
Who’re essentially the most well-known feminine athletes ever?
That’s an thrilling query since an increasing number of ladies are displaying simply how unbelievably incredible they are often at their chosen sport.
With much more followers displaying nice curiosity, and recognize the unbelievable expertise and exhausting work these women put in. There’s certain to be a number of debate on who the actually well-known feminine athletes are.
So we’ve compiled an inventory of some unbelievable feminine athletes who weren’t simply glorious at their chosen sports activities however are additionally function fashions and icons who the subsequent era of athletes and followers alike will look as much as.
So in no specific order, let’s take a look at a few of these well-known feminine athletes.
The Most Well-known Feminine Athletes Of All Time
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
- Sport: Monitor and Subject

Six Olympic medals (three of them gold) gained, competing within the heptathlon and lengthy soar occasions in 4 consecutive Olympic video games (1984-1996).
She was additionally a four-time world champion whereas additionally profitable a gold medal within the Pan American Video games.
No marvel she was usually known as the American Athletics First Woman.
Babe Didrikson Zaharia
- Sport: Tennis

Excelling in any sport is one thing to be pleased with, however doing so at a time when folks had a gnawing prejudice in direction of feminine athletes made it much more spectacular.
Zaharias was nice at nearly each sport she tried and even went on to win two gold medals on the 1934 Olympics. She started her golf profession a yr later and commenced collaborating in PGA occasions three years later.
After profitable 41 LPGA occasions, she was inducted into the Golf Corridor of Fame. Sadly, she died on the age of 40.
Wilma Rudolph
- Sport: Monitor and Subject

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For somebody who needed to cope with polio and was solely capable of stroll with a metallic brace throughout her early years, what miss Wilma Rudolph was capable of accomplish was a miracle.
She grew to become the quickest lady on the time and was the primary feminine American athlete to win three gold medals from a single Olympic recreation in 1960.
Her achievements made her an icon amongst black folks and feminine athletes, and she or he was very lively within the Civil Rights motion.
Billie Jean King
- Sport: Tennis

One of many finest feminine tennis gamers of all time with 12 grand slam singles, 16 doubles, and 11 blended doubles to provide a complete of 39 grand slam titles, King was one hell of a tennis participant.
She was a robust advocate for social justice and gender equality. After the Open Period started in 1968, three years later, she grew to become the primary feminine athlete to win $100,000 in prize cash.
She confirmed the primary seeds of equal pay within the recreation of tennis within the course of.
Danica Patrick
- Sport: Racing

Essentially the most profitable feminine race automotive driver is unquestionably an icon to ladies generally.
Prevailing in a male-dominated sport is not any simple feat, but she gained the 2008 Indy 300 championship in Japan and have become the primary lady to turn into an IndyCar Collection Champion.
5 years later, she was the primary lady to win a NASCAR Dash Pole Collection. Her successes as a NASCAR driver has inspired different ladies to compete within the male-dominated sport of automotive racing.
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Serena Williams
- Sport: Tennis

Serena Williams wants no introduction. She is arguably one of the best feminine tennis participant of the Open Period.
Serena has turn into a job mannequin for the youthful era of feminine tennis gamers and folks worldwide.
With 23 Grand Slam singles titles, she holds the file for essentially the most grand slam victories within the singles class by a tennis participant, male or feminine.
Venus Williams
- Sport: Tennis

It’s exhausting to say one with out the opposite. One other tennis icon, Venus Williams has gained 7 Grand Slam singles, and 14 Grand Slam doubles alongside along with her sister and companion Serena.
She additionally has 4 Olympic Gold medals and tied for first place for essentially the most gold medals by a tennis participant, male or feminine. She is the primary black lady to turn into world No. 1 within the WTA rankings.
Venus Williams helped end what Billy Jean King began by profitable the struggle for equal pay on the Wimbledon Open with the assistance of Tony Blair, the Prime Minister on the time.
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Michelle Kwan
- Sport: Determine Skating
The American determine skater is without doubt one of the biggest determine skaters of all time and definitely america’ most adorned determine skater to this point.
With 5 world championships and a nine-time United States champion, Michelle Kwan is without doubt one of the most well-known feminine athletes in America, even after her retirement in 2006.
Lindsey Vonn
- Sport: Alpine Ski Racing

Lindsey Vonn grew to become the primary American feminine skier to win the downhill Olympic Gold medal through the winter Olympics of 2010.
She picked up her twentieth world crystal globe title in 2016 to turn into the one Alpine skier to carry the file. Vonn was compelled to retire in 2019 attributable to persistent accidents.
But with 4 world championships (three of them again to again) and three Olympic Gold medals, and 82 world championship victories, Vonn is without doubt one of the biggest skiers of all time.
Ronda Rousey
- Sports activities: MMA, Wrestling
Arguably one of the best feminine blended martial artist globally, Ronda Rousey conquered the UFC with 12 victories from 14 fights profitable the World Championship.
She efficiently defended her title on six totally different events earlier than recording her first loss within the UFC.
After signing for the WWE in 2018, she additionally grew to become a World Champion, thus changing into the primary and solely lady to win the title at each the UFC and the WWE.
She can also be a Hollywood star, starring in massive films like The Expendables 3, Mile 22, and Livid 7.
Simone Biles
- Sport: Gymnastics

At 22, Simone Biles has confirmed herself to be the best gymnast the world has ever seen. With 25 gold medals within the Olympics and the world championships, she has dominated at nearly each occasion she participated in.
Biles is a 5-time all-round US champion, a 4-time all-round World Champion, and she or he gained 4 gold medals on the 2016 Olympic video games.
Katie Ledecky
- Sport: Swimming
One other girl that wants no introduction. Katie Ledecky is one of the best feminine swimmer on the planet.
She gained her first Olympic gold medal on the age of 15, after dazzling the entire world within the 800-meter freestyle within the 2012 Olympics, and that was solely the start.
By 2016 she had smashed 14 world data and profitable 4 gold medals and a silver medal, which made her essentially the most adorned feminine athlete of the 2016 Olympic video games.
Ledecky at present holds the file for 400, 800, and 1,500 meters freestyle. What a swimmer!!!
Megan Rapinoe
- Sport: Soccer

The present world’s finest feminine soccer participant is a co-captain of america Ladies’s Nationwide Soccer Workforce (USWNT).
Megan Rapinoe led her workforce to their second consecutive world cup scoring six objectives and choosing up the golden boot and the golden ball awards of the event.
In addition to profitable the World Cup once more in 2015, she was additionally a part of the 2012 Olympics soccer workforce who took house the gold medal.
Rapinoe is an lively advocate for equal pay in soccer as a sport and LGBTQ rights as nicely.
Alex Morgan
- Sport: Soccer
Alex Morgan is a fellow teammate of Rapinoe and co-captain of the USWNT, profitable again to again FIFA world cups, the Olympic Gold medal and a silver medal within the 2011 world cup.
She scored 28 objectives and recorded 28 assists in 2012 and have become the second lady to file 20 or extra objectives and assists in a single calendar yr, the primary being Mia Hamm. Morgan has 169 caps for the US scoring a powerful 107 objectives.
Similar to Rapinoe, she has been an advocate for equal pay.
Missy Franklin Johnson
- Sport: Swimming

At simply 17, Missy Franklin grew to become the primary American feminine athlete to win 4 gold medals on the London Olympics of 2012, blowing everybody out of the water as she made a clear sweep of each occasion she participated in.
She went on to win one other six gold medals the next yr through the world aquatics championships.
If she hadn’t suffered from continual ache in her shoulder, which compelled her to retire at an early age, she simply might need dominated the swimming world similar to Michael Phelps.
Steffi Graf
- Sport: Tennis

To win a Grand Slam is an impressive success.
However to dominate the world of tennis for an entire yr, profitable each Grand Slam singles title, after which including an Olympic Gold medal in a single yr takes you to an entire new stage.
That’s exactly what Steffi Graf did, profitable the Golden Grand Slam title and was world No. 1 for 377 weeks and profitable a complete of twenty-two Grand Slam titles, making her one of many Best Feminine Tennis Gamers Of All-Time.
Graf holds the file for the longest World No. 1 for a tennis participant, male or feminine.
Misty Could-Treanor & Kerri Walsh Jennings
- Sport: Seashore volleyball

These two women are known as the best seashore volleyball workforce the planet has ever seen, and for agood cause.
They smashed each single workforce who was unfortunate sufficient to face them, shedding only one set in 21 matches throughout three consecutive video games, profitable gold medals in 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympic video games.
Their partnership ended when Could-Treanor introduced her retirement after profitable her third gold medal, and so they have been each inducted into the volleyball corridor of fame.
Larisa Latynina
- Sport: Gymnastics
Latynina is little question the best gymnast of all time, holding the file for essentially the most Olympic Gold medals to be gained by a gymnast male or feminine.
She gained 9 gold medals for the Soviet Union. A file which stood for 48 years, she additionally has 5 silver medals and 4 bronze medals to make a complete of 18 Olympic medals.
Latynina retired in 1966 and have become a gymnast teacher.
Lisa Leslie
- Sport: Basketball
Drafted into the WNBA because the seventh decide in 1997, Leslie went on to have probably the greatest careers within the WNBA, profitable two WNBA championships, three WNBA MVPs and was an eight-time All-star WNBA workforce.
Lisa Leslie was the primary feminine basketball participant ever to dunk within the WNBA, and she or he additionally gained three Olympic Gold medals.
After her retirement in 2009, she served as a sports activities commentator for a number of networks earlier than becoming a member of Fox Sports activities as an analyst in Florida.
Nastia Liukin
- Sport: Gymnastics

Nastia Liukin was pivotal to the success of the US Gymnastics workforce, profitable three world championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
She gained the gold medal for the all-around occasions and 4 different Olympic medals tying for the file of essentially the most medals gained in a single Olympic recreation.
After her retirement in 2012, Liukin grew to become an analyst for NBC Sports activities; she additionally hosts a Nastia Liukin Cup yearly to assist help the game’s development.
Closing Ideas
There you’ve got it, our all-time checklist of essentially the most well-known feminine athletes ever.
These distinctive ladies didn’t simply conquer their varied sports activities.
They’ve turn into function fashions and idols for the youthful generations of athletes and the complete world. Their names will ceaselessly be etched in historical past.