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Women's Sport

Greatest Women in Sport

Celebrating the legends, record-breakers and icons of women's sport across every discipline.

281Women Athletes
27Sports

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Browse Women's Sport

Select a sport to explore the greatest female athletes of all time.

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All Women's Profiles

SW
Tennis

American

Serena Williams

Professional Tennis Player

23-time Grand Slam champion and the greatest female athlete of her generation — transformed tennis and redefin…

VW
Tennis

American

Venus Williams

Professional Tennis Player

Tennis requires exceptional technical precision, physical endurance and mental resilience across hundreds of m…

SG
Tennis

German

Steffi Graf

Professional Tennis Player

The only player to achieve the Golden Slam — all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold in the same year (1988).…

MN
Tennis

Czech/American

Martina Navratilova

Professional Tennis Player

18-time Grand Slam singles champion and arguably the greatest serve-and-volley player in tennis history.…

CE
Tennis

American

Chris Evert

Professional Tennis Player

18-time Grand Slam champion and holder of a 90% career win rate — one of the most consistent players in tennis…

Tennis

Polish

Iga Świątek

Professional Tennis Player

Poland's world No. 1 and four-time French Open champion — the dominant women's player of the 2020s.…

SH
Tennis

Romanian

Simona Halep

Professional Tennis Player

Romania's greatest ever tennis player — two-time Grand Slam champion and former world No.…

CW
Tennis

Danish

Caroline Wozniacki

Professional Tennis Player

Denmark's greatest tennis player — former world No. 1 and 2018 Australian Open champion who fought rheumatoid …

FG
Athletics

American

Florence Griffith-Joyner

Sprinter

Flo-Jo — the fastest woman in history whose world records of 10.49s (100m) and 21.34s (200m) have stood for ov…

AF
Athletics

American

Allyson Felix

Sprinter (200m, 400m)

The most decorated US track and field Olympic athlete in history with eleven medals across five Games.…

TD
Athletics

Ethiopian

Tirunesh Dibaba

Distance Runner (5000m, 10000m)

Track and field rewards incremental improvements in technique and conditioning pursued through years of struct…

ET
Athletics

Jamaican

Elaine Thompson-Herah

Sprinter (100m, 200m)

Jamaica's double sprint champion who became the fastest woman in 33 years when she ran 10.…

SB
Gymnastics

American

Simone Biles

Artistic Gymnast

The most decorated gymnast in World Championship history — seven Olympic golds and skills named after her.…

NC
Gymnastics

Romanian

Nadia Comăneci

Artistic Gymnast

The first gymnast in Olympic history to score a perfect 10.0 — at age 14 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.…

BJ
Tennis

American

Billie Jean King

Professional Tennis Player

The Battle of the Sexes — the most important tennis match in history, for reasons beyond sport.…

KL
Swimming

American

Katie Ledecky

Swimmer

The most dominant female swimmer in history — world records by margins never seen in the sport.…

DF
Swimming

Australian

Dawn Fraser

Swimmer

Three consecutive Olympic 100m freestyle golds — the only swimmer to achieve this in the same event.…

AV
Cycling

Dutch

Anna van der Breggen

Professional Cyclist

The most dominant women's cyclist of her era — Olympic champion and multiple world champion.…

KW
Winter Sports

German

Katarina Witt

Figure Skater

Two Olympic gold medals — the most glamorous and commercially successful figure skater of the Cold War era.…

SH
Winter Sports

Norwegian

Sonja Henie

Figure Skater

Three consecutive Olympic gold medals — the figure skater who turned the sport into show business.…

PS
Winter Sports

American

Picabo Street

Downhill Skier

The most famous American female skier — Olympic gold and comeback from a near-career-ending knee injury.…

TV
Winter Sports

Canadian

Tessa Virtue

Ice Dancer

The most decorated figure skater in Olympic history — five medals with Scott Moir.…

OK
Gymnastics

Soviet

Olga Korbut

Gymnast

The Sparrow from Minsk — changed gymnastics from a minor sport to a global phenomenon.…

LL
Gymnastics

Soviet

Larisa Latynina

Gymnast

18 Olympic medals — the record that stood until Michael Phelps.…

ML
Gymnastics

American

Mary Lou Retton

Gymnast

America's golden girl — the first American woman to win the all-around Olympic gold medal.…

SM
Gymnastics

American

Shannon Miller

Gymnast

The most decorated American gymnast — seven Olympic medals and the 1993 World all-around champion.…

Gymnastics

Czech

Věra Čáslavská

Gymnast

Seven Olympic gold medals — the Czech gymnast who bowed her head during the Soviet anthem in protest.…

PH
Gymnastics

American

Paul Hamm

Gymnast

The only American to win the Olympic all-around — the most controversial gold medal in Olympic gymnastics hist…

SK
Gymnastics

Russian

Svetlana Khorkina

Gymnast

Three consecutive World all-around titles — the most elegant uneven bars specialist in history.…

EL
Rowing

Romanian

Elisabeta Lipă

Rower

The most decorated Olympic rower in history — eight medals across six Games.…

KG
Rowing

British

Katherine Grainger

Rower

Five consecutive Olympic medals — the most by any British female Olympic athlete.…

AW
Rowing

British

Anna Watkins

Rower

Olympic champion and world record holder in double sculls — one of British rowing's finest.…

MM
Volleyball

American

Misty May-Treanor

Beach Volleyball Player

Three consecutive Olympic gold medals with Kerri Walsh — the greatest partnership in beach volleyball history.…

KW
Volleyball

American

Kerri Walsh Jennings

Beach Volleyball Player

Three Olympic golds and the partner of Misty May-Treanor — the most decorated beach volleyball champion.…

SG
Surfing

Australian

Stephanie Gilmore

Surfer

Seven World Championship titles — the most decorated female surfer in history.…

DY
Table Tennis

Chinese

Deng Yaping

Table Tennis Player

The most dominant female table tennis player in history — four Olympic gold medals.…

CF
Athletics

Australian

Cathy Freeman

Sprinter

Carried the Australian flag at the 2000 Sydney Olympics opening ceremony — then won 400m gold.…

SH
Athletics

Dutch

Sifan Hassan

Distance/Marathon

The most versatile distance runner in Olympic history — golds across 1500m, 5000m and 10000m.…

KC
Tennis

Belgian

Kim Clijsters

Tennis Player

The comeback queen — retired, raised a family, returned as a wildcard and won the 2009 US Open as a new mother…

JH
Tennis

Belgian

Justine Henin

Tennis Player

Seven Grand Slams and the finest one-handed backhand in women's tennis history — Henin retired at 25 at the ab…

MH
Tennis

Swiss

Martina Hingis

Tennis Player

The youngest world number one in tennis history — five Grand Slam singles titles built on intelligence and mov…

LD
Tennis

American

Lindsay Davenport

Tennis Player

Three Grand Slams and Olympic gold — Lindsay Davenport's powerful baseline game made her the dominant American…

AM
Tennis

French

Amélie Mauresmo

Tennis Player

Tennis requires exceptional technical precision, physical endurance and the mental resilience to compete acros…

PR
Athletics

British

Paula Radcliffe

Marathon Runner

The women's marathon world record holder — Paula Radcliffe's 2:15:25 in London 2003 stood for 16 years.…

DK
Athletics

British

Dame Kelly Holmes

Middle Distance Runner

The Athens double — 800m and 1500m gold at Athens 2004, achieved after years of injury and personal struggle.…

JE
Athletics

British

Jessica Ennis-Hill

Heptathlete

The face of London 2012 — her heptathlon gold was the defining moment of Britain's greatest sporting summer.…

AS
Golf

Swedish

Annika Sörenstam

Professional Golfer

The greatest female golfer in history — 10 majors, 72 LPGA wins and the first woman to shoot 59 in LPGA compet…

LD
Golf

British

Laura Davies

Professional Golfer

Britain's greatest female golfer — four majors and the first British woman to reach world number one.…

DL
Cycling

British

Dame Laura Kenny

Track Cyclist

Britain's most decorated female Olympian with five gold medals — married to Sir Jason Kenny, together the most…

MV
Cycling

Dutch

Marianne Vos

Road/Track Cyclist

The greatest all-round cyclist in women's history — Olympic gold on track and road, world titles in road, cycl…

JE
Swimming

American

Janet Evans

Distance Freestyle Swimmer

The greatest female distance swimmer before Katie Ledecky — four Olympic gold medals and a 400m world record t…

SS
Swimming

Swedish

Sarah Sjöström

Freestyle/Butterfly Sprinter

World record holder in the 50m and 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly — the greatest female sprint swimmer in h…

AT
Swimming

Australian

Ariarne Titmus

Freestyle Swimmer

The Terminator — Ariarne Titmus dethroned Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle at Tokyo 2020 in one of the grea…

RR
MMA

American

Ronda Rousey

Bantamweight

The first female UFC champion — 12 straight first-round finishes and the breakthrough that made women's MMA ma…

MS
Winter Sports

American

Mikaela Shiffrin

Alpine Skier

The most successful alpine skier in history — over 90 World Cup victories and multiple Olympic gold medals red…

LV
Winter Sports

American

Lindsey Vonn

Alpine Skier

82 World Cup victories and four overall World Cup titles — Lindsey Vonn is the most successful female ski race…

CP
Winter Sports

German

Claudia Pechstein

Speed Skater

Nine Olympic medals and the most decorated Winter Olympian in German history — Claudia Pechstein competed acro…

RT
Volleyball

Cuban

Regla Torres

Volleyball Player

Three consecutive Olympic gold medals with Cuba — Regla Torres is one of the greatest middle blockers in women…

CM
Table Tennis

Chinese

Chen Meng

Table Tennis Player

Two-time Olympic champion and world number one — Chen Meng's powerful forehand and consistency have made her t…

CM
Badminton

Spanish

Carolina Marín

Badminton Player

Olympic champion at Rio 2016 — the first non-Asian player to win the women's singles Olympic gold in 40 years.…

GL
Badminton

Chinese

Gao Ling

Badminton Player

Four Olympic medals including two gold — Gao Ling is the most decorated female badminton player in Olympic his…

SS
Badminton

Indonesian

Susi Susanti

Badminton Player

Badminton combines explosive speed, exceptional touch and the tactical intelligence to win fast-paced rallies …

CM
Surfing

American

Carissa Moore

Professional Surfer

Five World Championship titles and the first surfing Olympic gold medallist — Carissa Moore won gold when surf…

EK
Rowing

Belarusian

Ekaterina Karsten

Rower

Two Olympic gold medals and the most decorated women's rower in history — Ekaterina Karsten competed at six Ol…

M
Football

Brazilian

Marta

Forward

Six-time FIFA World Player of the Year and Brazil's all-time leading scorer — widely regarded as the greatest …

SK
Football

Australian

Sam Kerr

Centre Forward

Chelsea and Australia captain — the most clinical striker in women's football of her generation and the all-ti…

MR
Football

American

Megan Rapinoe

Winger

Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year and the most decorated American in women's football history — a two-tim…

AM
Football

American

Alex Morgan

Centre Forward

America's most recognisable female footballer — a two-time World Cup winner whose combination of pace, techniq…

AW
Football

American

Abby Wambach

Centre Forward

The most capped international footballer in history at the time of her retirement — 184 goals for the USA and …

MH
Football

American

Mia Hamm

Forward

The player who built women's football globally — Mia Hamm was the first women's player to become a global supe…

AH
Football

Norwegian

Ada Hegerberg

Centre Forward

The first ever women's Ballon d'Or winner — Ada Hegerberg's goals record at Lyon is without comparison in the …

VM
Football

Dutch

Vivianne Miedema

Centre Forward

The Netherlands' World Cup and European Championship winner whose goal-scoring records at Arsenal broke every …

LB
Football

British

Lucy Bronze

Right Back

England's most decorated female footballer and the finest full-back in women's football — Champions League win…

AP
Football

Spanish

Alexia Putellas

Attacking Midfielder

Two-time Ballon d'Or Féminin winner and the architect of Barcelona's era of dominance — Putellas' vision, pass…

MM
Basketball

American

Maya Moore

Small Forward

The most decorated women's basketball player of her generation — four WNBA championships, two Olympic golds an…

CC
Basketball

American

Cynthia Cooper

Guard

The first WNBA dynasty was built around Cynthia Cooper — four consecutive championships with the Houston Comet…

DT
Basketball

American

Diana Taurasi

Guard

The greatest women's basketball player of all time — five WNBA championships, five Olympic golds and a scoring…

CM
Basketball

American

Cheryl Miller

Small Forward

Considered the greatest female basketball player before the WNBA era — Cheryl Miller's USC career (105 wins, 3…

CS
Boxing

American

Claressa Shields

Middleweight/Super Middleweight

The greatest female boxer of all time and the only boxer — male or female — to hold all four major world title…

KT
Boxing

Irish

Katie Taylor

Lightweight

Ireland's greatest ever boxer — Olympic gold medallist, undisputed lightweight world champion and the fighter …

LA
Boxing

American

Laila Ali

Super Middleweight

Muhammad Ali's daughter and the most commercially successful female boxer in history — 24-0 with 21 knockouts …

EP
Cricket

Australian

Ellyse Perry

All-Rounder

The most complete player in women's cricket history — an all-rounder of genuine Test quality whose 213* agains…

HK
Cricket

British

Heather Knight

Batsman/Captain

England's most successful women's Test captain — the architect of England's 2017 World Cup victory on home soi…

MR
Cricket

Indian

Mithali Raj

Batsman

The most prolific run-scorer in women's international cricket history — India's most capped player and the fir…

BC
Cricket

Australian

Belinda Clark

Batsman

The first cricketer — male or female — to score a double century in a One Day International. Clark's 229* agai…

RB
Horse Racing

Irish

Rachael Blackmore

National Hunt Jockey

The most successful female jockey in jump racing history — winner of the Grand National and Champion Hurdle in…

RE
Snooker

British

Reanne Evans

Professional Snooker Player

The most successful female snooker player in history — 10-time Women's World Snooker Champion who became the f…

DP
Motorsport

American

Danica Patrick

Racing Driver (IndyCar/NASCAR)

The most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel and stock car racing — winner of the 2008 Indy…

ES
Rugby Union

British

Emily Scarratt

Centre/Full-back

England's most decorated women's rugby player — Women's Rugby World Player of the Year 2014 and a two-time Wor…

MA
Rugby Union

British

Maggie Alphonsi

Flanker

The Magician — England's most celebrated women's rugby player of her era and World Rugby Women's Player of the…

ZW
MMA

Chinese

Zhang Weili

Strawweight

China's most celebrated MMA fighter and two-time UFC Strawweight Champion — the first Chinese fighter to win a…

HW
Ice Hockey

Canadian

Hayley Wickenheiser

Forward

The greatest women's ice hockey player of all time — four Olympic gold medals, seven World Championship titles…

CG
Ice Hockey

American

Cammi Granato

Forward

America's greatest female ice hockey player — captain of the 1998 Olympic gold medal team that put women's hoc…

WR
Football

French

Wendie Renard

Centre Back

Olympique Lyonnais and France captain — the most dominant defender in women's club football history, winning t…

PH
Football

Danish

Pernille Harder

Attacking Midfielder

Denmark's greatest footballer and one of the finest attacking midfielders in the women's game — twice named UE…

LM
Football

Dutch

Lieke Martens

Left Winger

The Netherlands' most celebrated winger — FIFA Best Women's Player and UEFA Women's Player of the Year in 2017…

CL
Football

American

Carli Lloyd

Midfielder

Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year and the hero of two Women's World Cup finals — her hat-trick in the 201…

BP
Football

German

Birgit Prinz

Centre Forward

Germany's greatest striker and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year — scored 128 international goals and l…

LL
Basketball

American

Lisa Leslie

Center

The first player to dunk in a WNBA game and one of the most decorated women's basketball players in history — …

SB
Basketball

American

Sue Bird

Point Guard

The most decorated player in women's basketball history — four Olympic gold medals, five WNBA championships wi…

BS
Basketball

American

Breanna Stewart

Forward

The defining player of the modern WNBA era — two-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, Olympic gold medalli…

SS
Basketball

American

Sheryl Swoopes

Small Forward/Guard

The first player ever signed to the WNBA and three-time league MVP — Swoopes' combination of scoring, athletic…

CP
Basketball

American

Candace Parker

Power Forward/Center

The most versatile player in WNBA history — two-time MVP, two-time WNBA champion and the only player to win Ro…

CB
Boxing

Norwegian

Cecilia Brækhus

Welterweight

The most dominant female boxer of the modern era — the first woman in boxing history to hold all four major wo…

LR
Boxing

Dutch

Lucia Rijker

Lightweight/Light Welterweight

Considered the greatest female boxer of all time by many in the sport — 17-0 with 14 knockouts, Dutch kickboxi…

AW
Boxing

American

Ann Wolfe

Super Middleweight/Light Heavyweight

The hardest punching female boxer in history — her knockout power was so exceptional that male trainers used h…

HH
Boxing

American

Holly Holm

Welterweight/Light Welterweight

The most accomplished combat sports crossover athlete — 33-2-3 professional boxing record with world titles be…

SM
Boxing

British

Savannah Marshall

Middleweight

Britain's most successful female boxer — WBO Middleweight World Champion and the only boxer, male or female, t…

CE
Cricket

British

Charlotte Edwards

Batsman/Captain

England's most successful women's cricket captain — led England to four Ashes series victories, the 2009 World…

ML
Cricket

Australian

Meg Lanning

Batsman/Captain

Australia's greatest women's cricket captain and the finest female batter of her generation — led Australia to…

SM
Cricket

Indian

Smriti Mandhana

Opening Batsman

India's most stylish and celebrated batter — ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year twice, Mandhana's elegant left-…

RH
Cricket

British

Rachael Heyhoe Flint

Batsman/Captain

The trailblazer of women's cricket — England captain who led the team to the first Women's World Cup victory i…

SB
Cricket

New Zealander

Suzie Bates

Batsman

New Zealand's greatest women's cricketer and one of the finest batters in the history of the game — the first …

LO
Golf

Mexican

Lorena Ochoa

Professional Golfer

Latin America's greatest golfer and the most dominant women's player of the late 2000s — world No.1 for 157 co…

MW
Golf

American

Mickey Wright

Professional Golfer

The most technically gifted women's golfer in history — 82 LPGA Tour victories including 13 majors, a swing so…

KW
Golf

American

Kathy Whitworth

Professional Golfer

The winningest professional golfer of all time, male or female — 88 LPGA Tour victories, the most wins by any …

NK
Golf

American

Nelly Korda

Professional Golfer

America's dominant force in modern women's golf — Olympic gold medallist at Tokyo 2020, world No.1 and a playe…

BD
Golf

American

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Professional Golfer

The greatest female athlete of the first half of the 20th century — Olympic gold medallist in athletics (1932)…

TC
Swimming

American

Tracy Caulkins

Swimmer (Individual Medley)

The greatest all-round swimmer in US history — 48 national titles, three Olympic gold medals at the 1984 Los A…

LJ
Swimming

Australian

Leisel Jones

Swimmer (Breaststroke)

Australia's greatest breaststroke swimmer and one of the most decorated Olympians in Australian history — nine…

NC
Swimming

American

Natalie Coughlin

Swimmer (Backstroke/Freestyle)

The first American woman to win six medals at a single Olympics — Natalie Coughlin's 12 Olympic medals across …

FP
Swimming

Italian

Federica Pellegrini

Swimmer (Freestyle)

The most celebrated swimmer in Italian history and the only woman to break the 200m freestyle world record twi…

PO
Swimming

Canadian

Penny Oleksiak

Swimmer (Freestyle/Butterfly)

Canada's most decorated Olympian — at just 16, she became the first Canadian to win four medals at a single Su…

AV
Cycling

Dutch

Annemiek van Vleuten

Road Cyclist

The greatest women's road cyclist in history — World Champion three times, Olympic champion, winner of every m…

KA
Cycling

American

Kristin Armstrong

Road Cyclist (Time Trial)

The greatest time trialist in women's Olympic cycling history — three Olympic gold medals in the time trial at…

LD
Cycling

British

Lizzie Deignan

Road Cyclist

Britain's greatest women's road cyclist — World Champion in 2015, winner of the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes…

SH
Rugby Union

British

Sarah Hunter

Flanker/Number 8

England's most capped women's rugby player and one of the sport's greatest leaders — Red Roses captain who led…

PW
Rugby Union

New Zealander

Portia Woodman

Wing

New Zealand's most prolific try-scorer in women's rugby sevens and fifteens — the most electric attacking play…

FF
Rugby Union

New Zealander

Fiao'o Faamausili

Hooker

Black Ferns legend and New Zealand's most decorated women's rugby player — five World Cup winner's medals, cap…

SF
Rugby Union

New Zealander

Stacey Fluhler

Wing/Centre

New Zealand sevens and fifteens star who combines blistering pace with superb finishing ability — Commonwealth…

RC
Rugby Union

British

Rochelle Clark

Prop

England's most capped rugby union player of any gender — 137 Test appearances for the Red Roses across a 17-ye…

AH
Rugby League

British

Amy Hardcastle

Back

England's most celebrated women's rugby league player — multiple World Cup appearances and a pioneering figure…

KA
Rugby League

British

Kezie Apps

Back-Row

England's dominant back-row forward and captain — Women's Rugby League World Cup finalist, combining raw physi…

TA
Rugby League

Australian

Tarryn Aiken

Back

Australia's most gifted backs player in the women's game — NRLW champion and Jillaroos international who has b…

VF
Rugby League

New Zealander

Vanessa Foliaki

Wing

New Zealand's most prolific try-scorer in women's rugby league — the most dangerous attacking player in the Ki…

AW
Rugby League

Australian

Annette Widders

Centre/Wing

A pioneer of Aboriginal representation in women's rugby league — an Australian Jillaroos international and NRL…

JW
American Football

American

Jen Welter

Linebacker/Coach

A trailblazer for women in American football — the first woman to coach in the NFL (Arizona Cardinals, 2015) a…

SF
American Football

American

Sarah Fuller

Kicker

A landmark figure in American collegiate football — became the first woman to play in a Power Five conference …

SG
American Football

American

Sami Grisafe

Quarterback

The most decorated player in the history of women's American football — multiple Women's Football Alliance cha…

BL
American Football

American

Becca Longo

Kicker

The first woman to receive an American football scholarship at the NCAA level — a kicker who broke barriers at…

PP
American Football

American

Patricia Palinkas

Holder

The first woman to play professional American football — played as a holder for the Orlando Panthers in the At…

LL
Formula 1

Italian

Lella Lombardi

Racing Driver

The only woman to score points in a Formula 1 World Championship race — Lombardi earned half a point at the 19…

MT
Formula 1

Italian

Maria Teresa de Filippis

Racing Driver

The first woman to start a Formula 1 World Championship race — competed in three Grands Prix in 1958 and 1959,…

TC
Formula 1

Colombian

Tatiana Calderón

Racing Driver

Latin America's most successful female racing driver of the modern era — F2 competitor, Super Formula driver a…

KL
Formula 1

British

Katherine Legge

Racing Driver

Britain's most successful female single-seater racing driver — first woman to win a Champ Car race, IndyCar co…

SD
Formula 1

Swiss

Simona de Silvestro

Racing Driver

Switzerland's most successful racing driver — IndyCar regular, Sauber F1 development driver and one of the mos…

VS
MMA

Kyrgyz

Valentina Shevchenko

Flyweight/Bantamweight

The most technically complete female fighter in MMA history — seven consecutive UFC Flyweight title defences, …

CJ
MMA

Brazilian

Cristiane Justino (Cyborg)

Featherweight

The most feared striker in women's MMA history — the only fighter to hold world titles in UFC, Bellator, Strik…

JJ
MMA

Polish

Joanna Jędrzejczyk

Strawweight

Poland's greatest combat sports athlete — six consecutive UFC Strawweight title defences, a Muay Thai world ch…

AN
MMA

Brazilian

Amanda Nunes

Bantamweight/Featherweight

The greatest female fighter in MMA history — the only fighter, male or female, to hold two UFC titles simultan…

MT
MMA

American

Miesha Tate

Bantamweight

One of the founding figures of women's MMA — UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, the rival who helped launch Ro…

DR
Baseball

American

Dot Richardson

Shortstop (Softball)

America's most celebrated softball player and the face of the sport at the 1996 Olympics — her home run on her…

JF
Baseball

American

Jennie Finch

Pitcher (Softball)

The most recognisable face in softball history — two-time Olympic medallist whose strikes out of baseball's bi…

CO
Baseball

American

Cat Osterman

Pitcher (Softball)

The most dominant pitcher in softball history — a three-time Olympian with a career ERA under 0.50, three USA …

YU
Baseball

Japanese

Yukiko Ueno

Pitcher (Softball)

Japan's most celebrated softball player — the heroine of the 2008 Beijing Olympics who pitched 413 pitches acr…

LF
Baseball

American

Lisa Fernandez

Pitcher/Third Base (Softball)

One of the greatest two-way softball players in history — three Olympic gold medals, a career batting average …

AR
Ice Hockey

American

Angela Ruggiero

Defence

America's most decorated female ice hockey player — four Olympic medals including gold, the most capped US wom…

MP
Ice Hockey

Canadian

Marie-Philip Poulin

Forward

Captain Clutch — the most celebrated clutch performer in women's Olympic ice hockey history, scorer of the gol…

GH
Ice Hockey

Canadian

Geraldine Heaney

Defence

The greatest defenceman in women's ice hockey history — seven World Championship titles, Olympic gold, and an …

NR
Ice Hockey

Finnish

Noora Räty

Goaltender

The finest goaltender in women's ice hockey history — Finland's most celebrated female athlete, multiple World…

MR
Ice Hockey

Canadian

Manon Rhéaume

Goaltender

The first woman to play in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues — signed a profession…

NW
Snooker

Thai

Nutcharut Wongharuthai

Professional Snooker Player

Thailand's greatest female snooker player and a trailblazer for Asian women in the sport — the first Thai woma…

BG
Darts

British

Beau Greaves

Professional Darts Player

The most dominant women's darts player of the modern era — two-time PDC Women's World Championship finalist at…

AD
Darts

Dutch

Aileen de Graaf

Professional Darts Player

The Netherlands' most successful female darts player — multiple WDF Women's World Championship appearances, a …

BF
Horse Racing

British

Bryony Frost

National Hunt Jockey

Britain's most celebrated female jump jockey — winner of the King George VI Chase on Frodon, the biggest win b…

NC
Horse Racing

Irish

Nina Carberry

National Hunt Jockey

Ireland's greatest female jump jockey — five-time Cheltenham Festival winner including the cross-country race …

KW
Horse Racing

Irish

Katie Walsh

National Hunt Jockey

The most successful female jockey in Grand National history — finished third in the 2012 Grand National, the b…

CG
Horse Racing

British

Cathy Gannon

Flat Racing Jockey

One of Britain's most successful female flat racing jockeys — multiple winners at Group level and a consistent…

TL
Winter Sports

American

Tara Lipinski

Figure Skater

The youngest Olympic figure skating champion in history — won gold at Nagano 1998 at just 15 years and 255 day…

MK
Winter Sports

American

Michelle Kwan

Figure Skater

The most decorated figure skater in US history — five World Championship titles, nine US National Championship…

MB
Winter Sports

Norwegian

Marit Bjørgen

Cross-Country Skier

The most decorated Winter Olympian in history — 15 Olympic medals including 8 gold across five Games, 18 World…

CM
Motorsport

British

Charlie Martin

Racing Driver (Endurance)

A trailblazer for LGBTQ+ athletes in motorsport — the first transgender woman to race at the Nürburgring 24 Ho…

PM
Motorsport

British

Pippa Mann

Racing Driver (IndyCar)

Britain's most successful female IndyCar driver — six Indianapolis 500 starts, a Indy Lights champion and the …

MM
Motorsport

French

Micheline Mouton

Rally Driver

The greatest female rally driver in history and the only woman to win a round of the World Rally Championship …

LG
Motorsport

British

Leena Gade

Race Engineer

The most successful race engineer in Le Mans history — led Audi to three consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours victorie…

GR
Volleyball

American

Gabrielle Reece

Outside Hitter (Beach)

The most influential figure in the globalisation of beach volleyball — model, athlete and ambassador whose com…

ZC
Volleyball

Chinese

Zhang Changning

Outside Hitter

China's most prolific match-winner in the modern era of women's volleyball — two-time World Champion, Olympic …

EG
Volleyball

Russian

Ekaterina Gamova

Outside Hitter

The most physically dominant volleyball player in history at 2.02m — two-time Olympic silver medallist, World …

SC
Volleyball

Brazilian

Sheilla Castro

Opposite Spiker

Brazil's most decorated volleyball player — three Olympic gold medals across a career of extraordinary longevi…

ZY
Table Tennis

Chinese

Zhang Yining

Professional Table Tennis Player

The most dominant table tennis player of the 2000s — two consecutive Olympic gold medals, four World Champions…

DN
Table Tennis

Chinese

Ding Ning

Professional Table Tennis Player

The finest table tennis player of the 2010s — Olympic gold medallist, six-time World Champion and the player w…

LS
Table Tennis

Chinese

Liu Shiwen

Professional Table Tennis Player

China's most consistent performer across three decades — World Champion, five-time World Cup winner and Olympi…

AF
Table Tennis

Japanese

Ai Fukuhara

Professional Table Tennis Player

Japan's most beloved table tennis player and the face who transformed the sport's popularity in Japan — began …

SY
Table Tennis

Chinese

Sun Yingsha

Professional Table Tennis Player

The defining player of the current era in women's table tennis — Olympic gold medallist and the player who end…

ZN
Badminton

Chinese

Zhang Ning

Badminton Player (Singles)

The oldest Olympic badminton champion in history — won consecutive Olympic gold medals at Athens 2004 and Beij…

LX
Badminton

Chinese

Li Xuerui

Badminton Player (Singles)

China's dominant force in women's singles in the early 2010s — Olympic gold medallist at London 2012 and World…

RI
Badminton

Thai

Ratchanok Intanon

Badminton Player (Singles)

Asia's most beloved badminton player outside China — became World Champion at just 18, Thailand's Olympic meda…

PS
Badminton

Indian

PV Sindhu

Badminton Player (Singles)

India's most successful badminton player and the country's most decorated female Olympian — the first Indian w…

TT
Badminton

Taiwanese

Tai Tzu-ying

Badminton Player (Singles)

The greatest deceptive player in badminton history — ranked World No.1 for a record 224 consecutive weeks, Oly…

LB
Surfing

Australian

Layne Beachley

Surfer

The most successful competitive surfer in women's history — seven World Surf League Championship titles includ…

LA
Surfing

American

Lisa Andersen

Surfer

The surfer who changed everything — four consecutive World Championship titles from 1994 to 1997 and the cover…

SM
Surfing

Peruvian

Sofia Mulanovich

Surfer

South America's greatest surfer — the first South American to win the World Surf League Championship (2004) an…

MG
Surfing

Brazilian

Maya Gabeira

Big Wave Surfer

The greatest big wave surfer in women's history — world record holder for the largest wave ever surfed by a wo…

JD
Surfing

French

Johanne Defay

Surfer

France's most successful competitive surfer — World Surf League Championship Tour regular, Olympic bronze meda…

BF
Rowing

German

Birgit Fischer

Kayaker

The most decorated canoeist in Olympic history — eight Olympic gold medals across six Games from 1980 to 2004,…

HG
Rowing

British

Helen Glover

Rower (Pair)

Britain's most successful female rower — two Olympic gold medals in the coxless pair with Heather Stanning, th…

F
Football

Brazilian

Formiga

Defensive Midfielder

The most enduring international footballer in history, male or female — Formiga competed at seven consecutive …

NA
Football

German

Nadine Angerer

Goalkeeper

The finest goalkeeper in the history of women's football — FIFA World Player of the Year 2013, Women's World C…

AH
Football

French

Amandine Henry

Defensive Midfielder

France's greatest midfielder and one of the finest players of her generation — captain of Olympique Lyonnais's…

TH
Football

American

Tobin Heath

Right Winger

America's most creative and technically gifted winger — two-time Women's World Cup champion whose dribbling, c…

KL
Football

Scottish

Kim Little

Attacking Midfielder

Scotland's greatest ever footballer — Arsenal's creative fulcrum and the player who has single-handedly raised…

TC
Basketball

American

Tina Charles

Center

One of the WNBA's greatest centres — two-time Olympic gold medallist, WNBA scoring champion and the most proli…

ED
Basketball

American

Elena Delle Donne

Forward/Guard

The most versatile scorer in WNBA history — two-time MVP, the only player to average both 20 points and 8 rebo…

SA
Basketball

American

Seimone Augustus

Guard/Forward

One of the most clutch players in WNBA history — three-time WNBA All-Star, Olympic gold medallist with the US …

SF
Basketball

American

Sylvia Fowles

Center

The greatest defensive center in WNBA history — two Olympic gold medals, two WNBA championships and the WNBA r…

CP
Basketball

American

Cappie Pondexter

Guard

One of the WNBA's most gifted scorers and leaders — two-time WNBA champion, multiple All-Star selections and a…

VR
Tennis

Romanian

Virginia Ruzici

Professional Tennis Player

Romania's greatest tennis player and 1978 French Open champion — the first Romanian to win a Grand Slam single…

AS
Tennis

Spanish

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario

Professional Tennis Player

Spain's greatest tennis player — four Grand Slam singles titles, the first Spanish woman to win a Grand Slam, …

GM
Tennis

Spanish/Venezuelan

Garbiñe Muguruza

Professional Tennis Player

A two-time Grand Slam champion of exceptional power and versatility — Wimbledon and French Open winner whose c…

JC
Tennis

American

Jennifer Capriati

Professional Tennis Player

The greatest comeback story in tennis history — a child prodigy who reached the top 10 at 14, then battled per…

MP
Tennis

French/American

Mary Pierce

Professional Tennis Player

A two-time Grand Slam champion of exceptional power — the first French woman to win the French Open since 1967…

NA
Boxing

British

Nicola Adams

Flyweight

Britain's most celebrated female boxer and a pioneer of historic significance — the first woman to win an Olym…

EW
Boxing

Finnish

Eva Wahlström

Super Featherweight

Finland's most successful female boxer — WBC Super Featherweight champion for over four years, an undefeated r…

ML
Boxing

Swedish

Mikaela Laurén

Super Welterweight

Sweden's most successful female boxer — two-time world champion whose clinical power and technical excellence …

SE
Boxing

American

Seniesa Estrada

Minimumweight/Light Flyweight

The fastest knockout artist in women's boxing history — recorded a 7-second TKO, the fastest in any profession…

CC
Boxing

British

Chantelle Cameron

Super Lightweight/Welterweight

Britain's most versatile female world champion — unified super lightweight world champion who stepped up to we…

MO
Athletics

Jamaican

Merlene Ottey

Sprinter (100m, 200m)

The Queen of the Track — the most prolific medallist in World Athletics Championship history with 14 medals, c…

GD
Athletics

Ethiopian

Genzebe Dibaba

Middle/Long Distance (1500m)

The world record holder in the 1500m and indoor mile — Tirunesh's younger sister who carved out her own legacy…

DS
Athletics

Dutch

Dafne Schippers

Sprinter (100m, 200m)

Europe's finest sprinter of the 2010s — World Champion at 200m twice, the fastest European woman in history ov…

FW
Athletics

British

Fatima Whitbread

Javelin Thrower

Britain's most celebrated field athlete — World Champion in 1987, Olympic bronze and silver medallist and the …

TL
Athletics

Kenyan

Tegla Loroupe

Marathon/Long Distance

Africa's first female marathon world record holder and a global ambassador for peace — three-time world marath…

JB
Cricket

British

Jan Brittin

Batsman

England's most prolific women's Test batsman — 1,935 Test runs at an average of 49.62, the highest average of …

KR
Cricket

Australian

Karen Rolton

All-Rounder

Australia's greatest women's all-rounder before the modern era — ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2006, World…

CF
Cricket

Australian

Cathryn Fitzpatrick

Fast Bowler

The fastest female bowler in cricket history — capable of genuine pace that troubled the world's best batters,…

LS
Cricket

Australian

Lisa Sthalekar

All-Rounder

The first woman to complete the double of 1,000 ODI runs and 100 ODI wickets — a genuine all-rounder of rare q…

ST
Cricket

Trinidadian

Stafanie Taylor

All-Rounder

The West Indies' most accomplished women's cricketer and the first woman to reach No.1 in ICC rankings in both…

IP
Golf

South Korean

Inbee Park

Professional Golfer

South Korea's greatest golfer and the finest putter in women's golf history — seven major championships, Olymp…

SR
Golf

South Korean

Se Ri Pak

Professional Golfer

The woman who launched South Korea's golf revolution — five major championships and a 1998 US Women's Open vic…

AM
Golf

Japanese

Ai Miyazato

Professional Golfer

Japan's most beloved golfer and the player who transformed women's golf in Asia — nine LPGA Tour victories, a …

JI
Golf

American

Juli Inkster

Professional Golfer

One of the five players to achieve the career Grand Slam — seven major championships across four decades, Hall…

LK
Golf

New Zealander

Lydia Ko

Professional Golfer

The most prodigious talent in women's golf history — became the world's youngest ranked No.1 at 17, Olympic si…

DM
Swimming

American

Debbie Meyer

Swimmer (Freestyle)

The first swimmer in Olympic history to win three individual gold medals at a single Games — Debbie Meyer's th…

KE
Swimming

German

Kornelia Ender

Swimmer (Freestyle/Butterfly)

The most dominant swimmer of the 1976 Montreal Olympics — four gold medals in a single Games, Ender's performa…

SM
Swimming

American

Simone Manuel

Swimmer (Freestyle)

The first African American woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal — Manuel's 100m freestyle go…

KM
Swimming

Canadian

Kylie Masse

Swimmer (Backstroke)

Canada's most successful backstroke swimmer — World Champion in the 100m backstroke and world record holder, M…

CC
Swimming

Australian

Cate Campbell

Swimmer (Freestyle)

Australia's most decorated relay swimmer and a world record holder in the 100m freestyle — Campbell's world re…

CH
Cycling

Canadian

Clara Hughes

Road/Track Cyclist and Speed Skater

The only athlete in history to win multiple Olympic medals in both the Summer and Winter Games — Hughes won cy…

EP
Cycling

British

Emma Pooley

Road Cyclist/Time Trialist

Britain's most versatile female cyclist — World Champion in the time trial, winner of La Flèche Wallonne and a…

AP
Cycling

Dutch

Amy Pieters

Road/Track Cyclist

A world-class Dutch cyclist who excelled both on the road and track — World Champion in the team sprint on the…

CB
Cycling

Dutch

Chantal Blaak

Road Cyclist

The Dutch cycling powerhouse who conquered the cobbles — winner of the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes and mult…

NW
Rugby Union

British

Nolli Waterman

Wing

England's most prolific try scorer in women's rugby — a wing of electric pace whose 43 tries in 57 England app…

JM
Rugby Union

Irish

Jenny Murphy

Centre

Ireland's most celebrated women's rugby player of the modern era — a centre of exceptional pace and finishing …

OJ
American Football

American

Odessa Jenkins

Linebacker

The most influential figure in women's professional American football — founder and CEO of the Women's Footbal…

DF
American Football

Mexican

Diana Flores

Quarterback (Flag Football)

The global face of women's flag football — a Super Bowl halftime show participant, the most recognisable femal…

JM
American Football

American

Jessica Mendoza

Athlete/Broadcaster (Softball)

America's most influential female sports broadcaster — two-time Olympic softball medallist who became the firs…

SF
Formula 1

American

Sarah Fisher

Racing Driver (IndyCar)

The most successful female open-wheel racing driver in American history — eight Indianapolis 500 starts, a fas…

DW
Formula 1

South African

Desire Wilson

Racing Driver

The only woman to win an open Formula racing event — Desirée Wilson won the Aurora AFX Formula One Series race…

JN
Formula 1

Japanese

Juju Noda

Racing Driver

Japan's most talented female racing driver of the modern era — competing in Formula Regional Asian Championshi…

KH
MMA

American

Kayla Harrison

Lightweight/Featherweight

The most decorated judoka in American history transitioning to become one of MMA's most dominant champions — t…

JA
MMA

Brazilian

Jessica Andrade

Strawweight/Flyweight

Brazil's most powerful female fighter — UFC champion at strawweight, known for carrying the most explosive pow…

CB
Baseball

American

Crystl Bustos

Third Base (Softball)

The most feared power hitter in softball history — two Olympic gold medals, the highest on-base percentage in …

SN
Baseball

American

Stacy Nuveman

Catcher (Softball)

The finest catcher in softball history — three-time Olympian, two-time Olympic gold medallist and the most tec…

NW
Baseball

American

Natasha Watley

Shortstop (Softball)

The most electrifying base runner in softball history — USA's stolen base record holder, two-time Olympian and…

KR
Baseball

American

Keilani Ricketts

Pitcher (Softball)

The most dominant collegiate pitcher in softball history — three-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Ye…

EY
Baseball

Japanese

Eri Yamada

Pitcher (Softball)

Japan's most successful professional softball pitcher — a cornerstone of Japanese softball's Olympic gold meda…

HK
Ice Hockey

American

Hilary Knight

Forward

America's most celebrated women's ice hockey player of the modern era — four-time Olympic silver medallist who…

MD
Ice Hockey

American

Meghan Duggan

Forward

America's most important captain in women's ice hockey — led the USA to the long-awaited Olympic gold medal at…

CO
Ice Hockey

Canadian

Caroline Ouellette

Forward

The most decorated player in the history of women's ice hockey — four consecutive Olympic gold medals, eight W…

VS
Ice Hockey

Canadian

Vicki Sunohara

Forward

A cornerstone of Canadian women's hockey dominance across three Olympic cycles — two-time Olympic champion, fo…

SS
Ice Hockey

Canadian

Shannon Szabados

Goaltender

The most accomplished female goaltender in the history of international women's ice hockey — two Olympic gold …

RK
Snooker

British

Rebecca Kenna

Professional Snooker Player

One of Britain's leading female snooker players on the modern WST circuit — a Tour Card holder who competes on…

SR
Darts

American

Shannon Reeves

Professional Darts Player

America's most successful female darts player — USA national women's champion and a regular competitor at WDF …

EW
Horse Racing

Canadian

Emma-Jayne Wilson

Flat Racing Jockey

Canada's most successful female jockey — Sovereign Award winner, Queen's Plate competitor and a jockey whose a…

JK
Winter Sports

Croatian

Janica Kostelić

Alpine Skier

The most decorated alpine skier from any non-traditional skiing nation — four Olympic gold medals, three World…

IW
Winter Sports

Dutch

Ireen Wüst

Speed Skater

The most decorated Dutch Winter Olympian — six Olympic gold medals across five Games from 2006 to 2022, making…

BB
Winter Sports

American

Bonnie Blair

Speed Skater

America's most decorated female Winter Olympian — five Olympic gold medals across three Games and the first Am…

SA
Winter Sports

Japanese

Shizuka Arakawa

Figure Skater

Japan's most celebrated figure skater and the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skat…

SS
Motorsport

German

Sabine Schmitz

Racing Driver

The Queen of the Nürburgring — the only woman to win the Nürburgring 24 Hours (twice), a beloved motorsport am…

LS
Motorsport

Spanish

Laia Sanz

Enduro/Rally Rider

The most decorated female off-road motorcycle racer in history — 13 consecutive Trial World Championships and …

AC
Motorsport

Spanish

Ana Carrasco

MotoGP/WorldSSP300 Rider

The first woman to win a solo motorcycle world championship — Ana Carrasco won the FIM Supersport 300 World Ch…

AP
Motorsport

British

Alice Powell

Racing Driver (Formula E/W Series)

Britain's most successful female single-seater driver of the modern era — W Series race winner, Formula E comp…

JC
Motorsport

British

Jamie Chadwick

Racing Driver

Britain's most successful female racing driver of the 21st century — three-time W Series champion, Williams F1…

LP
Volleyball

Chinese

Lang Ping

Outside Hitter/Coach

The most influential figure in women's volleyball history as both player and coach — Olympic champion as a pla…

ES
Table Tennis

Romanian

Elizabeta Samara

Professional Table Tennis Player

Romania's greatest table tennis player and Europe's most consistent female player of the 2010s — multiple Euro…

LJ
Table Tennis

Austrian

Liu Jia

Professional Table Tennis Player

Austria's most successful table tennis player, born in China — multiple European Championship titles represent…

MI
Table Tennis

Japanese

Mima Ito

Professional Table Tennis Player

Japan's greatest table tennis player of the modern era — Olympic mixed doubles gold medallist at Tokyo 2020 al…

NO
Badminton

Japanese

Nozomi Okuhara

Badminton Player (Singles)

Japan's most technically complete badminton player — World Champion 2017, Olympic bronze medallist and the pla…

AY
Badminton

Japanese

Akane Yamaguchi

Badminton Player (Singles)

The current world No.1 and Japan's most complete singles player — World Champion 2022 and 2023, Olympic gold m…

SK
Badminton

Thai

Supanida Katethong

Badminton Player (Singles)

Thailand's rising star and the successor to Ratchanok Intanon's legacy — a BWF World Tour winner and Asian Cha…

TW
Surfing

Brazilian

Tatiana Weston-Webb

Surfer

Brazil's finest female surfer and a consistent WSL Championship Tour performer — Olympic silver medallist at T…

TW
Surfing

Australian

Tyler Wright

Surfer

Australia's two-time World Surf League Champion — 2017 and 2022 world title winner whose power surfing and abi…