A list of the top 10 most successful athletes with asthma

Some may have the impression that elite athletes are not prone to asthma. Athletes with asthma require a robust oxygen supply, especially during competitions, since the body demands more oxygen supply when involved in high-intensity activities. Therefore, symptoms like coughing and wheezing might hinder them from training and performing at their peak.

Fortunately for the following athletes, an asthma diagnosis was not a piece of career-ending news. Rather, they have managed the condition, and some of them even breaking several records and winning awards.

Top 10 athletes diagnosed with asthma

You will be surprised to realize that numerous famous athletes have been diagnosed with asthma. According to The Globe and Mail, it was reported that there were more than 700 Olympic athletes with asthma during the 2012 summer Olympics in London. Here are some of the athletes with asthma.

10. JD Martinez

Martinez is among baseball athletes with asthma. He was diagnosed during the 2020 MLB season and was forced to take extreme caution, especially due to the COVID-19 virus which was at its peak at the time.

Martinez is a four-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, and 2018 World Series champion despite his condition. It is clear that the outfielder has not, even for a minute, allowed the condition to take a toll on him. Bravo, JD Martinez!

9. Amy Van Dyken

Amy Van Dyken is one of the Olympic athletes diagnosed with asthma. However, her condition was termed as exercise-induced as she developed it in her early years. In fact, her doctors often recommended that she gets into sports to strengthen her lungs.

But even though she was diagnosed with the condition, Van Dyken dominated in the pool, winning six Olympic gold medals, four of which came at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Consequently, she became one of the most successful athlete at the Olympic games.

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8. Greg Louganis

At the eighth position sits Greg Louganis, who was diagnosed with asthma as a child. But it has not prevented him from cruising those steering wheels. He has decorated his legacy with five Olympic medals, five World Championship titles, and 47 national titles. He sure has kicked asthma to the wall.

7. Kristi Yamaguchi

Like Greg Louganis, Kristi was also diagnosed with asthma as a child. However, the skater found ways to manage the condition and, as a result, became a world-famed figure skater. Whenever she felt like an impending episode, she would cover her nose and mouth with a scarf to warm up the cold air she would breathe during any given competition. During the 1992 Olympics, she took home a gold medal.

6. Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Jackie Joyner is among the basketball player athletes with asthma. Her condition was so serious that she hid it from her coaches as she believed revealing it would greatly impact her career. Fortunately, after learning how to manage it, she dominated the Olympics, winning three gold medals, one silver, and two bronze.

Consequently, it earned her the Sports Illustrated Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century honours.

5. David Beckham

Yes! David Beckham is asthmatic. He is among those footballers diagnosed with asthma. However, he was quite secretive about his case until 2009, when he was spotted using an inhaler before getting on the pitch.

Nevertheless, David Beckham is an international phenom, winning six Premier League titles, two MLS Cups, and one UEFA Champions League title. And still counting his achievements, the player has managed to conquer the condition to the point that his fans even forget about it.

4. Dominique Wilkins

Dominique Wilkins is among the NBA athletes who have been diagnosed with asthma. Arguably the best dunker NBA has ever seen and nurtured, the player did not let the condition take a toll on him. He spent 16 seasons in the NBA and made nine All-Star appearances.

Dominique is known to be among the best players to ever wear an Atlanta Hawks uniform, and even won a scoring title during the 1985/96 season.

3. Dennis Rodman

A debate could arise about Rodman being the best rebounder in the history of the NBA, and his opponents can surely lose. He led the league in rebounding for seven-consecutive seasons, played for five teams in his 14-year career, and won five NBA titles.

His condition resulted in him falling into the second round of the 1986 NBA draft. However, it did not deter him from being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

2. Jerome Bettis

Jerome Bettis is among the NFL athletes diagnosed with asthma. He played 13 seasons in the NFL and is ranked at the eighth position all-time in rushing yards with 13,662. However, during his career, he was troubled with the condition, leading to a serious asthma attack during a 1997 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

1. Emmett Smith

Like Jerome Bettis, Emmet is one the NFL's best running back ever. The Hall of Famer holds the most rushing yards, 18,355 in the history NFL, and also won four rushing titles. In his 15-year career, Smith was an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion, and took home the MVP award in 1993, despite his underlying condition.

How do elite athletes manage asthma?

He provided some steps athletes should follow up in case of an asthma diagnosis:

From the list above, you will realize that some athletes with asthma have had some of the most illustrious and successful careers even after the diagnosis. They have become role models to those who had given up on embracing their passions due to underlying conditions.

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