The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Switzerland

This page contains a list of the greatest Swiss Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 120 of which were born in Switzerland. This makes Switzerland the birth place of the 28th most number of Athletes behind Jamaica, and Argentina.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Swiss Athletes of all time. This list of famous Swiss Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Swiss Athletes.

1. Marina Doria (b. 1935)

With an HPI of 64.21, Marina Doria is the most famous Swiss Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages on wikipedia.

Princess Marina of Savoy (née Marina Ricolfi-Doria, born 12 February 1935) is a Swiss former water skier. She competed three times at the Water Ski World Championships winning gold medals in 1955 and in 1957. She won the overall title in the European Water Ski Championships consecutively from 1953 to 1956 and won five Swiss national titles. She was inducted into the International Water Ski Federation Hall of Fame in 1991. She is the widow of Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, the son of the last king and queen of Italy, Umberto II and Marie José. They had one son, Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice.

2. Karl Röderer (1868 - 1928)

With an HPI of 61.40, Karl Röderer is the 2nd most famous Swiss Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Conrad Karl Röderer (12 July 1868 in Trogen – 28 August 1928 in St. Gallen) was a Swiss sport shooter who competed in the late 19th century and early 20th century in pistol shooting. He participated in Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris and won two gold medals in 50 metre pistol and 50 metre team pistol for Switzerland.

3. Gabriela Andersen-Schiess (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 60.84, Gabriela Andersen-Schiess is the 3rd most famous Swiss Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Gabriela "Gaby" Andersen-Schiess (born 20 May 1945 in Zürich) is a former Swiss long-distance runner who participated in the first women's Olympic marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Though living in Sun Valley, Idaho, and working as a ski instructor at the time, Andersen-Schiess represented Switzerland in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

4. Hermann Barrelet (1879 - 1964)

With an HPI of 59.94, Hermann Barrelet is the 4th most famous Swiss Athlete. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Hermann Joseph Barrelet de Ricou (25 September 1879 – 24 April 1964) was a Swiss-born French rower. He won gold medals in single sculls at the 1900 Summer Olympics and 1901 European Championships. Barrelet continued to compete in single sculls into his thirties, but had better achievements in team events, winning European titles in the men's eight (1909) and double sculls (1913, with Anatol Peresselenzeff).

5. Joseph Benz (1944 - 2021)

With an HPI of 59.01, Joseph Benz is the 5th most famous Swiss Athlete. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Joseph "Josef" or "Sepp" Benz (20 May 1944 – 5 February 2021) was a Swiss bobsledder who competed from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won four medals with one gold (Two-man: 1980), two silvers (Four-man: 1976, 1980), and one bronze (Two-man: 1976).

6. Konrad Stäheli (1931 - 1931)

With an HPI of 57.13, Konrad Stäheli is the 6th most famous Swiss Athlete. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Konrad Stäheli (17 December 1866 – 5 November 1931) was a Swiss sports shooter who competed in the late 19th century and early 20th century and participated in the 1900 Summer Olympics and the 1906 Intercalated Games.

7. Robert Alt (1927 - 2017)

With an HPI of 56.19, Robert Alt is the 7th most famous Swiss Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Robert Alt (2 January 1927 – 4 December 2017) was a Swiss bobsledder who competed in the mid-1950s. He won a gold medal in the four-man event at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Alt also won a gold medal in the four-man event at the 1955 FIBT World Championships in St. Moritz.

8. Paul Martin (1901 - 1987)

With an HPI of 56.15, Paul Martin is the 8th most famous Swiss Athlete. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Paul-René Martin (11 August 1901 – 28 April 1987) was a Swiss middle-distance runner. He was the first Swiss sportsperson to compete at five Olympics, which he did from 1920 to 1936.

9. Gottfried Diener (1926 - 2015)

With an HPI of 54.81, Gottfried Diener is the 9th most famous Swiss Athlete. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Gottfried Diener (November 1, 1926 – May 26, 2015) was a Swiss bobsledder who competed in the mid-1950s. He won the gold medal in the four-man event at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Diener also won two gold medals in the four-man event at the FIBT World Championships, winning them in 1954 and 1955. He also served as president of the International Crossbow Shooting Union from 1965 to 1999. Diener was named an honorary president of the organization in 2006.

10. Alfred Neveu (1890 - 1975)

With an HPI of 54.66, Alfred Neveu is the 10th most famous Swiss Athlete. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Alfred Neveu (24 December 1890, Leysin, Vaud - 20 May 1975) was a Swiss bobsledder who competed during the early 1920s. He won the gold medal in the four-man event at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix.

People

Pantheon has 121 people classified as Swiss athletes born between 1864 and 2002. Of these 121, 100 (82.64%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Swiss athletes include Marina Doria, Gabriela Andersen-Schiess, and Werner Günthör. The most famous deceased Swiss athletes include Karl Röderer, Hermann Barrelet, and Joseph Benz. As of April 2024, 1 new Swiss athletes have been added to Pantheon including Alessandro Hämmerle.