Related: Rowing vs Assault Bike Calories Conversion Chart. That same year she organized a meeting that led to the creation of the Women’s Tennis Association and threatened to boycott the 1973 U.S. Open if men and women winners were not paid the same. “My hope is that the next generation will be able to have [total equality]—it will just be a given.”. In 1988, she founded her eponymous foundation, which seeks to help at-risk children; in 2007, she cofounded Athletes for Hope, which encourages pro athletes to become involved in charitable causes; and in 2016, she joined a Comcast initiative to provide internet access to low-income families. In the time since Cunningham’s groundbreaking achievements, the once niche sport of weightlifting has surged in popularity. As her New York Times obituary noted, Rudolph “became America's greatest female sports hero since Babe Didrikson Zaharias a generation earlier.” Rudolph’s success is even more notable when you consider the fact that the decorated athlete almost died as a four-year-old after contracting double pneumonia and scarlet fever. Though it may be challenging to compare performance in a variety of different competitive arenas requiring different skill sets, this list nevertheless attempts to distinguish the top female athletes of all time. From Jackie Joyner-Kersee to Ronda Rousey, and beyond! In 2014 she founded the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, which promotes diverse and inclusive leadership. Latynina had the most Olympic gold medals by a gymnast with 9. Superstar American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner brought serious speed—and impeccable style—to the track with her record-breaking pace, iconic one-legged jumpsuits, and nearly six-inch-long painted fingernails. After an impressive four Olympic Games, multiple American records, and a bronze medal in the high jump, Chaunté Lowe is not yet ready to step away from the track—even after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis last May. Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, launched the Avon International Running Circuit, 72 Ladies Professional Golf Association events during her career, one of the most decorated U.S. Olympic bobsledders, DeFrantz became the first African American—and woman, became the IOC’s first female vice president, American records in two different weight classes, and earned two gold medals at the Pan-American Games, plus seven USAW national championships, greatest beach volleyball team of all time, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2019, FIFA’s Women’s 2019 Player of the Year Award. “I want to get to this coming season [the 2019–2020 season] and still be one of the top racers, but also be pushing my own limits, pushing the limits of the sport, and pushing the other girls to push themselves,” Shiffrin told Glamour in 2019. Toughest woman in the world. She also went on to become a four-time finalist and silver medalist at the 1978 World Rowing Championships and a six-time national champion. Alice Coachman broke that barrier by launching herself to first place in women’s high jump at the 1948 London Games, a victory that marked one of “the most important turning points in terms of visible black womanhood and black women becoming symbols of American heroism,” says Bonnie J. Morris, a lecturer in the department of history at U.C. The Sporting News ranked him as the second-best football player of all-time in 1999 while The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players, an NFL Network production, had Rice at No. Copeland, who didn’t take up ballet until the late age of 13, is big on elevating the next generation of dancers. Evert sometimes gets forgotten amongst the other tennis stars, yet her legacy as one of the sport’s greatest winners cannot be ignored. Stacy is an effervescent queen... 2. Three-time Olympic bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor didn’t pick up the sport until 2007. Glamour may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The American tennis champion slash equality advocate, who won a whopping 39 Grand Slam championships in her career, deserves her own category of greatness. After a record-shattering 2018–2019 season, Shiffrin put herself on pace to win as many as 125 World Cup races, which would eclipse the current career record by 39 (! It gets even more spectacular: Because of the especially rough ocean conditions at the time, Ederle tackled at least 14 more miles than she would have had she been able to chart a straight line (35 versus 21 miles), per the New York Times. After graduating from the University of Louisville Medical School, Dot Richardson was in the midst of her residency in orthopedic surgery when she decided to take a one-year hiatus. 1. After Everest, Tabei went on to scale many more enormous mountains and, in 1992, became the first woman to have stood atop the Seven Summits, i.e., the tallest peaks on the seven continents. In July 2019, the equality pioneer received the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPYs. Janica Kostelić (Croatian pronunciation: [janitsa kǒstelitɕ]; born 5 January 1982) is a former... Sandra Perković (born 21 June 1990) is a Croatian discus thrower. A true champ, both on—and off—the field. “I was the only African American woman at ABT for a decade, and so much of what I do now is mentoring young minority dancers and trying to be a support system for them,” Copeland told Variety in 2016. DeFrantz, who had actually been a member of the USOC since 1976, lost the lawsuit but received a medal for her efforts from the International Olympic Committee. In 2016, after former NFL player Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the national anthem, she became both the first white and the first female athlete to kneel in solidarity. At the PGA Tour’s 2003 Bank of America Colonial event, Sörenstam teed up alongside the best male golfers in the world, becoming the first woman to do so since Babe Zaharias Didrickson in 1945. MJ was fast and could leap, but he wasn't nearly as strong as LeBron. Greatest female athletes of all time Serena Williams. “She was very popular in Rome and credited with stimulating the popularity of track and field among girls and women,” Welch tells Glamour. But Ederle’s truly mind-boggling accomplishment was bigger than one single swim. As the first African American female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland is a pioneer in the world of professional dance—and beyond. Hamm went on to start her namesake foundation, which aims to increase opportunities for young women in sports and also raises funds and awareness for bone marrow and cord blood transplants. Also check out our list of the Top 25 Greatest Male Triathletes of All Time, and look out for Triathlete.com’s upcoming lists of the 20 Biggest Kona Meltdowns and 20 Greatest Gear Innovations of All Time. With the accolades came hardship—Vonn battled serious injuries throughout her career, including a torn knee ligament (which ruptured twice), a broken ankle, and critical nerve damage in her arm. One sportswriter wrote: “It would be much better if she and her ilk stayed at home, got themselves prettied up, and waited for the phone to ring,” per Britannica. In other words, she’s here to not only better herself, but to inspire others and elevate the entire sport in the process. She’s Going to Get Us All Paid Better, Simone Biles Isn’t Afraid to Own Her Greatness, New York Daily News Archive / Getty Images, Vianney Thibaut/Agence Zoom / Getty Images, U.S. Open became the first major tennis tournament to offer equal prize money, one of the first athletes to be publicly outed, joined others in calling for Margaret Court Arena, 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with sister Venus, candid about the pressures and frustrations of motherhood, maternal mortality crisis facing black women in America, highest peaks in more than 70 (!) Gibson also made her mark in another sport: In 1964, she turned her focus to professional golf, becoming the first African American member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. “I used to bury my head in the sand when it came to these issues, but not anymore,” she wrote in an Instagram post in October of 2019. There are many ways to prevent cancer for yourself or those you love . 50 Hottest Female Athletes of All-Time 1. Summitt died in 2016 at age 64; the Pat Summitt Foundation, which she and her son Tyler founded in 2011 to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s, continues on. Ranked No. Switzer,” an official tried to tear off her bib, but Switzer’s boyfriend body-blocked the aggressor. In honor of the 35th Annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day here are some inspiring quotes from some of the best female athletes of all time. That three-peat feat made Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor the first women to win three Olympic medals in the sport and the first athletes—men or women—to earn three beach volleyball gold medals. And her popularity, which continued after she officially hung up her cleats in 2004, was akin to the renown of top male athletes. Swedish American Annika Sörenstam is one of the best golfers in history, winning a standing-ovation-worthy 72 Ladies Professional Golf Association events during her career. Since giving birth to her daughter, Alexis, in 2017, she’s been candid about the pressures and frustrations of motherhood. The gifted multisport athlete (Cunningham trained in three different sports at the U.S. Olympic Training Centers: gymnastics, soccer, and weightlifting) also attended the 2004 Athens Games, where she finished 10th in her division, set American records in two different weight classes, and earned two gold medals at the Pan-American Games, plus seven USAW national championships. “I see people who come back [from military tours] with injuries and it really inspires me to make them appreciate what they have and to make them understand that whatever you set your mind to, you can do,” she said during her induction into the Hall of Fame. Some of these athletes may not be household names through no fault of their own, but due to the lack of coverage, pay and adulation women’s sport has often received, however this should not take away from their talent and success. In the U.S. and abroad, the world of female athletics has come a long way over the past 30 years. As one of the most prolific scorers in the history of U.S. soccer, forward Alex Morgan is an unstoppable force—both on and off the field. The trailblazer went on to win two more golds and a silver at the 1980 Olympics before retiring in 1984 with nine Olympic medals to her name. Blind since birth, Zorn began swimming at age 10 and burst onto the Paralympic scene at the 1980 Games, winning seven gold medals and setting three world records. “Tell your story,” Nyad wrote, urging other victims to speak out. Make sure that you know what they are.”. Sports: Field Hockey . Also holds the absolute world record in Ironman * 10 (38km swimming, 1800 km cycling and 422 km running) with 7 d 19 h 8 min 23 sec. "There's no reason to exclude women from any sport.". “I’ve won five world titles, and if I say, ‘I’m the best gymnast there is,’ [the reaction is] ‘Oh, she’s cocky. That wasn’t Cunningham’s only accomplishment—not by any stretch. By the time Leslie retired in 2009, she was the league’s career leader in scoring and rebounding, according to the New York Times. It feeds me as an artist and as a person, and I learn more and more about myself and what’s lacking and what needs to be done in the professional ballet world.”. After her hearing was permanently impaired during the record-breaking swim, she also went on to teach the sport to deaf children. Zara Dampney. “Let us never again be silenced.”, Considered to be one of the best rock climbers in the world, Lynn Hill made history in 1993 when she became the first person in the world—man or woman—to free climb The Nose, a steep, exposed route on Yosemite’s legendary El Capitan. In 1986, DeFrantz became the first African American—and woman—to represent the U.S. on the International Olympic Committee. "I have three messages: One is, we should never, ever give up,” she said, per NPR. Her time in that race of 10.49 seconds was faster than the men's records in multiple countries, including Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and Turkey. DeFrantz has made her biggest marks on history outside the boat. Today’s biggest stories, from pop culture to politics—delivered straight to your inbox. So, when the sport was finally added to the Games in 1996, Richardson hit pause on her career and joined the American squad. 10: Chris Evert. Dozens of amateur national and world records, plus three Olympic medals in swimming. In August the company announced a new maternity policy for all sponsored athletes that guarantees pay and bonuses for 18 months surrounding pregnancy. Women’s weightlifting made its Olympic debut at the 2000 Sydney Games, and that year American Tara Cunningham (née Nott) won gold in the 48-kilogram division, becoming the first female Olympic weightlifting champion in history, per Team USA, after she lifted more than twice her bodyweight. “Know your risk and find ways to mitigate them. Hamm, a goal-scoring powerhouse on Team USA, played on the 1991 and 1999 World Cup winning teams as well as the gold-medal-clinching teams at the 1996 and 2004 Olympic Games. And in that way, the 23-year-old freestyle phenom is bigger than just blazingly fast swims—she’s an icon and idol for the next generation of young swimmers. Let’s start with the perfect 10, shall we? She became a professional golfer, helped found the Ladies Professional Golf Association, made history as the first woman to compete in a men’s golf tournament, and won a whopping 31 tournaments, including several after receiving a colon cancer diagnosis. 1 by the... Mia Hamm. Joyner-Kersee is big on giving back. From there, she went on to have deep involvement with the Olympics administration, breaking gender and racial barriers along the way. Here, in no particular order, the 40 most powerful women athletes of all time. “I can’t understand why men make all this fuss about Everest,” she allegedly said. ... Laura Dahlmeier is a German biathlete. "For me, it's about trying something that no one my age has done before, and to hopefully open doors for other athletes who may have closed them because they felt they were too old,” Torres told Glamour before the 2008 Games. Serena, who was named the AP’s female athlete of the time in 2013 at age 32, is one of the supreme female athletes of all time. Richardson went on to become medical director of the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, and vice chair of the President’s Council on Fitness. Probably the greatest female golfer of all-time, Sorenstam has won 90 international tournaments —Â most ever for a woman —Â including 72 LPGA events and 10 majors. The then 64-year-old swam unaided more than 100 miles from Florida to Cuba, spending over two full days in the water—without the safety and assistance of a shark tank. Steffi Graf is one of the best and one of the richest female athletes in the world. She Won. “She has been one of the great competitors, the most fierce competitor.”. In 2019, the superstar forward led the USWNT to its historic World Cup Win, tying for the most goals scored of the tournament (six) and winning a slew of awards, including the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball as well as FIFA’s Women’s 2019 Player of the Year Award later that fall. There is something about female athletes that seems to highlight the sporting industry in a perspective that was once never expected. Competitive surfer Bethany Hamilton was just 13 years old when she lost her arm in a shark attack in Kauai, Hawaii. In 1957, the Associated Press named the New York City native the Female Athlete of the Year, marking the first time an African American had received the designation (the AP awarded Gibson the honor again in 1958). Tom on May 12, 2020: I would have to say Monica Seles. In 2013, Diana Nyad did what no human in history had ever done before. No easy feat. 1 professional tennis player Billie Jean King is regarded as one of … If I, one of Nike’s most widely marketed athletes, couldn’t secure these protections, who could?” This time the athletic apparel behemoth listened. That moment (which you can witness here) is just one of the Leslie’s many awe-inspiring accomplishments. “I like to think that by doing this, I'm hopefully setting a precedent for someone who is watching me…that I’m breaking down barriers to show people that [people with disabilities] can be out there,” she told Glamour last year after returning from a climb into Everest’s “death zone.”. “Almost no women at the time could climb as hard as the top men of the day. They smash barriers. The moment was captured in iconic photos and shared in the media, and change soon followed. But the very next day, in true champion style, she promptly won the women’s drivers division at USA Bobsled Push Championships. In 2002, Lisa Leslie demolished a gender barrier in basketball when she became the first woman to slam-dunk in a WNBA game. 41. And as one of the first athletes to be publicly outed, King has been a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. This list gathers female sports stars from across every professional league, association, and organization as well as amateur female athletes who may have never competed professionally in one overall list. I think it’s important to teach [young girls] that.” Louder for the people in the back, please. “No, even when the injuries and the crashes seemed to endlessly pile up, I never changed. "If I have anything to leave," she said, according to the Times, "the foundation is my legacy. In 2009, Summit, a former player herself who cocaptained the women’s silver-medal-winning basketball team at 1976 Olympics, became the first men’s or women’s NCAA basketball coach in history to achieve 1,000 career wins. At the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials, FloJo smashed the women’s world record in the 100-meter while rocking a bright magenta and teal ensemble, challenging stereotypes of what a powerful female athlete should look like. When talented female players advance in sports, there is something The 5 Most Successful Female Athletes of All-Time. Through her dominance in track and field and advocacy for women—particularly mothers—in sports, Felix is helping spread an important message: Women can be mothers and world-class athletes. It was a lot of hard work searching through the hottest tennis players or golfers. In the best female gymnasts of all time, we can find Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina who got an amazing 18 Olympic medals. The barrier-busting feat, which wasn’t repeated for 12 years, had a profound and long-lasting impact on the sport. From climbing the highest mountains on earth to swimming in brutal ocean conditions to running 26.2 miles at blistering speeds, women have proved time and again that they’re capable of achieving seemingly impossible physical feats. Tia is now the best female Crossfit athlete of all time and is now tied with Rich Froning at 4 Crossfit Games titles. “She led the way for female African American Olympic track stars like Wilma Rudolph, Evelyn Ashford, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.” Though the 1948 Olympics marked the end of Coachman’s track-and-field career, she continued to make an impact on the lives of others, becoming an elementary school teacher and founding the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to help young athletes and former competitors, per the Times. Since establishing the Kirstie Ennis Foundation in 2018, Ennis has distributed more than $70,000 in grants for nonprofits serving veterans, women, and the disabled population. It “made a memorable contribution in an age when many found it difficult to take female athletes seriously,” the Times wrote in Ederle’s 2003 obituary. The ultimatum worked: Later that year the U.S. Open became the first major tennis tournament to offer equal prize money. “I think it’s really important if you’re going to have your name on anything that you’re hospitable, you’re inclusive, you’re open arms to everyone that comes,” she said, according to the New York Times. Here is our list of the Top Ten Black Women Athletes of All Time. Every 20-year-old year hooper interested in girls can’t get... 3. The purpose of this article is to establish the greatest female athletes of all time, from across a range of countries and sports. But for more than seven decades after its inception in 1897, the field was open only to men. When we typed “Katie Ledecky swimmer” into Google, the search platform informed us that people also ask, “How do you swim like Katie Ledecky?” And that inquiry makes perfect sense. © 2021 Condé Nast. Net worth: $30 million. Also damn impressive: Weeks after winning the 2012 Games, Walsh Jennings announced that she was pregnant with her third child—and had been during the Olympic competition. The 36 most iconic female athletes of the past century Wilma Rudolph. In 2018, Walsh Jennings, who openly expressed disappointment over that third place finish in Rio, told the Associated Press she wants to fight for gold one more time at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Didrikson Zaharias died from the disease in 1956, but her legacy lives on: In 2000, Sports Illustrated named her a top athlete of the 20th century. Hamm’s dominance on the field ushered in an unprecedented level of media attention for a women’s sports team, especially during the 1999 World Cup. As more women started running marathons, Switzer continued to race (she won the New York Marathon in 1974, among other accomplishments) and also launched the Avon International Running Circuit, which hosts women-only races in 27 countries. The next year she repeated the feat in less than 24 hours (previously, it’d taken her four days). Nationality: United States of America, Germany. A goal-scoring forward, Knight helped lead Team USA to gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Games—their first Olympic victory in 20 years. She’s served on the advisory committee for the ABT’s Project Plié, which provides training and mentorship to dance teachers in racially diverse communities around the country and in Boys & Girls Clubs. Anastasia Ashley. Ellen Hoog Instagram. Our hope is that in reading this (admittedly subjective) list, you’ll learn about some of the fiercest female trailblazers in history who have paved and continue to pave the road for athletes—and women—everywhere. African American sprinter Wilma Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single... Billie Jean King. Sandra Perković. To revisit this article, select My⁠ ⁠Account, then View saved stories. They transcend sports to become cultural game changers. The most successful female athletes ever. Here’s a look at 19 Canadian women who are kicking ass on the world stage. Berkeley and professor emeritus of women's studies at George Washington University. Paige Vanzant. With 25 world championship medals to her name (and counting), the 23-year-old American now owns more hardware from the global competition series than any gymnast, male or female, in history. After surviving a helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan, former Marine Kirstie Ennis endured dozens of surgeries, an above-the-knee amputation on her left leg, and a traumatic brain injury. And I felt like people accepted me for that.”. Crossfit Games podium finish – 2 (50 POINTS) Regionals win – 1 (10 POINTS) Worldwide Open overall win – 0. “I just feel that it’s my responsibility to make the world a better place—we all have that responsibility.”. Despite the criticism, Didrikson Zaharias kept on doing what she did best: winning. The 2003 incident, which made international news, transformed the young teen into a symbol of resilience and inspiration, especially when Hamilton hopped back onto her board for competition less than one month after the incident. Top 20 Hottest Female Athletes Of The Past 30 Years. The Czech-born International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, who defected to the U.S. in 1976, finished her career with an astounding number of wins: 167 singles tournaments, 177 doubles events, and 2,189 matches. Zaharias is yet another star in golf. Mia Hamm. At the 2000 Sydney Games, Richardson joined Team USA once more for a repeat gold-medal performance. Former World No. At this point in her legendary career, we have just one question for tennis superstar Serena Williams: Is there anything she can’t do? The reason? Dakota and Dylan Gonzalez “Gonzalez Twins” (Basketball). 49. All rights reserved. “In the next Olympics, the newest, fastest swimmer will be the next Katie Ledecky instead of the female Michael Phelps,” Lea Davison, two-time Olympic mountain biker, told Glamour in 2016. After hours on hours of research and diving through Instagram posts, we have rounded out the top 50 hottest female athletes of all-time. But her final resurgence wasn’t about a medal. Birthplace: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Birthplace: Santa Clara, California, United States of America, Birthplace: Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic, Open to all amateur or professional female athletes in any sport. In 1973, King prevailed in the historic "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match against self-described male chauvinist pig Bobby Riggs, a victory that went a long way toward upending the idea that female athletes aren’t just as tough as men. Her organization also leads clinics that help expose underserved populations and minority groups to outdoor sports. “I’m the antithesis of no fucks given—I give all the fucks,” Rapinoe previously told Glamour. Be sure to vote up your favorites, then head over and check out the highest-paid women in sports. Among Ederle’s other accomplishments in the sport? The female sports stars that rise to the top can be considered to be not only some of the best female athletes of all time, but some of the best athletes, no qualifier, ever. “But then I think of the next girl who is going to come along who looks like me, and I hope, 'Maybe, just maybe, my voice will help her.’”, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei became the first woman to summit Mount Everest in 1975, shattering the gender barrier in her sport by climbing the world’s tallest peak. Aspects to consider in picking a female best athlete of all time would include, obviously, that player's raw talent and born ability. Some women in sports may not have the natural, genetic ability to dunk a basketball or hit a home run, but nonetheless have trained to the point of reaching these goals all the same. Recently she joined others in calling for Margaret Court Arena, a show court on the grounds of the Australia Open, to be renamed because of Court’s views on homosexuality. Last fall, Meyers Taylor announced she was pregnant and would miss this current bobsledding season. Sparking change, not just in hockey, but sport and other industries. “It was my path, my journey, and I felt like people accepted that, ‘Hey, she’s an athlete, and she wants to get better.’ I’ve always let my clubs do the talking. Heptathlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee tops the list, … So, here’s ending our top picks for hottest female athletes of all time! During the 2019 FIFA Women’s Soccer World Cup, Morgan netted a record-breaking five goals in a single game; ignited the internet with her post-goal tea sipping; and stood up to critics who deemed her celebrations “disrespectful.”, But the 30-year-old’s fight for parity goes much further. Without any doubt Mia is responsible in large part for the surge in popularity women’s soccer experienced in America in the 1990’s. There, she went on to lead the team to an astounding eight NCAA championship wins, including a then unprecedented three-peat performance in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Since then, Meyers Taylor has added two silver Olympic medals to her collection (2014 and 2018 Games), cementing her status as one of the most decorated U.S. Olympic bobsledders.
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