Sports Illustrated Names Katie Ledecky, Bob Bowman Amongst 50 Most Influential Sports Figures

On Wednesday morning, Sports Illustrated released its 2024 “Power List,” which includes its list of 50 most influential figures in sports. The list was separated into four categories: “Icons and Leaders,” “Athletes,” “Executives and Dealmakers,” and “Influencers.”

The list features well-known sportsfigures such as Tom Brady, Lebron James, and Lionel Messi, as well as rising stars quickly establishing themselves in the sports stratosphere such as WNBA rookies Angel Reese (who graced the most recent Sports Illustrated magazine issue that includes the “Power List”) and Caitlin Clark. Two people from the swimming world made the list: American swimmer Katie Ledecky and Texas men’s swimming head coach Bob Bowman.

Ledecky is coming off a Paris Olympics performance where she captured two golds, a silver and a bronze medal, becoming the most decorated American female swimmer ever. Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde (and father of Ledecky’s former Stanford teammate, Brooke Forde) wrote her blurb, which can be read here:

This summer in Paris, Ledecky became the most decorated female Olympian in U.S. history, winning the 800-meter freestyle on Aug. 3 for her 14th medal and ninth gold. Time to take a break and let her body rest? Nah. On Aug. 6, she posted a picture on Instagram of herself in the gym working out. “Made it three days” was the caption. This drive has carried her through four Olympics and will power her pursuit of a fifth. Others have caught up to her in shorter races like the 400, but Ledecky is still the queen of distance swimming, owning the world records and most recent golds in the two longest freestyle events, the 800 and 1,500. She has made no secret of wanting to compete in a domestic Olympics for the first time, in Los Angeles in 2028, even at what would be an ancient 31 in a grueling sport that caters to youth.  —P.F.

Meanwhile, Bowman coached several swimmers to Olympic success this summer, including Leon Marchand — the most decorated athlete of the games. He will soon begin his first season as Texas’s head coach after leading Arizona State to its first NCAA title this spring. He was included in the “Icons and Leaders” section, and his blurb (also written by Forde) can be read here:

The coach who built Michael Phelps into a medal machine again showed his prowess in 2024 with an NCAA men’s title at Arizona State and a bountiful Olympics. If the United Nations of Bowman had been its own entry in Paris, its seven golds, three silvers and one bronze would have been third in the swimming medal table, behind only the U.S. and Australia. That was the haul for Bowman trainees Léon Marchand of France (four golds, one bronze), Regan Smith of the U.S. (two golds, three silver) and Hubert Kós of Hungary (one gold). Now Bowman is taking over at Texas and the next hotshot from France, 17-year-old Olympian Rafael Fente-Damers, has already committed to the Longhorns. So Bowman, 59, will continue to train international stars to beat Americans while also coaching many of the U.S.’s best. —Pat Forde

Other athletes on this list from sports that peak during the Olympics include American gymnast Simone Biles and American rugby player Ilona Maher. Track and field athletes Sha’Carri Richardson (United States) and Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) were mentioned in the “LSU Tigers Talent” blurb. Out of the 50 sportsfigures, only 12 were non-American. In addition, there were 15 female sportsfigures on the list.