Athletes Who Made History With True One-Of-A-Kind Moments

Darren - August 11, 2021

Athletes Who Made History With True One-Of-A-Kind Moments

Darren - August 11, 2021

13. Claressa Shields (2021)

Nicola Adams was the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. Katie Taylor and Shields quickly followed in her footsteps at the same games in London. However, Shields made history when she followed up with a second gold medal in Rio De Janeiro. This made her the only American boxer ever to achieve this. Then she turned professional and set even more records.

Shields is quite simply a destroyer. First of all, she became the undisputed middleweight titleholder when she united all the major belts in the division. Then, she became the first boxer in history to repeat the feat in a second weight class. She’s also the quickest boxer to win titles in three divisions. Now she is competing in MMA and it looks like she will take over the combat sports world.

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12. Michael Phelps

Phelps holds some of the most impressive Olympic records out there. First of all, he has more medals than any other Olympian in history. Then, add in the fact that he has more gold medals than anybody else and it’s clear why people regard him as the greatest of all time. It’s true that his sport has more categories than most others, but his dominance over other swimmers is special.

The Maryland native possessed the perfect physique for a swimmer. In fact, he was ungainly outside of the pool because of his long arms and torso. But inside, he was sublime. As well as holding medals, Phelps also has speed records for many of his races. There was nobody like him before he came along. Nor is there likely to be anybody else who is better than him in the near future.

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11. Kamaru Usman (2019)

Usman is one of the most dominant UFC fighters on the roster. The welterweight champion uses his wrestling base to profound effect. “The Nightmare suffocates his opponents as he grinds them down and wears them out. Meanwhile, he’s been knocking his foes out cold recently. But he makes this list because he became the UFC’s first African-born champion. This was a momentous achievement.

Hailing from Nigeria, Usman moved from the West African nation as a child. The continent as an entity has over 1.2 billion people. It’s crazy that it took so long for the UFC to have its first champion from the region. Usman defeated Tyron Woodley in a dominant fashion to claim the belt. Furthermore, many believe we could be looking at the greatest MMA welterweight of all time.

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10. Dan Marino (1984)

It’s a travesty Marino never won a Super Bowl. The Miami Dolphins legend is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and had a distinguished career. Only eight quarterbacks in history passed for more than 5,000 yards before 2021. Marino was the first to break this mark when he made history in 1984. Nobody else came close for almost 25 years as he was supreme.

Meanwhile, he won the NFL MVP award the same year. It was obvious that he was going to win because of his astounding achievement. The nine-time Pro Bower was also the Offensive Player of the Year. Unfortunately, his franchise was never good enough to win a championship. While they came close, Marino ultimately missed out on the most coveted prize of them all: a ring.

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9. Royce Gracie (1993)

There have been dozens of UFC champions when including all weight classes. But only one man can lay claim to being the first. This was Royce Gracie, a leading member of the famous Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu family. When the UFC first materialized it was a wacky freakshow. There were proponents of various styles and one athlete even fought with a single glove on his hand.

However, Gracie’s martial art provided a systematic and effective way of defeating his opponents. It revolutionized the martial arts space. Now BJJ is one of the most popular sports on the planet and there are many gyms across the world. It’s also a foundation art for contemporary MMA fighters. This is because they need to understand how to defend against it even if they don’t use it aggressively.

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8. Janet Guthrie (1977)

The likes of Davina Patrick and Shawna Robinson became Nascar racing stars because they were women in a man’s world. However, Guthrie paved the way for these drivers because she was the first woman to compete at Daytona and in the Indy 500. As pioneers go, Guthrie is up there with some of the most significant in the sporting world. Stock car racing is traditionally one of the most conservative environments in the U.S.

Unfortunately, this is also what brought her career to a premature end. She struggled to maintain endorsements and sponsorships from donors. But this didn’t end her relationship with racing or driving. Guthrie became a women’s rights advocate and supported many female drivers. While there are still a lot of problems in NASCAR, Guthrie isn’t afraid to speak out about them.

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7. Robbie Rogers (2013)

Rogers isn’t the most famous American athlete on this list. But he made history in 2013 when he became the first openly gay male athlete in any U.S. major league. The soccer star played for L.A. Galaxy where he won the respect of the world. The discrepancy between male and female LGBTQ soccer players is crazy. Many female athletes are out but their male equivalents refuse to do so.

The U.S. international star showed bravery by revealing his true self to the world. This was an important step in normalizing it for other athletes. In short, if more male athletes come out, then it will no longer be a news story. At the end of the day, sports stars want fans to judge them for their athletic achievements. Rogers ensured that the gateway for many of his counterparts was finally open.

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6. Simone Biles (2021)

Biles has revitalized gymnastics in the U.S. with her incredible record on the beam. It was the Olympic champion’s destiny to be great. Her grandparents homeschooled her to maximize her training time. In short, their plan worked perfectly. Sports analysts regard her as the greatest American gymnast ever and arguably one of the world’s best too. It’s phenomenal considering her upbringing.

Firstly, Biles has more World medals than any other gymnast in history, male or female. Meanwhile, she won four gold medals at the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Furthermore, she’s showing that age is just a number. The lifespan of a gymnast’s career is traditionally very short. But at the age of 24, she was at peak skills.

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5. Manny Pacquaio (2010)

The most recognizable East Asian athlete on the planet, Pacquaio is a beast. The Filipino boxer is the only boxer in history to win titles in eight different weight classes. This is a freakish achievement because of the toll it must have taken upon his body. Meanwhile, he also held titles across four decades, also a unique record. Pacquaio is a ferocious power puncher and beat the best of the best.

As well as winning in the ring, Pacquaio also wins in life. He is a member of the Filipino parliament and is a potential presidential candidate. ‘The Pacman’ continues fighting into his forties and shows no signs of slowing down. The likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Rickey Hatton all fell victim to his right hand. Also, he was a part of the biggest pay-per-view ever when he fought Floyd Mayweather.

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4. Usain Bolt (2016)

The fastest man on the planet has made history nearly countless times. Bolt hails from Jamaica, where he earned deity status for his wins. The sprinter is also incredibly popular because of his personality. He loves to party as much as he loves to run. Furthermore, he famously ate McDonald’s the entire time he spent in London. In short, he trusted the fast-food chain because it is the same everywhere.

Meanwhile, he holds world records in numerous sprint categories and is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist. This makes him one of the most successful Olympians on the planet. Also, his celebration became iconic. Bolt was a freak athlete who dominated the sport for over a decade. Finally, he retired as the greatest of all time. He also never tested positive for any banned substances which is the scourge of athletics.

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3. Conor McGregor (2016)

McGregor is one of the most controversial people in the world of combat sports. The Irishman rocked the UFC with his meteoric rise to the top of the sport. In doing so, he set numerous pay-per-view records. However, he’s on this list because he became the first UFC champion to hold two belts at the same time. This was a major achievement, even if the UFC helped him to do so.

Firstly, he claimed the featherweight crown after knocking Jose Aldo out in 14 seconds. Then, he crushed Eddie Alvarez in a career-defining performance to win the lightweight title. McGregor wasn’t the first UFC fighter to win titles in different weight divisions. But to do so at the same was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for ‘The Notorious.’ Nobody else can claim to be the first after this.

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2. Floyd Mayweather (2018)

If there is one thing Mayweather loves more than anything else on this planet, it’s money. That even became his nickname because he was so efficient at maximizing his earnings. The American boxer went 50-0 throughout his professional career. He was a brilliant defensive stylist but was also an expert at fighting opponents when they were vulnerable. A case in point was his match-up against a faded Manny Pacquaio.

However, Mayweather made history when he became boxing’s first billionaire fighter. This occurred after he defeated UFC fighter Conor McGregor. While Mayweather has many personal flaws, there is no doubt that he is a superb businessman. In many sports, executives exploit their athletes. But ‘Money’ ensured that he was in control of his own path. Now his bank balance is more than healthy.

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1. Carl Nassib (2021)

Nassib made waves in 2021 when he became the first gay player to come out in NFL history. This was a massive news story because football is such a macho sport. There is no doubt that many gay athletes have played in the league but none of them felt comfortable enough to come out. They were worried that their own teammates and front offices would turn on them. Meanwhile, there was also the fear of inevitable fan abuse.

However, Nassib decided that he was tired of hiding who he was. The Las Vegas Raiders’ star announced in a low-key manner. Then, the NFL issued a statement in support of the defensive end. Most fans had nothing but respect for the young man because it took guts to say those words. Some one-of-a-kind occurrences change things for the better forever. Let’s hope that this is one of them.

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Athletes Who Made History With True One-Of-A-Kind Moments