Ranking the top 25 Asian athletes of the 21st century
25 July 2024
Who is the top Asian athlete of the 21st century? How do you define Asia? Do you limit your scope to regional or national competitions or do you include world-wide fame?
The region has produced some remarkable athletes since 2000. Trailblazers who have reached the pinnacle of their sport or who have who made history. No one list can truly capture the scope of their achievements and the order of these athletes will no doubt be debated.
1. Manny Pacquiao, boxing [Philippines]
Key accomplishments: Since Jan. 1, 2000: 35-6-2 pro record. Only boxer to hold eight world division titles, held world titles in 2000s, 2010s and 2020s
Plain and simple, "PacMan" is arguably one of the greatest boxers of all time. He won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, showcasing his versatility and dominance. Pacquiao's career spanned over three decades, during which he defeated numerous boxing legends.
Recognized as Fighter of the Year by Ring Magazine in 2006, 2008, and 2009, he was also named BWAA's Fighter of the Decade for the 2000s and won the Best Fighter ESPY Award in 2009 and 2011. Pacquiao's remarkable achievements and impact on boxing highlight his extraordinary legacy and has now stemmed into a career in politics and as an executive in various sports. -- Miguel Alfonso Caramoan.
2. Yao Ming, basketball [China]
Key accomplishments: No. 1 pick in the 2002 NBA draft, 8-time NBA All-Star, 5-time All-NBA team, 5th all-time highest scorer in Houston Rockets' history, Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
The man who effectively gave the NBA a following of a billion Chinese when he was drafted in 2002, Yao remains one of Asia's most well-recognised sportspersons. While many cynics predicted he would fail in the NBA, the 7-foot-6 center would eventually win over his doubters and earn the respect of even the fiercest of opponents such as Shaquille O'Neal.
Unfortunately, the ultimate success eluded Yao and he only tasted playoff action in four of his eight seasons with Houston while injuries would blight his later years, but he can claim to be a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and also had his No. 11 retired by the Rockets in 2017. -- Gabriel Tan
3. Ichiro Suzuki, baseball [Japan]
Key accomplishments: 2001 AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP, 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, AL batting titles in 2001 and 2004
His most famous play is his "Star Wars" throw from his rookie season. His most famous record is the 262 hits he registered in 2004. He was 27 when he came to Seattle and he still finished with more than 3,000 hits -- indeed, more career hits, if you include his Japanese totals, than Pete Rose. The iconic Ichiro hit starts with the pull of the sleeve in the batter's box, the bat held high in front of him, then comes outracing the ball to first base. "No single number could ever explain a human as thrilling, as unusual, and as wonderful as Ichiro," wrote sports columnist Joe Posnanski. -- David Schoenfield
Ichiro's return to Seattle won't resolve the battle raging within him
4. Son Heung-Min, football [South Korea]
Key accomplishments: Highest Asian scorer in Premier League and UEFA Champions League history, first Asian to captain a Premier League club, first Asian to win the Premier League's golden boot, 5th all-time top scorer in Tottenham's history
While Asian footballers have regularly enjoyed success on the big stage, Son is perhaps the first to be regarded as world-class. Now captaining one of Europe's biggest clubs, he made history two years ago when he shared the Premier League golden boot with Mohamed Salah to become the first Asian top scorer of the competition.
Son is also already the highest Asian scorer in Premier League and Champions League history, and he is definitely in the debate for the continent's greatest footballer ever. -- Tan
Son's success against the world's top competition already has him in line to be Asia's greatest footballer. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images
5. Naomi Osaka, tennis [Japan]
Key accomplishments: Four-time Grand Slam champion, former world No. 1, seven WTA Tour titles
Having won the US Open at the age of 19, Osaka has gone on to establish herself as one of the leading tennis players of her generation after another three Grand Slam titles followed. After her Australian Open triumph in 2019, Osaka would become the first Asian world No. 1 and held the ranking for a total of 25 weeks across two spells.
Still only 26, Osaka returned to competition this year after a hiatus and still has plenty of time for even more success. -- Tan
Osaka returns to tennis -- with a new joy and perspective
6. Sun Yang, swimming [China]
Key accomplishments: Three-time Olympic gold medalist, 11-time world champion, first Chinese to win an Olympic gold in men's swimming, current 1500m freestyle world record holder
Although his international reputation has been tarnished by doping allegations, which resulted in a drawn-out and heavily-disputed ban over a testing incident in 2018, Sun's accomplishments cannot be disputed.
A three-time Olympic champion, Sun's remarkable versatility saw him become the first male swimmer in history to win Olympic and World Championship gold in every freestyle distance from 200 to 1500 metres. Sun continues to hold the world record in the 1500m freestyle discipline, as well as three Asian records. -- Tan
7. Park Ji-Sung, football [South Korea]
Key accomplishments: Four-time Premier League champion, UEFA Champions League winner, fourth-place finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
While far from the most glamorous of footballers, Park's résumé speaks for itself as a four-time Premier League champion with Manchester United, which were preceded by two Eredisivie titles at PSV Eindhoven as well as being part of the South Korea side that memorably finished fourth at the 2002 World Cup.
Park is widely regarded as one of the most underrated players in the history of football and was always turned to for the big occasion by former manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Looking back on the 2011 Champions League final -- which United lost to Barcelona -- Ferguson even said they would have won the game had he made the decision at halftime to switch Park to a negating role on a certain Lionel Messi. -- Tan
8. Li Na, tennis [China]
Key accomplishments: Two-time Grand Slam champion, first Asian to win a tennis major, career high of world No. 2
What Yao Ming did for basketball in China, Li Na did for tennis. After a slow but steady rise early in her career, Li would break into the top ten and reach her first Grand Slam semifinal in 2010 -- which would prove a sign of things to come.
A year later, her breakthrough arrived when she won the French Open -- accounting for a host of top seeds including Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and then defending champion Francesca Schiavone in the final, a match which was viewed by 330 million worldwide. Li's second major title would come at the 2014 Australian Open when she became only the fourth woman to win the final from match point down, although injuries would see her call time on her career later that year at the age of just 32. -- Tan
9. Shohei Ohtani, baseball [Japan]
Key accomplishments: Two-time MVP, 2018 Rookie of the Year, three-time All-Star, two 40-HR seasons, 38-19 record as pitcher (3.01 career ERA), top-five Cy Young finish.
When ESPN runs the sequel to this exercise in 2050, Ohtani could easily be number one. His first seven years in MLB have been transcendent. What before him was taken as fact -- that nobody can hit and pitch at a high enough level to warrant doing both -- is now null. Ohtani arrived from Japan with a freighter of hype and only exceeded it, stretching the definition of what a baseball player can be. "Shohei," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, "is arguably the most talented player who's ever played this game." -- Jeff Passan
Shohei could very well become the greatest baseball player ever. Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Shohei Ohtani's new contract is just his latest feat to shock the world
10. Lin Dan, badminton [China]
Key accomplishments: Two-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World champion, two-time Asian Games gold medalist, six-time All England champion
To be the best in a sport at any point in time already takes some doing, but to be regarded as the greatest of all time? That is testament to what Lin achieved in his glittering career.
By the time he was 28, he had completed the Super Grand Slam of the nine major titles he was eligible to compete in at the time, and he would eventually end his career as a two-time Olympic and five-time world champion. With 66 titles to his name, Lin also boasted a impressive record of 662 wins -- 83.5% of the total matches he played. -- Tan
11. Inbee Park, golf [South Korea]
Key accomplishments: Seven-time major champion, world No. 1 on four separate occasions, youngest player to win the U.S. Women's Open, second player to win three consecutive Women's PGA Championship, only the 7th player to win four different majors and capture a career Grand Slam
For a period of time, primarily in 2013 when she became only the fourth player on the LPGA Tour to win three consecutive majors, Inbee Park was the dominant force in women's golf.
She now has a total of seven major titles to her name, is considered to have completed the career Grand Slam, and also has an Olympic gold medal to show for her efforts. While five-time major Se Ri Pak paved the way, Park spearheaded the South Korean wave that took women's golf by storm from the mid-2000s which has now produced 20 different major champions and for a total of 36 titles. -- Tan
12. Ma Long, table tennis [China]
Key accomplishments: Five-time Olympic gold medalist, 14-time World Championships and 11-time World Cup champion, only male player to complete career Double Grand Slam, record 64 months as world No. 1
China not only can lay claim to the GOAT of badminton. In Ma Long, they also have produced an athlete widely regarded as the best to ever play table tennis.
Granted, China do dominate the sport but that only means that Ma's competition has been of the highest level in the form of compatriots and fellow champions like Zhang Jike and Fan Zhendong. When he won the men's singles at the Tokyo Games, Ma also became the first male player to successfully defend his gold medal. -- Tan
13. Kohei Uchimura, gymnastics [Japan]
Key accomplishments: Seven-time Olympic medalist, three-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time individual all-around world champion.
Over an eight-year period from 2009 to 2016, Uchimura dominated men's gymnastics, going undefeated in all-around competition, winning back-to-back Olympic titles and leading the Japanese team to gold at the Rio Games. He retired from the sport in 2022 with a reputation for pairing extreme difficulty with unmatched consistency and flawless execution and is widely considered to be the GOAT of men's gymnastics.
In one of his most memorable all-around performances, Uchimura averaged higher than a 9.0 execution score on every apparatus to take the all-around title at the 2011 world championships in Tokyo, which were held seven months after an earthquake and tsunami devastated northeast Japan. -- Alyssa Roenigk
Kohei Uchimura was the top men's gymnast for nearly a decade and is considered the GOAT of men's gymnastics. AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File
14. Virat Kohli, cricket
Key accomplishments: ODI World Cup champion, T20 World Cup champion, two-time T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament, 2023 ODI World Cup Player of the Tournament, two-time ICC Cricketer of the Year, most centuries in ODI history (50), second-highest scorer in T20Is, third-highest scorer in ODIs, India's most successful Test captain.
Kohli won the World Cup early in his career, but he was at risk of fading away into mediocrity in the early 2010s. A fierce fitness-driven approach -- the kind that was uncommon in cricket then -- coupled with unrelenting drive catapulted him from "talent" to titan. The fire within translates onto the field. The Indian batter is the ultimate competitor and has won games on willpower alone. The intensity of his passion sparks fear in the opposition and bedlam in the stands. Kohli wasn't born to be the best; he just willed himself to be. -- Shubi Arun
15. Taufik Hidayat, badminton [Indonesia]
Key accomplishments: 2004 Olympic gold medalist, one-time world champion, youngest world No. 1 in history
Before Lin came along to dominate badminton, it was a far more open field of leading contenders but the one that excited fans the most was arguably Hidayat -- who is also regarded as one of the greatest to ever play the sport and revolutionised the backhand smash.
He remains the youngest top-ranked player in the sport having first reached No. 1 in the world just weeks after turning 19, and he was just 23 when he reached the pinnacle of badminton by winning gold at the 2004 Athens Games. -- Tan
16. Ali Daei, football [Iran]
Key accomplishments: German Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich, 108 goals in 148 caps for Iran, former world's top international scorer
One of the pioneers who led the way for Asian footballers in Europe, Daei is best remembered for his time in the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin. With Bayern, he won a Bundesliga title in the 1998-99 season and almost tasted continental glory if not for a dramatic comeback by Manchester United in the famous Champions League final.
It was for his country where Daei's greatest successes came though, with his record of 108 goals in 148 matches making him the most prolific international scorer until Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed the mark in June 2021. -- Tan
17. Lee Chong Wei, badminton [Malaysia]
Key accomplishments: Three-time Olympic silver medalist, two-time World Championship runner-up, five-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, world No. 1 for 349 weeks -- including a 199-week streak between Aug. 2008 and June 2012, BWF Hall of Fame inductee
Only the sixth Malaysian to win an Olympic medal, Lee might have achieved far more than this three silvers at the Games if not for the fact that he was from the same generation as Lin. Fierce competitors on the court who became close friends off it, the Lee-Lin rivalry headlined the sport for over a decade not dissimilar to that of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in tennis.
Lin would twice be the final hurdle that denied Lee an Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012. The Malaysian did manage to get one over his archnemesis in 2016 semifinals, only to fall to Chen Long in the decider. While he never won the one medal he coveted the most, Lee showed impressive consistency and longevity for being one of the best in his sport. -- Tan
18. Joseph Schooling, swimming [Singapore]
Key accomplishments: 2016 Olympic gold medalist, three-time Asian Games and 29-time Southeast Asian gold medalist, Singapore's first and only Olympic champion
Schooling's haul of a solitary Olympic gold medal may pale in comparison to others on this list, but it was the manner in which he achieved it that defines his greatness. From a country with a population of just 6 million, the unfancied Singaporean made the 100m butterfly final as the fastest qualifier before inspiring an entire nation when he won their maiden Olympic gold medal with a record-breaking swim of 50.39 seconds.
What made the feat all the more incredible was the fact that he saw off three hot favourites who had to settle for an equally remarkable three-way tie in second, and that one of those he beat was the great Michael Phelps -- whom Schooling had idolised growing up -- in one of the former's best events, no less. -- Tan
How tiny Singapore rocked Rio -- and shocked Phelps
19. Hidilyn Diaz, weightlifting [Philippines]
Key accomplishments: 2020 Olympic gold medalist, one-time world champion, former Olympic record holder,
Diaz made history by winning the Philippines' first-ever Olympic gold medal in weightlifting at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Her triumph in the women's 55kg category ended the country's 97-year Olympic gold drought and inspired millions.
Diaz's dedication and resilience are evident in her journey, overcoming numerous challenges to reach the pinnacle of her sport. She has also won multiple medals in the Asian Games and World Championships. Diaz's historic achievement and her role in elevating weightlifting in the Philippines are testaments to her exceptional talent and determination. -- Caramoan
TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 26: Hidilyn Diaz of Team Philippines competes during the Weightlifting - Women's 55kg Group A on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo International Forum on July 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Chris Graythen/Getty Images
History! Hidilyn Diaz wins PH's first-ever Olympic gold!
20. Homare Sawa, football [Japan]
Key accomplishments: 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup-winning captain, Japan's record holder in both appearances and goals, one of only two Asian footballers with over 200 caps
Widely regarded as one of the greatest female footballers of all time, Sawa boasted a prolific tally of 83 goals from 205 matches and was prominent as captain of the Japan side that won the 2011 Women's World Cup -- the first Asian team to do so.
Having spent most of her career at home with several stints in America, Sawa would arguably be a far more prominent figure had she played in the current era given the rise of women's club football over the past decade. -- Tan
21. Liu Xiang, athletics [China]
Key accomplishments: 2004 Olympic gold medalist, former world champion, only male ever to concurrently be the 110m hurdles world record holder, world and Olympic champion
When Liu Xiang won gold in Athens in 2004, history was made as he became China's first male Olympic champion in athletics. He would continue to be a favourite in the 110m hurdles at subsequent Games but injury twice dashed his hopes in 20008 and 2012.
Liu's 2004 time of 12.91 seconds remains the Olympic record and he is also the only male to be Olympic and world champion, as well as the world record holder, at the same time. -- Tan
22. Yuna Kim, figure skating [South Korea]
Key accomplishments: 2010 Olympic gold medalist, two-time world champion, first female skater to win every major international competition
Regarded as a prodigy from the time she won the senior title at the South Korea Championships at the age of 12, Kim's crowning glory came at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancover when she won the ladies' single skating competition after setting world-best scores in each of the three components.
In doing so, Kim became the first female skater to win every major international competition, as well as the first -- female or male -- to complete the Super Slam (winning all four major senior-level and two major junior-level international competitions). -- Tan
23. Saki Kumagai, football [Japan]
Key accomplishments: 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup champion, nine-time league champion across Europe's major competitions with Lyon, Bayern Munich and Roma, five-time UEFA Women's Champions League winner, four consecutive Women's World Cup appearances from 2011 to 2023
Following the departure of Sawa from the Japan women's football national team, it was Kumagai who stepped up to fill the leadership void -- which was hardly surprising given the career she was carving out then -- and has since carved out -- for herself.
Being part of a dominant Lyon outfit saw her win five consecutive UEFA Women's Champions League titles but success has followed her everywhere she goes, with further silverware coming in subsequent stints with Bayern and Roma. On 147 caps, Kumagai is unlikely to reach Sawa's record tally but is still already Japan's third highest-capped player ever. -- Tan
24. Eileen Gu, skiing [China]
Key accomplishments: Two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time world champion, youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing
Having made the decision to change her country of representation from the United States to China in 2019 -- a move that was not without controversy -- Gu became the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing at the Beijing Winter Games in 2022.
Gu, also a two-time world champion from the year before in halfpipe and slopestyle, is still only 20 and could feature far more prominently in 25 years when the next edition is put together. -- Tan
25. June Mar Fajardo, basketball [Philippines]
Key accomplishments: 10-time PBA champion, 4-time PBA Finals MVP, 7-time PBA MVP, 10-time Best Player of the Conference, 9-time PBA All-Star, 8-time Mythical Five Member, 2015 PBA Defensive Player of the Year, gold medalist in the 2022 Asian Games
Known as "The Kraken," Fajardo has won seven MVP awards, the most in league history, and has led the San Miguel Beermen to 10 PBA championships. He has also suited up for the national team since the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships and has continued to be the best big man for Gilas Pilipinas -- including in the latest Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Fajardo's consistent excellence and influence on Philippine basketball underscore his significant impact on the sport that Filipinos love. -- Caramoan
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