Top 20 Most Inspiring Women in Sports History

When it comes to women’s sports, there have been certain legends who have established their mark for decades. While men’s sports are widely celebrated and the top players are on everyone’s lips, female players have not received the recognition that they deserve on the international map. However, there are a few iconic women in sports who are here to stay. Continue reading to learn more about the 20 most inspiring women in sports history.

Top 20 Women in Sports History

1. Serena & Venus Williams

The Williams sisters have to be named together when it comes to tennis. They are the real superstars of the game. While male tennis players in US history have not been that many, Serena and her sister Venus, are known to be synonymous with the game of tennis. Venus Williams, the elder sister, has her own unique sets of skills, having 7 individual Grand Slams to her name. She has also established herself remarkably in the field. Her younger sister, Serena Williams, is a household name. Known to be the most legendary tennis player in the world, Serena has 17 Grand Slams, 13 Doubles Grand Slams, and 4 Olympic Gold Medals to her credit.

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2. Simone Biles

PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 05: Simone Biles of Team United States competes in the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Floor Exercise Final on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

A young talented genius, Simone is known as one of the youngest gymnasts in the world, who has made her mark in the Olympics. Known to be the first U.S. gymnast to receive 4 Gold Medals at a singles game at the 2016 Olympics, she has achieved the impossible at a young age. To add to this, there are three consecutive world all-around titles to her name. A total of 32 medals from the Olympics and World Championships are accorded to the stellar athlete. Not only that, she is known to be the only American gymnast to have won a medal in every Olympic game. She has contributed to the awareness of mental health and women’s empowerment issues too.

3. Steffi Graf

LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 29: Steffi Graf arrives at The Andre Agassi Foundation For Education’s 16th Grand Slam for Children benefit concert held at The Wynn Hotel and Casino Resort on October 29, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

Known for her iconic “Fräulein Forehand”, Steffi Graf is the stuff of legends. She has conquered a level that fans did not know existed. Being the only player to win a Grand Slam and a Gold at the Olympics in the same year, she has achieved the impossible. In the US Open in 1988, she displayed tremendous caliber on the court as she tackled the opponents with her strategic forehand skills. She has been placed at number one since the WTA began keeping a record of the top-ranked tennis players, for a continuous 377 weeks.

4. Billie Jean King

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 16: Billie Jean King speak during the 2024 Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute To Women In Sports at Cipriani Wall Street on October 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for WSF)

There ought to be a separate category for prodigy when it comes to Billie Jean King. With a staggering 39 Grand Slam championships to her name, she has established herself as the greatest of all time globally. She has been a leading pioneer and advocate for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights from the very beginning. She challenged a critical stereotype about women in 1973 as she participated in the “Battle of the Sexes” against Bobby Riggs. Not only did she win, she established the fact that women can achieve anything that they set their minds to. She is the reason that the U.S. Open for the very first time agreed to pay an equal amount to female tennis players as their male counterparts.

5. Nadia Comăneci

Nadia Comăneci
MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 22: Nadia Comăneci arrives at the Laureus World Sports Awards at Galería De Cristal on April 22, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images for Laureus)

A Romanian Gymnast, she has been known as the definition of eloquence and grace. She has achieved something that has never been witnessed in the history of gymnastics. With a perfect 10 score to her name, she conquered the scoreboard at the tender age of 14. She would have been undefeated to date if she had not been stopped by the Romanian Government. Due to political reasons, she was not allowed to participate internationally. However, she has already established herself as a legend when it comes to gymnastics.

6. Lindsay Vonn

Lindsay Vonn

One a kind alpine skier, Lindsay Vonn has conquered the snows internationally with her skiing skills. Having 82 World Cup races to her credit, she is one of the 6 female athletes who have ever won World Cup races in all five skilling fields. Be it male or female, among all skiers, she is the third highest-ranking athlete. Also known as the oldest female athlete at the age of 32 to receive success in the World Championships, she remains unstoppable even after being blown by several injuries.    

7. Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky

Being the only American swimmer to garner the maximum gold medals at the Olympics, Katie holds seven gold medals to her name. Along with this, from other swimming championships, she has a total of 19 gold medals. All this was achieved at the young age of 26. She began her journey in 2012 when she was only 15. By the end of the game, she was the youngest Olympic swimmer to receive the gold in the 800-meter freestyle. Mastering 100-meter – 1500-meter events, she may be the youngest swimmer to receive these many accolades to her name.

8. Ding Ning

Affectionately known as the “Queen” in China, Ding has established herself in the field of table tennis. Being the last table tennis athlete to win the Grand Slam, she is a three-time table tennis World Cup winner. Also known to have won an Olympic Gold, she has been the three-time World Champion. She established her mark in 2012 when she played in London and won the game. By 2021, she had retired and was preparing for her post-table tennis career.

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9. Saina Nehwal

Saina has remained undefeated in her category since she joined the game. Even with plenty of injuries she strived to play in the badminton court, displaying her agility and strength. She is one of the most iconic badminton players in history, with 24 international titles to her wing. These include 10 Badminton Superseries Championships. From India, she became the first female badminton athlete to win gold at the Olympics.  Not only that, she is known to be the first Indian female and youngest Asian woman to be credited with a four-star championship.

10. Lisa Leslie

Leslie has been accorded the title of the first female basketball player to record a slam dunk for a WNBA game. Long before this, the female athlete had been already dunking in her school and college-level games. She has won several awards during her prime years for her undefeated scores. With three WNBA, two of DPoY awards, and a WNBA Finals MVP, she was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. With an unprecedented record of eight times, she made it to the All-WNBA First Team Selection.

11. Marta Vieira da Silva

Popularly known as “Marta” she is a household name when it comes to football history. No other player has achieved what she has in the history of football. Leaving behind players like Pelé, Messi, Eusébio, and even Ronaldo, she is the only player to have the most World Cup Goals in the tournament. Rightly considered the greatest female footballer of all time, she has won almost everything there is in the game. With 111 goals in 131 caps, she has won in both country and club games. She is known to have scored at five different World Cups and is probably the only female player to do so.

12. Sheryl Swoops

Four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes has made her mark at the age of 27 in the game of basketball. Lovingly known as “Her Airness”, she comes under the list of three three-time WNBA MVPs. Also known as one of only three three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year winners, she was the first player to be signed for the WNBA. Having three Olympic golds under her belt, she has led her team to three consecutive wins. It should come as no surprise that a Nike shoe is named after her.

13. Mia Hamm

The U.S. soccer player, Mia, brought home the Women’s World Cup in 1999 and paved the way for the future of women’s soccer. In the 90’s she was all the rage with her efforts in bringing together a strong women’s soccer team in the U.S. At the young age of 15, she became the first female soccer player to be selected for the U.S. national team. Her fabulous career included winning two FIFA Player of the Year awards consecutively. Her name has been inscribed into the iconic World Football Wall of Fame in 2013.

14. Janet Guthrie

Back in the 1970s, Guthrie was the talk of the town when it came to men’s motorsports. Way before Danica Patrick made her mark, Guthrie was dominating the field. Participating in the Indie 500 and the Daytona 500, she was already breaking gender barriers in sports. In 1977 she participated in the Indianapolis 500 race, In 1978, she came ninth even with a broken wrist. She was many things, a pilot, a flight instructor, an engineer, and a spokesperson, but most of all, she was a pathbreaker in the field of men’s sports.

15. Jackie Joyner Kersee

Known as the “First Lady” of American Athletes, Jackie dominated the Olympics from 1984 to 1996. With three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze medal, she set her mark in the field of athletics in U.S. history. Known to be one of the world’s greatest athletes, she has mastered the seven-course heptathlon, with a record over 30 years until today. She was also an All-Conference Basketball Player for the UCLA Bruins in her formative years.

16. Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Going back to the 20th century, there is one name that stood the test of time. Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias, was a trailblazer of her own time. In 1932, she set four world records at the LA Olympics and was the only athlete to win medals in one running event, one jumping event, and one throwing event. By 1935, she had ventured into golf and had won 10 major championships and 48 golf competitions in her career span. In 1951, she was introduced to the LPGA Hall of Fame. Back then, she was the first woman who challenged gender norms by entering into the men’s basketball team.

17. Mary D’Souza Sequeira

Although there is not much available on this Indian athlete, she was a trailblazer for women’s sports. She gained popularity through her 100 and 200-meter races in the Helsinki Olympics. In the 1951 and 1954 Asian Games, she established herself by winning medals. Also known to be a member of the Indian hockey team, she participated in the 1953 and 1956 Hockey World Cups. Hailing from Goa, India, she was bestowed the Dhyan Chand Award by the then government of India. Back then, she was a trendsetter for women in India, with her exceptional talent.

18. Sara Takanashi

Breaking all gender stereotypes, in the game of ski jumping, there is only one name that stands the test of time. Sara happens to be an all-time World Cup Winner. With 60 wins, 109 podium finishes, and 4-time championship wins, she has made her mark in the game. At the age of 15, she was the youngest player to be the World Cup Winner in 2013. For the next year also, she maintained this win. Her next two wins were at the World Cup in 2016 and 2017. In every season of the Women’s World Cup, she has emerged as the winner. By 2022, her wins had increased to 63.

19. Mikaela Shiffrin

Popularly known as the “Mozart of Ski Racing”, Mikaela has been the greatest of all time in the arena of alpine skiing. She has 88 World Cup wins and 53 Slalom Race wins to her name. By the age of 28, she may be the youngest player to be on her way to 125 World Cup races. Last year, 2 days before her birthday, she conquered her 87th World Cup race. After a week, she also crossed the record of Lindsay Vonn’s world record for most World Cup podiums with 137.

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20. Ronda Rousey

Ronda has designed women’s MMA into the global map. As an excellent player in the UFC, she earned a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics. In 2007, she won a silver at the World Championship in Judo. She was the first female MMA athlete to be introduced to the UFC Hall of Fame. Popularly known as “Rowdy” Ronda, she was the first woman to first women’s fight in UFC. She maintained a career record of 12-2 in the Octagon.