Angel Reese Shades as Imane Khelif is most searched athlete on Google for 2024: “She’s Not a Real Woman Like Me!”

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was the most searched athlete on Google in 2024, while the New York Yankees were the most searched sports team.

As revealed in Google Trends’ ‘Year in Search’ report, Khelif’s name accrued more searches than any other sportsperson. The 25-year-old made headlines during the Paris 2024 Olympics after winning the women’s welterweight gold medal, a year after being disqualified from the World Championships for reportedly failing gender eligibility tests.

Fellow boxer Mike Tyson was the next most searched athlete, which can mainly be credited to the large interest in his November exhibition fight against social media personality Jake Paul. The bout was streamed globally by Netflix, which said its broadcast drew 108 million live viewers, becoming the most-streamed sporting event ever.

Paul himself was the fifth most searched athlete, behind both soccer ace Lamine Yamal and gymnastics great Simone Biles, who also topped SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes ranking for 2024. The top four of Khelif, Tyson, Yamal and Biles all also featured in Google’s top ten most searched people for 2024.

As for sports teams, the Yankees beat out a fellow Major League Baseball (MLB) outfit in the Los Angeles Dodgers to be the most searched team. Both teams reached this year’s World Series, which was won by the Dodgers and drew strong television ratings in the US, as well as in international markets such as Japan.

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami ranked third after the two baseball franchises, with Bundesliga title-winning side Bayer 04 Leverkusen and the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) champions in the Boston Celtics rounding off the top five most searched teams on Google.

A number of sporting events figured heavily in Google’s top searches overall for the year. The top four were all sport-related, with Copa América coming out on top, ahead of the Uefa European Championship, the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup and the cricket series contested between India and England. India’s cricket series against Bangladesh and the Olympics also featured in the top ten.

Google also revealed the most searched athletes in several countries. In the UK, darts sensation Luke Littler was the most searched athlete, ahead of Yamal and Biles. English soccer whiz Jude Bellingham and swimming icon Adam Peaty rounded off the top five.

As for the US, Tyson came out on top ahead of Khelif and Biles. His opponent Paul again came in fifth, behind defending US Masters champion Scottie Scheffler. In terms of sports franchises, the Yankees were ranked first, ahead of the Dodgers and city rivals New York Mets.

2024 was a bumper year for major sporting events, and Google’s analytics reflect the strong global interest for marquee properties like the Olympics and the men’s Uefa European Championship, with numerous sportspeople who starred at both competitions featuring among the most searched athletes. The list also demonstrates the high level of attention garnered by the Paul-Tyson exhibition bout, a non-traditional event that generated huge attention thanks to the respective individual following for both fighters.

The report demonstrates the resurgence in interest for baseball, with the Yankees and Dodgers among the top-two most searched teams. Searches for both peaked during the MLB postseason, due to their on-field success, historic popularity, and the fact both come from the two largest media markets in the US. The presence of Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto also fuelled a boost in interest in the World Series in Asian countries.

While darts holds a smaller profile in the UK, the emergence of Littler can help take the sport to new levels. Having broken through late last year, he has embarked on a strong season and has helped bring in new audiences to the sport, which continues to grow in popularity.