.5 + Strength: 2 + Agility: 5.5 + Endurance: 10 = TOTAL: 23
45. Chris Froome
Speed: 5 + Strength: 4 + Agility: 5 + Endurance: 9 = TOTAL: 23
44. Diego Forlan
Speed: 7 + Strength: 4 + Agility: 5.5 + Endurance: 7 = TOTAL: 23.5
43. Mike Trout
Speed: 5 + Strength: 8 + Agility: 6 + Endurance: 4.5 = TOTAL: 23.5
42. Tim Howard
Speed: 3 + Strength: 5.5 + Agility: 9.5 + Endurance: 5.5 = TOTAL: 23.5
41. Reggie Bush
Speed: 5.5 + Strength: 7 + Agility: 6.5 + Endurance: 5 = TOTAL: 24
40. Chris Sharma
Speed: 3 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 3 + Endurance: 9 = TOTAL: 24
39. Manny Pacquiao
Speed: 6.5 + Strength: 5 + Agility: 6.5 + Endurance: 6 = TOTAL: 24
38. Steven Stamkos
Speed: 6 + Strength: 5.5 + Agility: 5.5 + Endurance: 7.5 = TOTAL: 24.5
37. Zdeno Chara
Speed: 4 + Strength: 7 + Agility: 5.5 + Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 24.5
36. Dwight Howard
Speed: 4.5 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 5.5 + Endurance: 6 = TOTAL: 25
35. Andrew McCutchen
Speed: 8 + Strength: 5 + Agility: 6 + Endurance: 6 = TOTAL: 25
34. Nani
Speed: 8 + Strength: 4 + Agility: 6.5 + Endurance: 7 = TOTAL: 25.5
33. Nate Robinson
Speed: 7 + Strength: 7 + Agility: 5.5 + Endurance: 6 = TOTAL: 25.5
32. Rich Froning
Speed: 6.5 + Strength: 6.5 + Agility: 6.5 + Endurance: 6.5 = TOTAL: 26
31. Roger Federer
Speed: 5.5 + Strength: 6.5 + Agility: 7 + Endurance: 7 = TOTAL: 26
30. Ray Allen
Speed: 6.5 + Strength: 5 + Agility: 7 + Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 26.5
29. Sergio Ramos
Speed: 7 + Strength: 5.5 + Agility: 6 + Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 26.5
28. Jake Dalton
Speed: 5 + Strength: 7 + Agility: 7 + Endurance: 7.5 = TOTAL: 26.5
27. Percy Harvin
Speed: 8 + Strength: 6 + Agility: 7.5 + Endurance: 5 = TOTAL: 26.5
26. Colin Kaepernick
Speed: 7 + Strength: 6 + Agility: 7 + Endurance: 7 = TOTAL: 27
25. George St. Pierre
Speed: 3.5 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 7 + Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 27.5
24. Hulk
Speed: 7 + Strength: 7 + Agility: 6.5 + Endurance: 7.5 = TOTAL: 28
23. Micah Richards
Speed: 7 + Strength: 6.5 + Agility: 6.5 + Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 28
22. Patrick Willis
Speed: 5.5 + Strength: 10 + Agility: 6.5. Endurance: 6.5 = TOTAL: 28.5
21. Martin St. Louis
Speed: 7 + Strength: 7 + Agility: 7. Endurance: 7.5 = TOTAL: 28.5
20. Rafael Nadal
Speed: 7 + Strength: 5.5 + Agility: 8. Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 28.5
19. Ashton Eaton
Speed: 6 + Strength: 7 + Agility: 8 + Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 29
18. Rob Gronkowski
Speed: 7 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 7 + Endurance: 6 = TOTAL: 29
17. Marshawn Lynch
Speed: 7 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 6.5 + Endurance: 6.5 = TOTAL: 29
16. Larry Fitzgerald
Speed: 8 + Strength: 6.5 + Agility: 8 + Endurance: 7 = TOTAL: 29.5
15. LaRon Landry
Speed: 8 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 6.5 + Endurance: 6 = TOTAL: 29.5
14. Blake Griffin
Speed: 7 + Strength: 8 + Agility: 7.5 + Endurance: 7.5 = TOTAL: 30
13. Vernon Davis
Speed: 8.5 + Strength: 8.5 + Agility: 6.5 + Endurance: 7.5 = TOTAL: 31
12. Marquise Goodwin
Speed: 9 + Strength: 5 + Agility: 9 + Endurance: 9 = TOTAL: 32
11. Jimmy Graham
Speed: 7 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 8 + Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 32
10. Michael Phelps
Speed: 9 + Strength: 7 + Agility: 8 + Endurance: 9 = TOTAL: 33
9. Jon Jones
Speed: 7 + Strength: 10 + Agility: 8 + Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 33
8. Adrian Peterson
Speed: 8.5 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 9 + Endurance: 7 = TOTAL: 33.5
7. Serge Ibaka
Speed: 7.5 + Strength: 9.5 + Agility: 8.5 + Endurance: 8.5 = TOTAL: 34
6. Calvin Johnson
Speed: 9 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 8.5 + Endurance: 8 = TOTAL: 34.5
5. Dez Bryant
Speed: 9 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 8.5 + Endurance: 8.5 = TOTAL: 35
4. Floyd Mayweather
Speed: 9 + Strength: 8 + Agility: 10 + Endurance: 9 = TOTAL: 36
3. Usain Bolt
Speed: 10 + Strength: 9 + Agility: 8.5 + Endurance: 9 = TOTAL: 36.5
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Speed: 10 + Strength: 8.5 + Agility: 10 + Endurance: 10 = TOTAL: 38.5
1. LeBron James
Speed: 10 + Strength: 10 + Agility: 10 + Endurance: 10 = TOTAL: 40
