The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Zimbabwe

Icon of occuation in country

This page contains a list of the greatest Zimbabwean Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 11 of which were born in Zimbabwe. This makes Zimbabwe the birth place of the 90th most number of Athletes behind Cameroon, and Ghana.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Zimbabwean Athletes of all time. This list of famous Zimbabwean 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 Zimbabwean Athletes.

Photo of Liz Chase

1. Liz Chase (1950 - 2018)

With an HPI of 56.99, Liz Chase is the most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages on wikipedia.

Elizabeth Muriel Chase (26 April 1950 – 9 May 2018) was a Zimbabwean field hockey player and member of the national team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Previously, she represented South Africa. Born in Umtali (today Mutare), Chase attended Girls High School in Salisbury (today Harare). She was on the national schools field hockey team in 1966, and later the national under-21 team. After graduating, she went to South Africa to get a degree in physical education. There, she played for the university varsity team and the local provincial sides of Wits and Southern Transvaal. In 1973/74 she was chosen to play for the South Africa B team, and in 1976/77 she represented the Springbok Ladies hockey team. During the 1970s, she lost friends and family in the Rhodesian Bush War. Upon returning to Rhodesia, Chase played for the Old Hararians club and taught physical education at Oriel Girls High School in Salisbury. She was selected every year for the Zimbabwe women's national team before she emigrated to South Africa in the early 1980s. She worked as head of the physical education department at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2000 and retired in 2015. Chase died of cancer on 9 May 2018 in Johannesburg, two weeks after her 68th birthday. She is the first member of the 1980 Olympic field hockey team to die.

Photo of Susan Huggett

2. Susan Huggett (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 49.19, Susan Huggett is the 2nd most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Susan ("Sue") Huggett (born 29 June 1954 in Bulawayo) is a former field hockey player from Zimbabwe, who was a member of the national team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Because of the boycott of the United States and other countries, only one team was available to compete in the Women's Field Hockey Tournament: the hosting USSR team. A late request was sent to the government of the African nation, which quickly assembled a team less than a week before the competition started. To everyone's surprise they won, claiming Zimbabwe's only medal in the 1980 Games.

Photo of Maureen George

3. Maureen George (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 48.76, Maureen George is the 3rd most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Maureen Jean George (born 1 September 1955 in Bulawayo) is a former field hockey player from Zimbabwe, who was a member of the national team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Because of the boycott of the United States and other countries, only one team was available to compete in the Women's Field Hockey Tournament: the hosting USSR team. A late request was sent to the government of the African nation, which quickly assembled a team less than a week before the competition started. To everyone's surprise they won, claiming Zimbabwe's only medal in the 1980 Games.

Photo of Ann Grant

4. Ann Grant (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 44.87, Ann Grant is the 4th most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Ann Mary Gwynne Grant (née Fletcher; born 6 May 1955) is a former field hockey player from Zimbabwe, who captained the national team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Because of a boycott by western European, Australasian and other countries, the Women's Field Hockey Tournament contained fewer teams than normal. A late request was sent to the government of Zimbabwe, which quickly assembled a team less than a week before the competition started. To everyone's surprise they won, claiming Zimbabwe's only medal in the 1980 Games. Grant captained the team. Grant is the sister of former Zimbabwe cricketer and India cricket coach Duncan Fletcher.

Photo of Patricia McKillop

5. Patricia McKillop (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 41.60, Patricia McKillop is the 5th most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Patricia ("Pat") Jean McKillop, née Fraser, and now Buckle also simply known as Pat McKillop (born July 15, 1956) is a former field hockey player from Zimbabwe, who was a member of the national team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Because of the boycott led by the United States in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, only the Soviet team remained. The Soviets and international Olympic authorities then invited countries that had not qualified for the tournament. A late request was sent to the government of the African nation, which hastily assembled a team less than a week before the competition started. To everyone's surprise, they won. They defeated Poland 4-0, drew 2-2 with Czechoslovakia, won 2-0 over the host Soviet Union, drew 1-1 with India and lastly trounced Austria 4-1 to claim Zimbabwe's only medal in the 1980 Games. McKillop was the co-top scorer of the tournament with six goals, including three penalty corners, tied with the Soviet Union's Natella Krasnikova. McKillop represented Matabeleland in basketball. She played her club hockey for the Bulawayo Athletic Club and went on to coach the Zimbabwe Under-21 women’s team for three years, leading them to the Women's Hockey Junior World Cup in Canada in 1989. She has also represented Zimbabwe in golf.

Photo of Belinda Stowell

6. Belinda Stowell (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 39.19, Belinda Stowell is the 6th most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Belinda Josephine Stowell (born 28 May 1971 in Harare, Zimbabwe) is an Australian sailor and Olympic champion. She won a gold medal in the 470 class with Jenny Armstrong at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In 2017, Stowell and Armstrong were inaugural inductees in the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame. She went on into coaching.

Photo of Aleksandr Sergeyev

7. Aleksandr Sergeyev (b. 0)

With an HPI of 36.72, Aleksandr Sergeyev is the 7th most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  Their biography has been translated into 4 different languages.

Aleksandr Sergeyev may refer to: Aleksandr Sergeyev (canoeist) (born 1994), Russian canoeist Aleksandr Sergeyev (chess player) (1897–1970), Russian chess player Aleksandr Sergeyev (footballer, born 1998), Russian football player Alexander Sergeev (physicist) (born 1955), Russian physicist Aleksandr Sergeyev (triple jumper) (born 1983), Russian triple jumper

Photo of Colin Smith

8. Colin Smith (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 31.52, Colin Smith is the 8th most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Colin M. Smith (born 23 September 1983 in Harare, Zimbabwe) is a Zimbabwean-born British rower, Olympic silver medallist and three times an Oxford Blue. He also possesses a degree in law.

Photo of Ngonidzashe Makusha

9. Ngonidzashe Makusha (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 31.46, Ngonidzashe Makusha is the 9th most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Ngonidzashe Makusha (born 11 March 1987) is a Zimbabwean sprinter and long jumper. He is the national record holder over 100 m and long jump for Zimbabwe with 9.89 s (+1.3 m/s) and 8.40 m (0.0 m/s), respectively. Both performances were achieved during the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Des Moines, Iowa where he completed the 100 m - long jump double gold. Makusha was one of the only four, now five, athletes to win the 100 m - long jump double gold at the NCAA championships. The four others are DeHart Hubbard (1925), Jesse Owens (1935 & 1936), Carl Lewis (1981), and Jarrion Lawson (2016). In 2011, Makusha was named the men's winner of The Bowerman which is awarded to the top collegiate track & field athlete of the year.

Photo of Rachel Klamer

10. Rachel Klamer (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 30.61, Rachel Klamer is the 10th most famous Zimbabwean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 9 different languages.

Rachel Klamer (born 8 October 1990) is a Dutch professional triathlete and member of the National team. She placed third at the Junior World Championships in 2009. Klamer, who presently lives in Sittard, entered the national and international stage in 2008 when she won both the National Triathlon Championships (Junior) in Aalsmeer and the Duathlon Championships (Junior) in Oss, placed 4th in the European Junior Cup at Holten, and, at the age of 17, also started to compete in the elite category, placing 10th in the British Corus Elite Series. In 2009, she won the silver medal at the European Triathlon Championships in Holten (Junior) and the bronze medal at the Grand Final of the Dextro Energy World Championship Series (Junior). As a junior at the age of 18, she took part in two Premium European Cups and achieved top placements among the world elite triathletes. In Alanya, she won the gold medal, and in Eilat she placed fifth, hampered by technical problems with the bicycle chain. Preparing for the Olympic Games in 2012, Klamer is supported by the club Pro Triathlon founded in 2008 and seems to concentrate exclusively on international events. In fact, her name does not appear in the National Triathlon Ranking of 2009 but she won the 3000m National Championships and in 2010 she is also sponsored by the triathlon section of the German club Krefelder Kanu Klub which she represents in the German championship series Bundesliga in 2010. In French media, Klamer was announced to take part in the 2010 circuit of the prestigious French Club Championship Series Lyonnaise des Eaux representing the club Brive but she did not compete in any of the five triathlons. Klamer is also part of the Dutch running club, LAAC Twente, for which she won a local German running competition in 2008 alongside her father, Marcel, and her mother, Karin. This was the year of her breakthrough, when she still lived in Denekamp. She competed for the Netherlands at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing in 36th and 10th position respectively. Klamer also competes in Super League Triathlon. She was second in the Championship series in both 2018 and 2019, and finished 2nd at the Arena Games, Rotterdam in 2020. In 2015, she won the silver medal in the women's triathlon event of the inaugural European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.

People

Pantheon has 14 people classified as Zimbabwean athletes born between 1950 and 1997. Of these 14, 13 (92.86%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Zimbabwean athletes include Susan Huggett, Maureen George, and Ann Grant. The most famous deceased Zimbabwean athletes include Liz Chase. As of April 2024, 3 new Zimbabwean athletes have been added to Pantheon including Belinda Stowell, Colin Smith, and Ngonidzashe Makusha.

Living Zimbabwean Athletes

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Deceased Zimbabwean Athletes

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Newly Added Zimbabwean Athletes (2025)

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous