Fallen cyclist Armstrong tops Forbes most disliked US athletes list

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Disgraced US cyclist Lance Armstrong, who confessed last month to doping after being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year, tops the new Forbes magazine list of most disliked US athletes.

The list, released on the magazine's website on Wednesday, saw Armstrong edge collegiate American football player Manti Te'o on a higher name recognition tie-breaker after each had only 15 per cent appeal in a Nielsen/E-Poll survey.

Armstrong backpedalled on years of denials last month by admitting he had taken performance-enhancing drugs during his 1999-2005 victory run in the Tour, tainted his cancer-comeback story and Livestrong Foundation charity efforts.

Te'o was a linebacker for Notre Dame, which lost to Alabama in last month's US college gridiron title game, and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting as last season's top player, making him a top National Football League (NFL) prospect.