Athletes who were dominant in less popular sports

Everyone thought they had seen the best the world of competitive eating could offer when Japan's Takeru Kobayashi won six consecutive Nathan's Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contests, but they were wrong. Chestnut won eight contests in a row from 2007-2014, and would be the 12-time defending champion were it not for a shocking 2015 loss to Matthew Stonie. Chestnut holds the all-time record with 74 hot dogs eaten, is an overwhelming favorite to win again this year, and has won countless other eating contests across the country and the world. He currently holds or has previously held the world record for eating dozens of different foods, from ice cream sandwiches to pierogis to whole turkeys, and seemingly everything in-between. In the world of competitive eating, Chestnut is a force without compare. 

Williams, despite not having the same outsized persona as his contemporary, Pete Weber, is the most accomplished bowler of all time. He holds the record for PBA Tour career titles with 47, also holds the record for total PBA earnings, with over $4.5 million through 2015, and won at least one PBA Tour title in 17 consecutive years, from 1993-2010. Williams has over 100 total PBA titles and has been named PBA Player of the Year seven times. For the 50th anniversary season of the PBA, a panel of experts voted Williams the second-greatest bowler of the last 50 years, finishing runner-up to Earl Anthony.

What would a celebration of dominance in lesser-known sports be without at least one curler making the cut? Martin is thought by many of his rivals to be the greatest curler of all time. He won Olympic gold in 2010 and also took home a world championship gold medal in 2008. Martin's 20 total wins at the Olympics are a curling record. He is seen as a major positive influence in the development of curling as a more formal, competitive sport while also being given much credit for helping develop curling as a more attractive spectator sport. 

Lee only started playing pool in 1989, but she quickly shot up the ranks and was the 1994 WPBA Player of the Year. She won numerous tournaments and was also ranked No. 1 in the world by Billiards Digest and Pool & Billiard Magazine. Known as "the Black Widow" due to her friendly demeanor and innate ability to bear down and "eat people alive" during a match, Lee is one of the most popular players in the recent history of the sport and arguably the most recognizable female pool player in the world.

When Pincay retired, he was the winningest jockey in horse racing history, with his career wins worth almost a quarter billion dollars. Pincay is also known for riding Sham, the horse that had the misfortune of going up against Secretariat. Pincay won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey five times and won 9,530 races in his career. 

Reyes commands a rarefied level of respect. Whether it is fans, analysts, or his contemporaries, most agree that Reyes is the greatest pool player of all time. Reyes has over 70 international titles to his credit, and he is known for an unusual cueing technique, which sees him grip the cue very lightly but affords him great control and timing. So prodigious was Reyes' reputation that during the early portion of his professional career, he used aliases so as to be able to compete. 

Though not well-understood in the U.S., cricket is enormously popular elsewhere in the world, and though he played over a half-century ago, Don Bradman's influence on the sport is still felt. Bradman is widely regarded as the best batsman in the history of the sport. The typical batting average in cricket is between 20 and 40, and 50 is considered exceptional. Only a handful of batsmen have averages over 60. Bradman's career batting average was 99.94. Many have made the case that this astonishing outlier status makes him the greatest athlete in any sport, at least measured statistically relative to his peers. 

Shaun White put "extreme sports" on the map. The X Games owe much of their success to White, who has dominated both there and at the Winter Olympics, winning gold in the Men's Halfpipe in 2006, 2010 and 2018. White's list of accomplishments and all-time record scores across all disciplines and events would take an hour to type, but it's fair to say that no one has dominated the extreme sports landscape on a greater scale, and no one has crossed over with more mainstream popularity than Shaun White.

Nicknamed "The Power," Taylor is regarded by most to be the best darts player of all time. Taylor has 216 professional victories on his ledger, including 85 majors and 16 world championships. Chances are you've seen him competing if you've spent any amount of time flipping through channels at a random time of day. If you indeed have seen Taylor play darts, you've seen an almost robotic ability to hit triple 20, as well as a killer instinct unmatched in the sport. Among Taylor's 16 world titles were eight consecutive wins from 1995 to 2002, a statistic that, like his overall title count, is a record.

Though he's now retired, Gebrselassie's accomplishments are staggering. He broke 61 Ethiopian national records, set 27 world records, and set a world record in the marathon by running 2:03:59 at the Berlin Marathon in 2008. Gebrselassie did this at the age of 35, which meant that he set the overall world record while technically in the "Masters" age group. Gebrselassie took home 10,000 meter gold in both the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics and grabbed World Championship gold in the 10,000 meters in 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999. He is considered by many to be the greatest distance runner of all time.

Only 21 years old, Ledecky has already made an indelible mark on the swimming world. She has five Olympic gold medals to her credit, owns 14 world championship gold medals, and is at the moment the world-record holder in the women's 400, 800 and 1,500-meter freestyle. Ledecky also owns the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle. Ledecky was named World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and she has broken 14 world records over the course of her career. Not bad, you know, for a 21-year-old.

What Shaun White did for snowboarding, Tony Hawk did for skateboarding. The most recognizable name in the sport, Hawk's popularity launched a video game franchise and turned skateboarding from a niche activity into a mainstream sport — one that received plenty of television coverage. Hawk turned pro at age 14 and was National Skateboard Association world champion for 12 straight years. He is also the first skater to land a "900" and was invited by then-President Barack Obama to skate through the hallways of the Old Executive Office Building. If you'd like to see the tournaments Hawk placed first in, set aside 15 minutes to be able to read them all.

Bjoergen has competed in cross-country skiing at every Winter Olympics since the Salt Lake City games in 2002 and has racked up 15 medals in the process. Those 15 medals, including six golds, give the Norwegian the highest total of any athlete in Winter Olympics history. 

His career has been marred of late by incidents outside the octagon, as well as positive tests for banned substances, but there are many who feel that Jones is the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Jones' only career loss came when he was ruled to have used illegal elbows in a 2009 bout, but many — including UFC president Dana White — disagreed with the decision. Jones is seen as a complete fighter, with no weaknesses, and a remarkable talent for adjusting his tactics on the fly, as needed, to counter whatever his opponent throws at him. But for his drug-testing issues and problems outside the octagon, it is likely Jones would be the biggest star in the history of the sport.

Blair's five Olympic gold medals make her one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. In addition to her Olympic successes, she also won World Championship gold in 1989, 1994 and 1995, as well as silver in 1987, 1990, 1992 and 1993. Blair is recognized as one of the best speed skaters in both United States and world history, and she was selected as Female Athlete of the Year by The Associated Press in 1994. 

That you probably recognize both Bolt's name and the man himself merely by sight is a testament to the degree to which he transcended track and field. He is widely thought of as the greatest sprinter of all time and is the world record holder in both the 100 and 200 meters, as well as the 4x100 meter relay. While Bolt's records themselves are impressive, his dominance was something best appreciated visually. Taller than virtually all of his competition, Bolt appeared to be gliding in most races, effortlessly pulling away, often in stunningly casual fashion, from elite runners competing with every ounce of strength they had.

Karelin went a staggering 13 years without a loss in international competition, and even more amazingly, did not surrender a point in six years during that run. He is considered by virtually all observers to be the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time and even pioneered a move that bears his name: the Karelin Lift. Though he is known mostly in the United States for being on the wrong end of Rulon Gardner's shocking upset victory in the 2000 Summer Olympics, Karelin's legacy as the king of his sport is safe.

What is there to say about Phelps that hasn't already been said? While he has had issues at times away from the pool, he is the most decorated Olympian in history, with 28 medals. He has the most Olympic gold medals of all time, with 23. He also owns the most individual event Olympic golds, with 13, and the most individual event Olympic medals, with 16. Phelps is the world record holder in multiple events, and in overall international competition, has 82 medals, 65 of them gold, to his credit. Phelps is arguably the most famous U.S. Olympian of the last 40 years and is thought of by many to be the greatest swimmer ever.

While table tennis is a popular party game in the U.S., it is not much of a draw for television audiences. That being said, there is a decent chance that if you've turned on table tennis, you've seen Ma Long, and he was most likely winning. Currently ranked No. 2 in the world, Ma has been world No. 1 for a total of 64 months, 34 of them consecutively, and was the first male player in the world to win every singles title in table tennis. 

If you meet someone who disputes the claim that Jon Jones is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, that person probably thinks Anderson Silva deserves the title. That might well be right. Silva, as enigmatic as any fighter to enter the octagon, is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and is the owner of the longest title reign in UFC history, clocking in at a staggering 2,457 days. Despite some bizarre behavior during fights, behavior that at times drew the ire of Dana White, Silva understandably possessed an aura of invincibility and would often appear to be openly toying with his opposition, at times seeming flat-out bored. Silva is also considered to be the one of the best, if not the best striker in MMA history.

Comaneci, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, was the first gymnast to earn a perfect 10.0 score at the Olympics. She accomplished this feat at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, and she would go on to post six more perfect 10.0 scores on her way to securing three more gold medals. Comaneci's performance in 1976 is credited with giving gymnastics a major boost in both popularity and mainstream exposure, and her reputation as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time has stood the test of time. 

MMA is no different from boxing insofar as the biggest draws are great heavyweights. However, Penn was able to captivate audiences and open them up to the virtues of the lower weight classes, and he became a star at those levels. Penn was frequently brought up in "pound-for-pound" discussions as one of the best fighters in UFC. He also had success moving up in weight classes, though not as much as he did at 155 pounds, and eventually retired when a move back to a lower weight class did not meet with success. Despite his late-career fade, Penn was a mainstream crossover star and one of the best UFC fighters ever.

Lin was only 28 when he completed the "Super Grand Slam" by winning all nine major badminton titles. Lin is a two-time Olympic and five-time world champion, and he is considered to be the greatest badminton player of all time. Lin also successfully defended his 2008 Olympic gold in 2012, in the process becoming the first men's singles player to do so. 

Motocross has only a niche following in America, but Everts was dominant in the sport before retiring in 2006. He won multiple championships in multiple different classes and was known most for his riding style, which was smooth and seemingly effortless in comparison to other riders. Everts' total of 101 wins and 10 world titles are both records in the motocross world. 

Despite stiff competition from numerous other runners, Gail Devers is thought of by many as the greatest female sprinter of all time. She won gold in the women's 100 meters in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and also took home gold as part of the 4x100 meter relay team in 1996. Devers also took down five world championship gold medals in the 100 meters, 100 meter hurdles, and 4x100 meter relay. She also won gold at the World Indoor Championships in the 60 meters, in 1993, 1997 and 2004, as well as a gold in the 60 meter hurdles at the 2003 World Indoor Championships. Devers did all of this despite battling Graves' disease in the early 1990s and nearly having her career ended by debilitating foot pain as a result.

There has been no shortage of elite talent in the U.S. Gymnastics program — from Shannon Miller to Kerri Strug, with plenty of other luminaries also worth mentioning. Biles stands above them all as arguably the greatest gymnast ever and very likely the greatest in United States history. Biles' career has seen her rack up a combined 19 Olympic and World Championship medals, and she might not be finished, having been added back to the national team this year with the intention of making a comeback.

Boxing doesn't get much play in the mainstream press anymore, but those who follow the sport know there is some serious talent still around, especially in the lower weight classes. Depending on who you ask, Terence "Bud" Crawford is either the best pound-for-pound fighter alive or the second best, trailing only Vasyl Lomachenko. Crawford is undefeated in 33 professional fights, having knocked out 24 of his opponents. He is equally adept at fighting out of an orthodox or southpaw stance and blends extremely fast hands with great defensive skills, and an almost unmatched ring IQ.

A three-time Formula One world champion, Senna was thought of as not only the best driver in Formula One history at the time of his death, but also as a highly influential one as well. Senna was known for his aggressive, bordering on reckless, driving style, as well as his intensity and seriousness. Senna was not always well-liked by other drivers because of his intensity, though his talent was never questioned. Senna died as a result of injuries sustained in an accident at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

Slater is credited by many with popularizing surfing and garnering it considerably more mainstream exposure than it otherwise would have received. He is an 11-time World Surf League champion, and while he will retire after the 2019 season, his consistency even into his final competitive years is a hallmark of a career that has seen him rack up over 50 World Surf League victories. 

Sorting through the history of cycling to come up with the name that dominated the sport most completely is difficult. Doping scandals have made it challenging to identify which modern competitors have truly impressive resumes and which are products of doping. While Eddy Merckx had his own doping demons, his five Tour de France titles and his overwhelming designation within the cycling community as the greatest racer of all time are good enough for me.

You would think it difficult for a boxer to be considered one of the most dominant ever after only 12 fights, including a loss, but Vasyl Lomachenko is no ordinary fighter. The Ukrainian is a unique combination of speed, power, overwhelming skill, as well as singular footwork that often creates the appearance of him fighting a stationary target, rather than a highly trained professional. Lomachenko, despite controversially losing his second professional fight, after compiling a 396-1 amateur record, went on to beat previously undefeated Gary Russell Jr. in only his third professional bout, winning a title in the process and tying the record for fewest professional fights needed to win a belt.