Luka Modrić makes Sports Illustrated list of world’s fittest athletes
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Croatian footballer Luka Modrić has made this year’s Sports Illustrated list of the top 50 athletes in the world.
Sports Illustrated tasked a panel of trainers, exercise physiologists and performance experts to select athletes based on their performances over the last year and the physical demands of their respective sports as well as their durability, training regimens, power, speed, strength, agility, endurance
Modrić, who scooped all of football’s pinnacle awards in 2018, is ranked 12th among male athletes on the list.
“In Croatia’s run to the World Cup final in 2018, team captain Luka Modrić recorded a distance of 39.1 miles ran but showed little signs of fatigue, a marker of his stamina and tireless ability to cover the pitch. The winner of several major awards in 2018—including the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award, the Best FIFA Men’s Player and the Ballon d’Or—the Real Madrid midfielder is known to be obsessed with staying in prime physical shape,” Sports Illustrated writes.
New York Giants Saquon Barkley was ranked number one on the men’s list. The 21-year-old shattered records in 2018, becoming only the third first-year back to eclipse 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
Cristiano Ronaldo was second, followed by NBA basketball Giannis Antetokounmpo and tennis player Novak Djoković.
On the female list, gymnast Simone Biles was ranked number one, followed by Colombian track and field star Caterine Ibarguen and CrossFit athlete Tia-Clair Toomey.
You can check out the Fittest 50 list here.
