Image by Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Women’s sport is reaching new heights in terms of popularity and professionalism all the time, though the current generation’s crop of stars have some incredible trailblazing predecessors to thank for opening doors and changing narratives. In this article, we honour some of the greatest female athletes in history.
These barrier breakers redefined their own sporting disciplines while battling discrimination and vaulting challenges, all the while paving the way for and inspiring the next waves of female sports stars.
Below, we take a look at ten of the most influential figures in the history of women’s sport.
10. Serena Williams – Redefining Women’s Tennis
A powerhouse on the court who performed with a blend of strength and grace, Serena Williams is a global tennis icon, who followed in her sister Venus’s footsteps, eventually surpassing her sibling’s own incredible achievements.
Serena Williams has won an incredible 23 Grand Slam singles titles, which is the most in the Open Era. She won four Olympic gold medals and held the World No. 1 ranking spot for 319 weeks.
During her career at the pinnacle of tennis, she even rebounded to glory after childbirth and life-threatening health issues, showcasing her mental resilience and commitment to sporting excellence.
Williams’s remarkable consistency on the biggest stage made her a staple with bettors in outright markets for Wimbledon and the US Open on sports betting sites UK.
Off the court, Serena has built a business empire and is one of the planet’s most instantly recognisable sports personalities. A genuine behemoth, Williams is the benchmark for any young girl picking up a racket today.
9. Mia Hamm – The Face of Women’s Soccer Stateside
The legendary Mia Hamm was perhaps, the first soccer starlet in the USA to achieve worldwide celebrity status. She represented his country with distinction between 1987 and 2004, scoring a phenomenal 158 goals in 276 appearances for the United States.
Hamm led the USA to two World Cup victories and two Olympic golds, and she became the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame (2013), though that award is one of dozens of individual accolades accumulated by the former forward.
Now a keen philanthropist, Hamm turned women’s soccer into a mainstream spectacle, but never lost her humility. Millions of girls across America and beyond grew up wanting to be the “next Mia Hamm”.
8. Florence Griffith-Joyner – The Fastest Woman Who Ever Lived
“Flo-Jo” exploded onto the running scene at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, stunning onlookers while winning three gold medals. Alongside that trio of podium finishes, she also set new world records in the 100m (10.49s) and 200m (21.34s), both of which still stand today, almost 40 years later.
Her flamboyance only added to her appeal, with her long-painted nails, flowing dark hair and famous one-legged bodysuits attracting an army of fans, eager to follow her every stride.
Away from the glamour, Griffith-Joyner was an athlete supreme however, and her raw speed on the track during her pomp was something to behold. She also proved that female athletes could be both formidable and unapologetically stylish. Tragically, Griffith-Joyner died at the age of just 38.
7. Jackie Joyner-Kersee – The Greatest All-Around Female Athlete
With six Olympic medals earned in four different games (1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996), including two golds in the heptathlon, Jackie Joyner-Kersee is the undisputed queen of multi-event athletics.
The iconic publication, Sports Illustrated, even named her as the greatest female athlete of the 20th century (200), and her long-jump world records in the World Championships in Athletics Records (7.36) and Olympic Games Records (7.40) still stand today.
Joyner-Kersee overcame family hardship and asthma to pen her legacy, showing a mental grit to go along with her physical brilliance.
6. Nadia Comăneci – The First Perfect 10
In 1976, 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic history when she dazzled on the uneven bars in Montreal.
The prodigious talent went on to collect three gold medals overall that year, including the all-around, and picked up nine Olympic medals in total before retiring from elite-level gymnastics six years later at the age of 20.
Her flawless displays captivated the world like no other and her performances raised the bar for artistic gymnastics forever. In later life, Comăneci maintained a connection to her sport through media work, coaching and ambassadorial roles.
5. Wilma Rudolph – From Polio to Olympic Glory
Rudolph’s story is unique in that she was born prematurely with polio, starting life under the impression that she might never walk unaided.
However, Rudolph overcame that difficult start and then some. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Games, topping the podium for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, while setting world records along the way.
Away from the track, Rudolph was a key figure in the civil rights movement and even refused to participate in segregated victory parades in her homeland after the Olympics, using her fame to advance the cause any way she could.
Her story remains one of the most powerful examples of resilience in the history of the greatest female athletes.
4. Fanny Blankers-Koen – The Flying Housewife
With a name straight from the imagination of Bob Mortimer, Fanny Blankers-Koen became an almost mythological figure when she starred at the London Olympics in 1948.
Back then, the 30-year-old Dutch mother of two won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles and 4×100 relay, earning her the nickname, “the flying housewife”.
She either set or equalled 12 world records and was later voted as the greatest female track and field athlete of the 20th century by the IAAF (International Amateur Athletics Federation).
Her success that year, demolished the myth that age and motherhood ended athletic careers, giving fresh hope to women everywhere that family and elite sport could coexist quite happily.
3. Althea Gibson – Breaking Racial Barriers
In 1956, Althea Gibson made history when she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title at the French open, cementing her place in the annals of tennis greatness in the process.
She followed that French success with victories at Wimbledon (1957) and the US Open (1958), going on to collect 11 major titles across singles and doubles titles overall.
Raised in a troubled Harlem during segregation, Gibson faced continuous racism and hostility throughout her career, but always carried herself with a quiet dignity that belied her competitive drive on the court.
Gibson’s breakthrough opened doors for every Black tennis player who followed, including Serena and Venus Williams. She proved that talent and determination could triumph over prejudice.
2. Billie Jean King – Champion of Equality
Billie Jean King transcended the sport of tennis and became a figurehead for women’s rights, making her one of the most important female sports starts ever.
King won an eye-watering 39 Grand Slam titles during her glittering career, including six Women’s Singles championships at Wimbledon, though she will probably be best remembered for her “Battle of the Sexes” against male opponent Bobby Riggs.
Her grudge match win over Riggs, which was watched by over 90 million people, was a seminal moment in women’s rights and for female sport in general.
At 39, King became Wimbledon’s oldest Grand Slam semi-finalist (1983), showing her incredible longevity. Beyond the court, King founded the Women’s Tennis Association and fought hard for equal prize money for her peers.
1. Babe Didrikson Zaharias – The Ultimate Multi-Sport Pioneer
The term “all-rounder” might have been coined to describe Babe Didrikson Zaharias. The Texas-born natural had it all and could do it all.
At the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, she won gold in the 80m hurdles and javelin, plus silver in the high jump, all while setting world records. But that wasn’t enough achievements for Zaharias.
Later, she went on to dominate in golf, becoming the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event in 1938 and winning the 1947 British Ladies Amateur.
She also excelled at baseball, representing Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians in the Major Leagues, and played basketball to a high level too, achieving three-time AAU All-American status in the 1930s.
There was little Babe couldn’t conquer. Indeed, when asked if there was anything she didn’t play, she famously replied, “Yeah, dolls.”
Her fearless versatility shattered any notions that women belonged in just one sport. Pigeonholing didn’t apply to the unfazed Zaharias, who showed that athletic greatness knows no limits.
