Poll finds best Australian sporting export since the turn of the century

Sports fans Down Under have seen phenomenal* Australian sporting talent throughout the 21st century.

Trawling through all of the extraordinary athletes our country has produced and attempting to crown one that stood above the rest was a mission not even Tom Cruise could have easily accomplished.

And when the news.com.au team decided the terms of this poll, they had a few rules.

Number One: The athlete’s success must have been international.

Number two: Their success had to be achieved within the first quarter of the 21st century.

Number three: Olympians were left out. Some of the athletes on the list might have participated in Olympic Games but they’re here because of their performances in other competitions.

But there was a clear winner for the nearly 6000 Aussies who voted — three-time grand slam champion Ash Barty was as dominant as she was on the tennis court, scoring 28 per cent of the vote.

It’s a telling victory. Barty’s retirement at the age of just 25 left plenty of Australians wondering what might have been, had she gone the distance of the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. But she was just that good.

It was a battle for the rest of the top places, with Tour de France champion Cadel Evans in second on 12 per cent, while UFC superstar Alex Volkanovski got the bronze with 11 per cent.

The top three was just ahead of women’s basketball GOAT* Lauren Jackson and Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, who each tallied 10 per cent of the vote.

Who came close but didn’t quite make the cut?
Karrie Webb
The Queensland golf sensation’s major record remains the best of any Aussie golfer, male or female, and earned her a welcome place in the Hall of Fame.

A seven-time LPGA major championships winner, Webb was only denied a top 10 for achieving much of her success prior to the turn of the century.

“She was unbelievable and at a time when there wasn’t much talk about female athletes, she was on prime time news winning tournaments all around the world,” Aussie basketball great Lauren Jackson told news.com.au.

“Everybody remembers what happens now in the present; they don’t remember how incredible Karrie Webb was.”

Which Aussie athletes were included in the poll of Australia’s greatest sporting exports of the past 25 years?

Lauren Jackson will long be remembered as the greatest Australian basketball player to ever grace the hardwood. Her achievements on the court are simply unmatched.

Alexander Volkanovski is arguably the greatest UFC featherweight* of all time and cemented his spot in the GOAT debate by winning the title for a second time earlier this year.

Sam Kerr was an easy add to this list; the Matildas superstar remains Australia’s all-time leading international goal scorer and became the first ever female footballer to grace the cover of a FIFA video game.

Adam Scott remains the only Australian to win a fabled green jacket when he toppled Angel Cabrera on the second-playoff hole at the 2013 Masters and is one of only three Aussies to reach the number one rank.

Ash Barty was yet another obvious addition to the list. The tennis superstar won 15 WTA titles, three grand slams, also adding 12 doubles titles, including one major.

Cadel Evans might not instantly spring to mind but he’s more than worthy. He remains the only Australian to win the historic Tour de France, one of only three non-European winners of the race.

Stephanie Gilmore has an almost unmatched record riding waves, with the Aussie capturing a staggering eight WSL world championship crowns along with 34 championship tour wins.

Lleyton Hewitt remains etched in sporting folklore thanks to his famous “c’mon” catchcry. He achieved more than any Aussie male tennis player has over the past 25 years, with two grand slams and two ATP Tour Finals wins.

Jordan Mailata gave up on his NRL dream to try to make it in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. The big Aussie proved the doubters wrong by becoming the best offensive line tackle in the league, making history in the 2025 Super Bowl victory.

Tim Cahill impacted the sport of football more than any other Australian player. He helped secure the Socceroos their first ever win at a World Cup with a double in 2006, before scoring one of the greatest World Cup goals ever seen in 2014.

What the experts had to say
While poll results were determined by the news.com.au audience, some experts shared their thoughts on who should claim the crown.

Shane Heal – Australian basketball great
Pick: Ash Barty
“It’s got to be Ash Barty. The way she dominated a truly global sport, the way she did it as the number one and then walked away at the top of the game.

“Not sure if we’ve ever seen somebody retire at that age, at their very best and after dominating at so many events.

“Incredible, truly incredible what she did. You take into account her physique – she’s not big and long and powerful – she was just a truly unbelievable athlete. To be able to do what she did on the world stage, she’s our greatest Aussie export.”

Katrina Gorry – Matildas superstar
Pick: Ash Barty

Mark Howard – Fox Sports presenter
Pick: Cadel Evans
“I would say the best Australian sporting export would be Cadel Evans. Winning the Tour de France … no Australian has done it before. It’s a European dominated sport. And that performance was truly extraordinary, so I would have to say Evans is the one that stands out to me.

“But I must say if we’re doing this in 10 years, I think that performance could potentially be surpassed by Oscar (Piastri) and Gout Gout. I think if he (Gout) wins an Olympic 100m final, it might go down as the greatest Australian sporting achievement of all time.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• phenomenal: extremely successful or special, especially in a surprising way
• GOAT: acronym standing for “greatest of all time”
• featherweight: specific weight class in boxing and one of the lightest

EXTRA READING

Five words that drove Ash Barty to greatness

Barty: I want to inspire kids to chase their dreams

Australia’s most influential Indigenous sports stars

QUICK QUIZ

1. Which Aussie athlete won the crown following a poll of 6000 news.com.au readers?
2. Why didn’t champion golfer Karrie Webb make the cut and which category of elite athletes were not included?
3. How many male athletes were included in the final top ten?
4. How many WSL world championship crowns does Australian surfing legend Stephanie Gilmore have to her name?
5. What sport did Jordan Mailata leave behind in Australia and what sport does he play now?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Future GOAT sports star
If this poll is repeated in 2050, when you’ll be in your sporting prime, write a fictitious paragraph on your sporting career, achievements and winning this award. The criteria remains the same except for the time period.

Number one: The athlete’s success (yours) must have been international.

Number two: Your success had to be achieved within the second quarter of the 21st century (2025-2050).

Number three: Olympians were left out. Some of the athletes on the list might have participated in Olympic Games but they’re here because of their performances in other competitions.

Write your name, your achievements and wins and why you were voted the greatest Australian sportsperson in this time period.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
From the list of athletes included in the poll, who would you have voted for and why?

Do you think Ash Barty would’ve had even greater success if she decided not to retire at 25? Why or why not?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Girls in sport
Six male athletes made the news.com.au Top 10 and there were four females, with Ash Barty winning the No. 1 spot. There are many sports in which we’re seeing an increase in female participants. What sports have you noticed, or maybe joined yourself, where you have seen an increase in the amount of girls now playing? How do you feel about this? Why do you feel this way? Do you think it’s a positive shift? Why/why not?

Use your VCOP to express how you feel towards girls taking up more sporting roles. Explain why you feel this way. Use your emotive language to express your point of view.