As the 2024 Olympics in Paris continue, it’s clear that women are dominating the world’s largest athletic stage.
Katie Ledecky has won a record 14 medals, Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history, and Ilona Maher helped lead the US Women’s Rugby Team to its first ever Olympic medal.
But even before Olympians descended on Paris for the 2024 Games, interest in women’s sports has been reaching unprecedented heights: Caitlin Clark drew record audiences to women’s college basketball games before joining the WNBA, the Professional Women’s Hockey League just finished its inaugural season, and the National Women’s Soccer League is in its 12th season with plans to expand.
Recent breakthroughs in visibility, pay, and societal attitudes have helped usher female athletes and their organizations closer to the mainstream, with Deloitte predicting that women’s sports will surpass $1 billion in revenue for the first time in 2024.
But what we’re seeing now is the result of decades of hard work by pioneering women in sports who fought to foster inclusive environments for women regardless of their race, sexuality, or socioeconomic status.
From Althea Gibson breaking the color barrier in not just one but two sports to Megan Rapinoe leading the fight for pay equality, here are 48 legendary female athletes who’ve helped change the world of women’s sports for the better, ushering in future generations of young girls who can see their futures clearer than ever before.
Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in history.
In 2016, American gymnast Simone Biles competed in her first Olympics, winning the individual all-around, team all-around, vault, floor, and balance beam gold medals.
She famously struggled with “the twisties” — a phenomenon that throws off a gymnast’s balance — during the Tokyo Olympics and catalyzed a larger conversation around self-advocacy and mental health in athletics. Despite the struggle, Biles still walked away from the competition with a silver medal in the team all-around competition and a bronze on the balance beam.
In Paris, Biles reminded everyone why she’s the greatest gymnast of all time, as she became the first American woman to win gold in the Olympic individual all-around competition twice. She also brought home gold medals for the team all-around and vault, as well as a silver medal on the floor.
In addition to the Olympics, Biles is a six-time World all-around champion, with three consecutive victories from 2013-15, then in 2018, 2019, and 2023.
With 11 Olympic and 30 World Championships medals, she is the most decorated gymnast in history.
Biles’ two-time Olympic teammate, Sunisa “Suni” Lee, has also made history as the first Hmong-American to win the Olympic all-around title.
Suni Lee burst into public consciousness during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where she became the first Hmong-American woman to win gold in the women’s gymnastics all-around competition at just 18 years old.
That same Olympics, she brought home a silver medal in the team all-around competition and a bronze medal on the uneven bars.
After Tokyo, she continued her gymnastics career at Auburn University. However, she was forced to stop training in the spring of 2023 as a result of two kidney diseases.
She was able to navigate her diagnoses to return to the sport at the highest level for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where she finished with a bronze medal on the uneven bars, a gold medal in the team all-around final, and another bronze in the individual all-around competition to bring her total medal count to six, making her tied with Aly Raisman for third-most career medals by a female Olympic gymnast.
Katie Ledecky is the most decorated American woman in Olympic history, with 14 medals.
American swimmer Katie Ledecky has won nine Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals, both of which are records among female swimmers. She currently holds the world record in women’s 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle short- and long-course races.
Ledecky made her international debut at the 2012 London Olympics at 15 years old and surprised everyone when she won the gold medal in women’s 800-meter freestyle, becoming the youngest ever to win.
Four years later, she finished the 2016 Olympics with four gold medals, one silver medal, and two world records. In 2020, she added two more golds and two silvers at the Tokyo Olympics.
Now, she’s completed her run in Paris by adding four more medals to her count, for a total of 14 Olympic medals — the most of any American woman.
She has broken more than a dozen world records throughout her career and is widely considered one of the most dominant swimmers alive.
Wilma Rudolph overcame polio to become the fastest woman in the world in the 1960 Olympics.
Sprinter Wilma Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics. She overcame the loss of strength in her left leg and foot, caused by polio at 5 years old, to become the fastest woman in the world at the 1960 Olympics. She held the records for the 100 meters at 11.2 seconds and 200 meters at 22.9 seconds.
Because of worldwide television coverage throughout the 1960 Olympics, Rudolph gained international recognition and became an iconic figure for Black and female athletes.
During the peak of the civil rights movement, Rudolph was a trailblazer for the rights of Black women. She broke the gender barrier of all-male events in track and field, and her legacy lives on today.
Billie Jean King is the former No. 1 tennis player in the world and a longtime advocate of equal pay and LGBTQ+ rights.
Former World No. 1 professional tennis player Billie Jean King is regarded as one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time. She won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women’s doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles.
King is an advocate for gender equality and social justice. She campaigned for equal pay when the Open Era began in 1968 and became the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in prize money in 1971. Two years later, she beat tennis superstar Bobby Riggs in “The Battle of the Sexes” and helped found the Women’s Tennis Association, both of which contributed to her legacy of making tennis among the most equitable professional sports on the planet.
Her fight for equity in sports has continued ever since. Today, King remains a primary advocate for women as the founder of the Women’s Sports Foundation.
She’s also a firm proponent of LGBTQ+ equality. In 1981, she was outed as having been in a long-term relationship with a woman. King and Ilana Kloss, her partner of 40+ years, got married in 2018.
Lindsey Vonn is one of the greatest skiers of all time.
Lindsey Vonn won three consecutive titles at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup from 2008 to 2010 and another in 2012. She was also the first American woman to win a gold medal in the downhill, which she did at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Vonn won her 20th World Cup crystal globe title in 2016 to surpass Ingemar Stenmark for the overall record for men or women. She is also one of six women to win a World Cup race in all five disciplines of alpine skiing.
With three Olympic medals, four World Cup titles, 82 World Cup victories, and two World Championship gold medals to her name, Vonn is widely considered one of the greatest skiers of all time.
After missing parts of several seasons as a result of injuries, Vonn ultimately opted to retire from the sport in 2019.
Aly Raisman is the third-most decorated American gymnast and a strong advocate for survivors of sexual abuse.
Aly Raisman is a two-time Olympic gymnast. In 2012, she won the team gold medal, floor gold medal, and bronze medal on balance beam with Team USA. She took home the individual all-around silver medal and floor silver medal in 2016, as well as another team gold medal to become the third-most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history.
As accomplished as she is in the gym, Raisman may be even better known for her work in the fight to end sexual abuse. She was among hundreds of gymnasts who came forward to speak out against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
Since Nassar’s trial, during which she delivered a blistering speech, she has used her platform to focus on fixing USA Gymnastics and fighting for justice for all victims of sexual abuse.
Two-time World Cup champion Alex Morgan was a key figure in the USWNT’s fight for equal pay.
Alex Morgan is a United States Women’s Soccer Team legend who won her second consecutive FIFA World Cup championship in 2019. She made her World Cup debut in 2011, where the team won silver.
In 2012, Morgan recorded 28 goals and 21 assists to become the second American woman to score 20 goals and 20 assists in the same calendar year, alongside Mia Hamm. She was also the sixth and youngest US player to score 20 goals in a single year.
Morgan has accumulated more than 200 caps and 120 goals. She was also one of the first women’s soccer players to appear on the cover of a FIFA video game.
Off the field, Morgan was crucial to the USWNT’s successful fight for equal pay, which involved a lengthy lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation. She was also instrumental in the National Women’s Soccer League’s reckoning over pervasive emotional, mental, and sexual abuse.
Gymnast Nastia Liukin won five medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Nastia Liukin was a pivotal member of the US gymnastics team during three World Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. She won the 2008 Olympic all-around, as well as five Olympic medals, which tied the record for most medals won by an American gymnast in a single non-boycotted Olympic Games. Simone Biles later also tied the record.
A four-time all-around US national champion, Liukin’s strongest events were the uneven bars and balance beam. She attempted a comeback in 2011 with hopes of making the 2012 Olympic team, but fell several times during the Olympic Trials and retired in 2012.
Since then, she has worked as a gymnastics analyst for NBC Sports. She also hosts an annual Nastia Liukin Cup to support the growth of gymnastics.
Serena Williams is widely regarded as one of the best female tennis players ever.
Serena Williams is widely regarded as the best female tennis player of the Open Era. Her victories have shaped her into an inspirational figure in the sport.
Williams is tied for the third-most Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles on the all-time list and is second in the Open Era. Her 23 Grand Slam singles titles is a record for the most tournament wins in the Open Era and just one shy of Margaret Court’s all-time record.
She and her sister, fellow tennis legend Venus Williams, are considered pioneers of a new era for women in tennis that focuses on power. And throughout her career, she was often among the only women on the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, according to Forbes.
She announced her retirement from tennis in 2022, playing her final match in the third round of that year’s US Open.
Off the court, Williams has been outspoken about the state of Black maternal healthcare, sharing her own near-death experience after giving birth to her first daughter in 2017.
She’s also been building her portfolio in venture capital; in an email to Business Insider in 2023, Williams wrote, “Coming from a sports background and a sport that was an individual one, I’ve developed a habit of trusting my gut. So when it came to venture and founders, it wasn’t hard to apply it. I also know what it looks like to be incredibly talented and not given the exposure because of the color of your skin. It’s another reason I love investing — to close that gap.”
In 2008, Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race.
Danica Patrick is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing. She accomplished multiple firsts for women in the sport, including being the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race at the 2008 Indy Japan 300.
Patrick also had the highest finish by a woman in the Indianapolis 500 (third) and Daytona 500 (eighth). She did not endure as much success as many expected, but she had an undeniable impact on the sport.
In a predominantly male industry, Patrick is often credited for inspiring more women to take part in auto racing and motorsports.
Ronda Rousey was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal for judo.
Ronda Rousey is a retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is considered to be one of the greatest female athletes ever as the only woman to win both a UFC and WWE championship. She is also one of the only women to headline a pay-per-view event.
At the 2008 Olympics, Rousey won a bronze medal in judo, becoming the first American woman ever to do so. She took part in the first UFC women’s fight, successfully defending her title against Liza Carmouche.
Rousey was the first female fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. That same year, she signed a contract with WWE and began professional wrestling.
Outside the ring, Rousey has written an autobiography and starred in several films, including “Furious 7” and “Mile 22.”
She left the WWE in 2023.
Tennis legend Maria Sharapova won 36 singles titles throughout her career, including five Grand Slams.
Maria Sharapova is a professional tennis player and the only Russian to have a career Grand Slam. When she was 18 years old, Sharapova was ranked world No. 1 and was the first female from Russia to do so.
Sharapova accumulated 36 singles titles and five Grand Slam titles. She is considered one of the best tennis players to play the game.
She has also been involved in various humanitarian endeavors, including being a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador focused on the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme. She also launched a program in 2018 to mentor women entrepreneurs.
Missy Franklin captured the world’s attention in 2012, winning four gold medals in the London Olympics when she was only 17.
At just 17 years old, Missy Franklin became the first American woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympics in any sport during the 2012 London Olympics. She quickly captivated America’s attention and went on to win six gold medals at the 2013 World Aquatics Championship.
Frankly previously held the record at the World Aquatics Championships with 11 gold medals, but Katie Ledecky broke it in 2017 with 14.
If not for chronic pain cutting Franklin’s career short, many believed she would go on to dominate women’s swimming the way Michael Phelps dominated men’s. In December 2018, Franklin announced her retirement due to shoulder issues, but she will always be remembered as one of the greats in women’s swimming.
USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe has been an influential figure in women’s sports both on and off the field.
Megan Rapinoe has been one of the most recognizable faces on the US Women’s National Soccer Team for more than a decade.
She put on a dominant performance to lead the Stars and Stripes to a second consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup championship in 2019, scoring six goals to earn the Golden Boot and Golden Ball Awards. All the while, she was publicly feuding with then-US President Donald Trump.
Rapinoe was also on the 2015 team that won the Cup, as well as the 2012 Olympic team, which took home gold.
Rapinoe has made noise both on and off the field. She is an advocate for numerous LGBTQ+ organizations and often uses her platform to speak out against social injustice. She is also an advocate for women in sports and equality.
She retired from club and country in 2023.
Tennis legend Steffi Graf held the world’s No. 1 ranking for 377 days, longer than any other player, male or female.
Former German tennis player Steffi Graf is the only tennis player to win each Grand Slam tournament at least four times and achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles overall.
She was ranked world No. 1 for 377 weeks by the Women’s Tennis Association, which is the longest for any player, male or female, since rankings began being issued.
Along with Margaret Court, the two are the only players to win three Grand Slam tournaments in a calendar year five times, among male and female players.
Her aggressive game has been noted as the starting point for today’s modern style of play. She is regarded as the greatest female tennis player of all time by many, including by tennis great Billie Jean King. She is credited with helping to increase the sport’s popularity in Germany, where it has remained popular since.
Graf retired in 1999 and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings are one of beach volleyball’s most iconic duos.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings are considered the greatest beach volleyball team of all-time. They won three consecutive Olympic gold medals from 2004 to 2012. They also won 21 consecutive Olympic matches and only lost one set during their 11-year run.
May-Treanor announced her retirement following her and Walsh Jennings’ third gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. She was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Walsh Jennings began playing with former teammate April Ross in 2013 after May-Treanor’s retirement. The two won the bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, making her the most decorated beach volleyball Olympian, male or female, in history.
Throughout her career, professional basketball player Diana Taurasi has won an NCAA championship, a WNBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.
Diana Taurasi is the all-time leading scorer in the WNBA. Since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Phoenix Mercury, she has won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, three WNBA championships, and five Olympic gold medals from 2004-2020. She also won the WNBA MVP Award in 2009 and two WNBA Finals MVP Awards in 2009 and 2014.
Over her illustrious career, Taurasi has been selected to 11 WNBA All-Star teams. She is one of just a handful of women who have won an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA championship, and a WNBA championship.
She is considered one of the greatest women to play basketball, with late legend Kobe Bryant dubbing her the “White Mamba.”
Larisa Latynina holds the record for most Olympic medals won by a gymnast.
Larisa Latynina holds the record for most Olympic gold medals by any gymnast, male or female, with nine. Her 18 medals for the Soviet Union was a record for 48 years.
Latynina retired in 1966 but went on to coach the Soviet’s women’s gymnastics team during the 1966-76 Olympics. She is often regarded with the establishment of the Soviet Union’s dominance in gymnastics.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is an accomplished track-and-field athlete and activist.
One of the greatest American track-and-field athletes of all time, Jackie Joyner-Kersee was known for the heptathlon (where athletes compete in seven different track and field events in two days) and long jump. Over four Olympic Games, she took home three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals in the two events.
Joyner-Kersee established the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation in 1988, which is dedicated to providing youth, adults, and families with athletic lessons and resources to improve their quality of life. She also is one of 11 athletes who founded Athletes for Hope, which helps professional athletes take part in charity events and volunteering.
She is also an activist for children’s education, racial equality, and women’s rights.
Candace Parker was drafted No. 1 in the 2008 WNBA draft and has become one of the greatest players in the league’s history.
Candace Parker was the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game. Drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks No. 1 overall in 2008, she became the second player to dunk in a WNBA game in June 2008 and went on to become the league’s only player to earn Rookie of the Year and WNBA MVP honors in the same season.
Parker was named WNBA Finals MVP after leading the Sparks to the 2016 WNBA championship alongside Alana Beard and Nneka Ogwumike. She was named league MVP again in 2013 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.
But after more than a decade in Los Angeles, Parker made a blockbuster free agency move to join her hometown Chicago Sky in 2021. She led the franchise to its first-ever WNBA title that very same year.
Parker retired from the sport in the spring of 2024 and was named president of Adidas Women’s Basketball. She also serves as an NBA analyst and commentator.
Nadia Comaneci helped popularize the sport of gymnastics.
Nadia Comaneci competed during the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics in gymnastics and is credited with bringing attention to the sport worldwide. From Romania, she won five gold medals in individual events and was the first to be awarded a perfect 10 score.
In two Olympics, Comaneci had nine perfect 10s. She won nine Olympic medals and four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals.
Now retired, Comaneci has remained a prominent figure in gymnastics. She also is involved in fundraising for various different charities.
Martina Navratilova holds the record for the longest winning streak in tennis history.
Martina Navratilova is considered to be one of the best female tennis players in history. She is the only player to be ranked No. 1 in singles (332 weeks) and doubles (237 weeks) for more than 200 weeks. She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, a record 31 major women’s doubles titles, and 10 major mixed double titles.
She won the Wimbledon women’s singles title a record nine times, including six consecutive titles, which is regarded as the best performance by a player at a major event.
Navratilova is one of only three women to achieve a Career Grand Slam in women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles, which consists of every senior Grand Slam title. Over five seasons from 1982-86, she won 428 out of 442 singles matches. She owns the best win-loss record in the Open Era going 86-1, as well as the longest winning streak with 74 consecutive wins.
Navratilova came out as bisexual in 1981 and has been an activist for gay rights, along with animal rights and underprivileged children. However, she has also been criticized for making “transphobic” comments.
Marta is one of the best female soccer players of all time.
Marta Vieira da Silva, more commonly known as Marta, was the first soccer player to ever score at five FIFA World Cups, men’s or women’s. Her 17 total goals set the all-time record for most goals scored at the tournament by any player.
Marta has been named FIFA World Player of the Year six times, including five consecutive from 2006 to 2010, and is regarded as one of the best female players of all-time. She won a silver medal at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, as well as the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the 2007 Women’s World Cup.
The Brazilian is highly regarded as a prolific scorer and leader who excels as a creative playmaker.
When Lexi Thompson was 16, she became the youngest winner of an LPGA tournament.
Lexi Thompson was the youngest golfer to qualify to play in the US Women’s Open at 12 years old. At 15, she turned professional and a year later set a new record as the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA tournament. She was 16 years, seven months, and eight days old.
Thompson won her first major championships at 19 years, 1 month, and 27 days old, making her the second-youngest LPGA golfer to win a major at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
She has accumulated 11 LPGA Tour victories and one major.
In 1996, Nancy Lieberman was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Regarded as one of the greatest figures in American women’s basketball, Nancy Lieberman played for several different teams and leagues before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Dallas Diamonds.
She was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999. Lieberman played for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA’s inaugural year in 1997, when she was the oldest player at 39.
In 1998, Lieberman became the general manager and head coach of the WNBA’s Detroit Shock, where she coached for three seasons. She broke her own record as the oldest player in WNBA history when she signed a seven-day contract in 2008 at 50 years old with the Shock, playing in one game.
She moved on to become a broadcaster for the New Orleans Pelicans and is now head coach of the Power in the BIG3.
Mia Hamm helped inspire a generation of female soccer players.
Soccer icon Mia Hamm was a member of the USWNT from 1987 to 2004, where she became a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion. During her college years, she led the University of North Carolina Tar Heels to four consecutive NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championships.
Hamm was a member of the USWNT during the 1991 inaugural Women’s World Cup in China and remained on the team for the three tournaments that followed. She was also a member of the US team during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, which was the first games that held women’s soccer as an event.
Hamm ranks fourth in USWNT history with 276 international caps and first in career assists with 147, NBC Sports reported. She was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame.
She retired in 2004 but has inspired many in the sport, including 2019 World Cup Champion Rose Lavelle.
Abby Wambach is the most prolific scorer in USWNT history.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Abby Wambach is the highest all-time goal scorer for the US Women’s National Soccer Team. Upon retiring, she held the record for most international goals among male and female players with 184.
Wambach was a member of USWNT from 2001 to 2015, winning the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup title. She is known for her skillful play and diving headers to score goals.
Her equalizing header against Brazil in 2011 in the 122nd minute off a cross from Megan Rapinoe is often called one of the greatest goals in the history of the Women’s World Cup. It set a record for the latest goal ever scored.
She was awarded the Bronze Boot and Silver Ball after the tournament. That same year, she also became the first soccer player of either gender to be named Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.
Wambach retired in 2015 and is regarded as one of the best to play US soccer. She’s now a partial owner of the National Women’s Soccer League club Angel City FC.
Mary Lou Retton was the first American gymnast to win gold in the all-around competition at the Olympics.
At the boycotted 1984 Summer Olympics, Mary Lou Retton became the first-ever American woman to win the all-around gold medal in gymnastics. She won by .05 points, beating Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo. It marked the first time a female gymnast outside Eastern Europe won the individual all-around gold.
She also took home two silver medals and two bronze medals, helping her rise to popularity in the United States.
Retton coined her move on the uneven bars “The Retton Flip.” The move consists of a transition from low-bar to high-bar, ending with the gymnast sitting on top of the high bar. It was removed from the Code of Points because it was a “belly beat” move, which is when the gymnast hits their hips into the low bar to gain momentum.
Michelle Kwan is one of the best figure skaters in history.
Retired American figure skater Michelle Kwan is a five-time World Champion and nine-time US champion, which ties her for the all-time National Championship record. She is a two-time Olympic medalist, winning a silver in 1998 and bronze in 2002.
She is the most decorated figure skater in US history and is considered one of the greatest figure skaters of all time. Kwan stole the hearts of the American people to become one of the country’s most popular female athletes.
Kwan now serves as US Ambassador to Belize.
Venus Williams is undefeated in women’s doubles Grand Slam titles.
Along with her sister Serena Williams, Venus Williams is highly regarded as one of the greats of tennis. She was the first Black woman to be ranked No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association in the Open Era, and second all-time.
She has seven Grand Slam singles titles and is also unbeaten in Grand Slam Women’s doubles titles. She and Serena have 14 together.
Williams has four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in women’s doubles. She also has a silver medal in mixed doubles, which ties her with Kathleen McKane Godfree for the most Olympic medals won by a male or female tennis player. She is the only tennis player to win a medal at four Olympic Games.
Following in the footsteps of Billie Jean King, Williams fought for equal prize money at Wimbledon, gaining the backing of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and winning the fight.
In 2014, Maya Moore was named MVP of the WNBA.
WNBA star Maya Moore was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx after leading the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team to back-to-back national championships. Her standout career with the Huskies included an unbeaten streak of 90 games, which is an NCAA record among men’s and women’s teams.
Moore won four WNBA titles with the Minnesota Lynx, as well as the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. She also won MVP in 2014. She won titles in the Spanish league, EuroLeague, and Chinese League.
In February 2019, Moore penned an article on The Player’s Tribune saying that she would take a sabbatical for the 2019 season to focus on family and ministry dreams. She has since fought for social justice reform, specifically in the realm of wrongful convictions. Moore helped free her now-husband, Jonathan Irons, after 23 years of wrongful imprisonment.
She officially retired from the WNBA in 2023, and co-wrote the memoir “Love and Justice” with Irons, Time magazine reported.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias was a multi-sport athlete who also advocated for cancer awareness.
Multi-sport American athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics and won 10 LPGA major championships. She won a total of 82 gold tournaments. Zaharias also participated in basketball, baseball, softball, diving, roller-skating, and bowling.
Zaharias was known for breaking the boundaries of what it meant to be female in her time. She was physically strong and criticized for it.
She was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1951 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1976.
Zaharias was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1953. In her later years, she also became known as an advocate for cancer awareness, using her popularity to raise money for her cancer fund. At the time, many Americans refused to seek treatment for cancer.
She died three years later in 1956 at 45.
Sheryl Swoopes was a three-time WNBA MVP.
Sheryl Swoopes was the first player to sign a WNBA contract, and for good reason; she was a generational talent who went on to win three WNBA MVP awards. She won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Swoopes was the first WNBA player to have a triple-double in the regular season and playoffs. She was the first women’s basketball player to have a Nike shoe named after her, called the Air Swoopes.
She became one of the highest-profile athletes to publicly announce she is gay in 2005. Since retiring from the sport, Swoopes has coached various women’s basketball programs.
Basketball player Cheryl Miller still holds numerous records at the University of Southern California.
Gold medalist and University of Southern California women’s basketball star Cheryl Miller is one of the most well-known collegiate players to ever play the game. Miller never played in the WNBA but led the US basketball team to a gold medal during the 1984 Olympics.
Her jersey was the first retired jersey at USC from both basketball teams. She scored 3,018 career points and had 1,534 career rebounds. She helped the Trojans to two NCAA titles, winning NCAA Tournament MVP both seasons.
Miller still holds multiple records at USC, including career scoring, scoring average, rebounds, rebound average, and free throws. After playing, she worked as a coach and sportscaster.
In January 2024, USC reported that she was one of 10 Californians chosen to be inducted to the California Hall of Fame.
In 1987, Nancy Lopez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Golf great Nancy Lopez left college during her sophomore year to turn professional in 1977. She won nine tournaments during her first full season on the LPGA Tour in 1978.
She was named LPGA Rookie of the Year and LPGA Player of the Year, and won the Vare trophy, which is given to the player with the lowest-scoring average for the season. She was the only woman to achieve all three in the same season.
From the late 1970s to late 1980s, Lopez was the game’s best player, winning three majors, all at the LPGA Championship. She never won the US Women’s Open, but finished second four times.
In 1997, Lopez became the first woman to score under 70 for all four rounds but finished second to Alison Nicholas. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987.
Lisa Leslie was the first player to dunk in a WNBA game.
Lisa Leslie is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medalist. She was drafted No. 7 overall in the 1997 inaugural WNBA draft and went on to win two WNBA championships with the Los Angeles Sparks. She was also selected as a WNBA All-Star eight times.
Leslie was the first player to dunk in a WNBA game and is widely considered one of the greatest in the league’s history.
Since her retirement in 2009, she has served as a sports commentator in several sports networks and in 2018 joined Fox Sports Florida as a studio analyst on Orlando Magic broadcasts. She currently coaches the Triplets in the BIG3.
In 2012, Gabby Douglas became the first Black woman to win gold in the all-around competition at the Olympics.
At the 2012 London Games, then-16-year-old Gabby Douglas made history as the first Black woman to win gold in the all-round Olympic gymnastics competition. Known with her teammates as the “Fierce Five,” Douglas also became the first US gymnast to win gold in both the all-around and team titles at the same Olympic Games.
She returned to Olympic competition in 2016 alongside 2012 Olympic teammate Aly Raisman, winning the team gold medal alongside Simone Biles, Madison Kocian, and Laurie Hernandez, dubbed the “Final Five.”
In 2017, Business Insider reported that Douglas was facing swift criticism for a deleted tweet that appeared to victim-blame Raisman, who’d recently spoken out about sexual abuse. She later apologized, writing that she was “deeply sorry for coming off like I don’t stand alongside my teammates.”
In July 2023, Douglas announced her intent to return to the Olympics after an eight-year hiatus, but a foot injury during practice in May 2024 forced her to drop out of the running, the Olympics reported.
Ons Jabeur is the first African and Arab woman to reach the final of Wimbledon.
Ons Jabeur is a professional tennis player from Tunisia who made history in 2022 when she became the first African and Arab woman in the Open Era to reach the final of a Grand Slam, finishing as the runner up at Wimbledon, the WTA reported.
Jabeur had previously made history in 2021 when she became the first Arab woman to win a WTA title.
CNN reported that at a press conference at the 2022 US Open, Jabeur told media, “I hope I can send a powerful message that if I made it here, everybody can make it here. Especially for women from different countries, especially from women from the Middle East, from the Arab world.”
Jabeur’s success has been highly influential in attracting young girls in Tunisia to tennis, with CNN noting that “membership in the Tunisian Tennis Federation has grown and the number of young Tunisians showing interest in the sport has climbed with Jabeur’s success.”
As of August 2024, she is ranked the No. 16 player in the world and has been to three Grand Slam finals.
Briana Scurry is one of the best goalkeepers in USWNT history, competing in four World Cups and two Olympics.
When the public remembers the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, they often envision Brandi Chastain celebrating on the ground, jersey in hand. What they may forget, though, was the incredible save made by legendary USWNT goalkeeper Briana Scurry that allowed the US to raise the trophy for their second World Cup title.
Scurry played 173 full international games throughout her career, including four World Cups and two Olympics, in which the US brought home gold medals in both; giving her the second most appearances of any female goalkeeper.
In addition to being the only Black starter for the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, Scurry was also one of the first out lesbians in professional soccer, reported the National Museum of African American History.
She was elected to the FIFA Hall of Fame in 2010 and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2017, becoming the first Black woman and first female goalkeeper to receive the honor.
Scurry now works as an influential speaker, focusing on advocating for concussion awareness, having suffered a career-ending concussion in 2010.
Tessa Virtue is one of the most awarded figure skaters in history.
Tessa Virtue and her skating partner Scott Moir are widely regarded as one of the best ice-dancing teams of all time. By 2024, their Olympic-winning 2018 routine to “Moulin Rouge” had been viewed over 22 million times on the Olympic YouTube channel, demonstrating the captivating nature of their performances that have resonated with audiences for years.
In the ice-dancing event, the duo won gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, silver in 2014 at the Sochi Games, and gold again in 2018 in Pyeongchang. They also have won two team medals, making them the first figure skaters to own five career Olympic medals, reported the Olympics.
Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy has helped increase representation for athletes with disabilities.
At just 19 years old, Amy Purdy lost both legs below the knee, her spleen, and hearing in her left ear after contracting bacterial meningitis.
Despite the immense change, she told NIH MedlinePlus Magazine in 2023 that “mentally, I adjusted right away to my new reality.” Purdy returned to her love of snowboarding just seven months later, and went on to compete at the 2014 Paralympic Games in 2014 in Sochi, bringing home the bronze medal for snowboard-cross standing, an event the International Paralympic Committee said she was “instrumental” in getting included in the games.
After her Olympic success, Purdy returned to the US to compete as the first double amputee on “Dancing With the Stars,” placing second with her partner Derek Hough. She also released her New York Times bestselling memoir, “On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs To Learning The Dance Of Life,” that same year.
Purdy returned to Olympic competition in 2018, competing in the Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang and winning a silver and bronze medal in the women’s snowboard cross SB-LL1 and women’s banked slalom SB-LL1 events, respectively.
Since retiring from the sport in 2022, Purdy has continued to work with her non-profit, Adaptive Action Sports, which she founded in 2005 with her now-husband Daniel Gale. The group works to help individuals with physical disabilities who want to get involved in action sports, art, or music.
When NIH MedlinePlus Magazine asked what the future holds for her, Purdy said that she wants to help others live a life as accomplished and fulfilled as hers. “I’m at the beginning of writing my second book, and I have plans to help people find their voice and use their own stories to impact the world,” she said.
Former tennis world No. 1 Naomi Osaka has been an influential figure on and off the court.
Naomi Osaka is a Japanese-American tennis player known for both her abilities on the court, and her advocacy of mental health and social justice issues.
She has previously held the No. 1 world tennis ranking, becoming the first Asian player to do so in the singles category. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, with two wins at both the Australian and US Opens, as well as seven WTA titles.
In 2020, she was an influential public figure during the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, penning an essay for Esquire, attending protests, and even withdrawing from the Western & Southern Open in August after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She posted her decision on Instagram, writing, “Before I am an athlete, I am a black woman. And as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis.”
Osaka won that year’s US Open wearing masks with a different name of a victim of police brutality for each match, a gesture that caught the attention of the families of Ahmaud Arbery and Tamir Rice, who thanked her for remembering their loved ones, The New York Times reported.
She has also been honest about her experiences with depression as an athlete, telling reporters after a loss in 2021’s US Open, “I feel like for me recently when I win, I don’t feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don’t think that’s normal,” NPR reported.
Osaka took an extended break from playing and gave birth to her daughter in 2023. She has since returned to the court with recent appearances at the Miami Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon.
In addition to being a decorated track-and-field athlete, Allyson Felix wrote a powerful op-ed that helped change Nike’s maternity policy.
Allyson Felix is the most decorated American track-and-field athlete of all time, with 11 Olympic medals — seven of which are gold — from five consecutive Olympic games, per the Olympics.
Another of her biggest accomplishments in her career was raising public consciousness about the issues female athletes face when they become pregnant, penning a powerful op-ed in 2019 for The New York Times saying Nike planned to reduce her pay by 70% after giving birth to her first child.
Her article, in addition to experiences shared by fellow runners Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher, gained widespread attention and sparked Nike to create a new maternity policy for its athletes.
Felix has also been outspoken about her birthing experience after having an emergency C-section because of complications with preeclampsia. In 2022, she partnered with Pampers to help combat disparities in Black maternal healthcare.
She told Business Insider in 2022, “All Black women, all women of color are at risk. It doesn’t matter how great of medical care that you have, or being a professional athlete. I never would’ve imagined that this would be my situation. And I think that that’s what a lot of people think.”
“When I went through this situation, my eyes were just opened. I wanted to take action, but I think what’s even more incredible is these organizations and companies who are stepping up and have been doing this and been in this space for so long,” she added.
Caitlin Clark revolutionized the landscape of women’s college basketball.
The all-time NCAA leading scorer — and first overall 2024 WNBA Draft pick — is undoubtedly changing the way women’s sports are viewed.
Her appearance in the 2023 Women’s NCAA March Madness championship game against LSU and its own major star, Angel Reese, was watched by nearly 10 million people, a 103% increase from 2022’s viewership, Nielsen reported.
Later that year, she helped attract nearly 56,000 people to Kinnick Stadium for an outdoor exhibition game against DePaul University, Just Women’s Sports reported.
In the WNBA Draft, she was selected first by the Indiana Fever, where she’s apparently continuing to have an impact on viewership. Of the 16 WNBA games that have attracted more than 1 million viewers this season — a WNBA record — 14 featured Clark and the Indiana Fever, Sports Media Watch reported.
Clark has embraced her role as a leading figure in the sport, telling post-game press after a win against Indiana University in 2024, “I’m all about growing the women’s game and I’m glad I’ve given something that little girls can scream about at the top of their lungs,” reported the Des Moines Register.
Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in both tennis and golf.
Althea Gibson is best known for breaking the color barrier in tennis, but she did so in golf, too.
In 1950, Gibson became the first Black person to compete at the US National Championships, defeating Barbara Knapp in the first round, the International Tennis Hall of Fame reported. A year later, she also became the first Black player to compete at Wimbledon.
Throughout her career, Gibson appeared in 19 major finals, winning 11 titles. She won the French International Tennis Championship in 1956, then became the first Black person to win Wimbledon, doing so back-to-back in 1957 and 1958. She also won the US Open those same years. In addition to her five singles titles, Gibson won five titles in women’s doubles and one title in mixed doubles.
She was the first Black person to be ranked No. 1 in the world in tennis.
After her tennis career, Gibson transitioned into golf where she became the first Black woman to compete on the women’s professional golf tour in 1963.
ESPN reported that she played 171 events from 1963 to 1977 and although she never won, her presence was highly influential in creating representation for young Black female athletes.
Simone Manuel is the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal in swimming.
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Simone Manuel made history as the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic medal in swimming when she set an Olympic and American record in the 100-meter freestyle at 20 years old.
She finished Rio with an additional two silver medals and another gold, for a total of four medals.
She returned to the Olympic stage in 2021, winning the bronze medal in the women’s 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay. This year, she helped the same relay team reach silver as well as the women’s 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay team.
Manuel is known for her activism in swimming, advocating for more diversity and inclusion in the sport.
Ilona Maher helped US women’s rugby win its first Olympic medal in history.
US Women’s Rugby made history in Paris as they reached the Olympic podium for the first time with a bronze medal — and the player everyone’s talking about is Ilona Maher.
Maher, 27, was a member of the Tokyo Olympics’ squad, where she began to make a name for herself on social media as an influential advocate for body positivity.
She’s continued her activism on TikTok, building a community of more than 2.2 million followers as she shares glimpses of life interacting with other athletes, comedy, outfits, and advice.
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