Politics & Culture

20 History-Making Female Athletes

In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s take a moment to look back at all that women have accomplished throughout sports history.

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Simone Biles's incredible talent as a gymnast has made her the most decorated gymnast of all time.

From tennis players to runners to swimmers, there is no doubt female athletes in any sport are incredibly inspiring. The world of sports has not always been welcoming to the idea of female athletes, however, that has not stopped them from becoming some of the most decorated and influential athletes in history.

Women have come a long way in the journey for their place in sports, and a large part of that is thanks to the inspiring female athletes who, through their determination and resilience, have paved the way. To celebrate Women's History Month, let's look back at some of the incredible female athletes who have earned their place in sports history. 

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Billie Jean King is undoubtedly one of the best tennis players in the world. As a former top-ranked player in the world, King almost made history by ensuring that the US Open would give equal prize to women and men.
Junko Tabei is the first woman to ever successfully climb Mount Everest, which she completed in 1975.
Florence Griffith Joyner set the world records for the 100 and 200-meter dash during 1988 Olympics, both of which still stand today.
Nadia Comaneci was awarded the first ever perfect score in gymnastics at the 1976 Olympic games, during which she was only 14 years old at the time.
Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to successfully swim across the Atlantic Ocean in 1926.
Althea Gibson was the first Black athlete to win the US Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.
Tara Cunningham won the first female Olympic weightlifting gold medal in 2000.
Alice Coachman was the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal with her incredible performance at the high jump at the 1948 Olympic games.
Swimmer Trischa Zorn is the most decorated Paralympian of all time.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee was the first athlete to score over 7000 points in the heptathlon competition, as well as the first athlete to consecutively win two heptathlons at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics.
Lindsey Vonn is the female skier with the most wins of all time.
With fifteen gold medals, Katie Ledecky has the most world championship gold medals for a female swimmer.
Dynamic duo Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May Treanor are the first beach volleyball players (male or female) to win three gold medals in the sport.
Misty Copeland was the first African-American woman to be given the position of Principal Dancer at the American Ballet Theater.
Wilma Rudolph was the first American woman to take home three gold medals in an Olympics games.
With six US Open Singles titles, the most for any female athlete, as well as the most Australian Open wins for any female player and thirty-nine Grand Slam titles, Serena Williams is one of the best tennis players in history.
Simone Biles's incredible talent as a gymnast has made her the most decorated gymnast of all time.
American sprinter and gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin currently holds the world record for the 400-meter hurdle race which she set at the 2020 Olympics.

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