Girls to the front! It’s time to showcase some of the most successful women in sports. From soccer to niche Olympic sports, we have researched some of the most prominent and successful women who are working hard to make their name.
Natalie Gulbis – Golf
Natalie Gulbis is an American golfer who’s usually in the LPGA Tour. She has four professional wins under her belt, but she’s also known for other things outside of golfing…
On TV
Gulbis is also known for her roles on The Apprentice and having her own show! She’s also endorsed numerous golfwear and swimwear lines.
Paige VanZant – MMA
Being an MMA fighter isn’t easy, but Paige VanZant sure made it look like it! Early in her career, she suffered some big losses but was able to learn from that and take the MMA community by storm.
TV Star?
VanZant is also known for her parts on Dancing with the Stars, where she finished in second place and Chopped. She ended up winning that episode of Chopped!
Michelle Waterson – MMA
This American Ninja Warrior competitor is also a star MMA fighter. She even coined the nickname of “The Karate Hottie.”
Music Video Star
A lot of these athletes have been on TV, but have they been in music videos? Waterson has! She appeared in a music video for metal band Megadeath.
Hilary Knight – Ice Hockey
Hockey can be a pretty brutal sport, but that doesn’t mean that Hilary Knight won’t come out onto the ice with a smile on her face! Don’t get it twisted, she is known for a mean-streak!
Successful Career
Knight is a nine-time IIHF World Women’s Championship medalist, along with two silver medals and one old medal from the Olympics.
Danica Patrick – Racing
It’s common to say that Danica Patrick is one of the most popular female NASCAR drivers, especially because she paved the way for others just like her!
Making History
She’s also the only woman to finish int he Top 10 in three different races. Even though she’s now retired, her name will be a common one among NASCAR fans for years to come.
Jennifer Lacy – Basketball
Jennifer Lacy is the daughter of MLB player Lee Lacy. She’s definitely got the athletic gene! She decided to head into basketball and went on to join the WNBA in 2006.
Her Career
Eventually, she played for the Chinese team Beijing Shougang. In 2015, she became a free agent, and still is to this day!
Winifer Fernandez – Volleyball
Known as the underdog, Winifer Fernandez is on the volleyball team for the Dominican Republic. She was young when she first started, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t make a huge name for herself.
Her Big Wins
She was able to make a national name for herself during the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. She also ended up winning a gold medal at the 2017 Bolivarian Games.
Hope Solo – Soccer
Hope Solo is one of the top female soccer goalies in the world. She’s played on a club level and even an international level! She’s been making waves in the soccer community for years.
Gold on Gold
Solo has won two Olympic gold medals. She’s even won tons of other medals at different World Cups. If you want to know more, she has a memoir titled Solo: A Memoir of Hope.
Camila Giorgi – Tennis
The Italian tennis player made her debut in 2006 at the IT Women’s Circuit when she was just 15-years-old. She won her first ITF title in 2009 and then went onto thew 2011 Wimbledon Championships.
Successful Career
She holds two WTA titles and five ITF titles. She’s said to have won over $3 million in prize money!
Alex Morgan – Soccer
We all know by now how awesome the US women’s soccer team is. Alex Morgan is the teams’ striker. In her career, she’s scored over 100 goals and even had a helping hand in winning the 2015 World Cup.
The Youngest Player
At one point, Morgan was even the youngest player on the national team at the 2011 FIFA World Cup. Now, at 30, she’s got an amazing career behind her and she can only move up from there!
Antonija Sandric – Basketball
This Croatian basketball player made waves in the community at a really young age. She ended up helping Croatia to win the bronze medal in the Mediterranean Games in Pescara.
And Now…
Currently, she is playing for the Polish team CCC Polkowice and is on Croatia’s women’s national basketball team. She’s also been featured in many polls tallying the most beautiful sportswoman.
Misty May-Treanor – Volleyball
During 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics, she brought the US Volleyball team to Olympic gold. She is still one of the biggest names in professional volleyball but has since returned in 2012.
Since Retiring…
After May-Treanor retired, she got her Masters in Coaching and Athletic Administration. Just because she’s retired doesn’t mean she still can’t be involved!
Robin Bone – Pole Vault
The Canadian pole vaulter is one of the most talented out there. At just 25, she has really made a name in the sport and has no intention of slowing down now.
Gymnastics
Bone actually started out in gymnastics, but eventually decided that pole vaulting is her true passion. Good thing she did!
Allison Stokke – Track and Field
Stokke is best known as a track and field athlete and a fitness model. When she was in high school, she broke a bunch of records for pole vaulting. This helped skyrocket her career.
Modeling
She became a sportswear model for Nike, Athleta, and Uniqlo. She even partnered with GoPro to give us some crazy videos of her pole vaulting!
Lindsey Vonn – Alpine Skiing
Lindsey Vonn is easily one of America’s favorite Winter Olympics competitors. She won the gold in 2010 for her downhill skiing performance. In 2018, she won the bronze for the same thing.
Injuries
It was hard for Vonn for a while because she suffered serious injuries that kept her out of competing for years. She officially retired in 2019 due to her injuries.
Ronda Rousey – MMA
Even for folks who don’t pay attention to MMA, they know who Ronda Rousey is. She is easily known as one of the most influential female athletes out there. She won both the UFC and WWE championship and was the first woman to do so.
Movie Star?
Not quite, but she has had some fun guest appearances. You can find her in Furious 7 and The Expendables 3. She’s slowly working on making a comeback in the MMA scene after a brief break.
Ellen Hoog – Field Hockey
Since Ellen Hoog joined the Dutch field hockey team in 2004, she has played in 127 matches and scored 32 goals. She even won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
Championship Winner
In 2012, she took the winning shot against the New Zealand team in the Summer Olympics. She did that again in the 2016 Summer Olympics against Germany!
Whitney Miller – Surfing/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Whitney Miller has a lot under her belt. She was crowned as Miss United States in 2012. After that, she went on to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before becoming a professional surfer.
You Can Do Anything!
Miller’s message to young girls is that you can do anything you set your mind to. “What I want to show you guys is that you can go out there and do anything. If a beauty pageant queen, a national pageant winner, miss United States, can go earn their jiu-jitsu black belt, granted that’s going to take a long time, if I can go and do that you have no excuses.”
Serena Williams – Tennis
Who doesn’t know the Williams sisters? They’re truly one of a kind! Serena herself has had a wonderful 20-year career so far. It’s estimated to believe that she has earned $85 million just by playing on the court!
New Mom!
Everyone was so excited for Williams on the birth of her baby daughter. As someone who has had a hard time in the spotlight for her appearance and “masculine” behavior on the court, she’s proving everyone wrong by showing everyone that you don’t have to be sweet as sugar to be a great mom!
Jennie Finch – Softball
Jennie Finch helped the US softball team win the Olympic gold in 2004. Since then, she’s been a fan favorite and one of the greatest softball players of all time (according to Time magazine!)
Hall of Famer
Finch is also a Hall of Famer! She was inducted into the USA Softball Hall of Fame. Other than that, she appears on Real Housewives of Orange County every now and then!
Anna Kournikova – Tennis
Anna Kournikova had a fast and ferocious career in tennis. The Russian tennis star won Grand Slam titles in 1999 and 2002. When she was 21, she suffered a horrific back injury that put her into extremely early retirement.
Where Is She Now?
Nowadays, she’s married to Enrique Iglesias. She was unable to return to tennis but is still very much a part of the community.
Stephanie Rice – Swimming
Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice quickly became a world record holder. She won the gold medal in 200m, 400m, and 200m relays.
Lots of Achievements
She was given the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009. She ended up retiring in 2014 but still works as a swimming coach for the company CoachUp.
Michelle Jenneke – Hurdler
Michelle Jenneke is best known for her dance routine warm-up that she does before every race. In the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, she won the silver medal in 100 m hurdles for Australia.
Jack of All Trades
Jenneke studied mechatronics at Sydney University. Plus, in 2013, she was in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Maria Sharapova – Tennis
Maria Sharapova spent most of her career as the number one female tennis player when she was just 18-years-old. In her career, she’s won 36 single titles.
Grand Slams
Sharapova has five Grand Slams under her belt, which is extremely impressive! She won two at the French Open and three at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.
McKayla Maroney – Gymnastics
Most know Maroney’s name because of her incredible work in the 2012 Summer Olympics along with the rest of the Fierce Five. She also became a meme during that time…
A Meme
Unfortunately, Maroney ended up becoming a meme victim. Even though its a few years old, it’s still a popular meme to use! Maroney, on the other hand, has since retired from gymnastics after multiple injuries.
Caroline Wozniacki – Tennis
From 2008 to 2011, Wozniacki won the most WTA single titles out of every other player in the league. She ended up winning her first Grand Slam in 2018 after defeating Simona Halep in the Australian Open Women’s Singles Final.
Keep It In Sports
Wozniacki is also known for dating fellow sports players. What’s the point of playing a sport if your partner isn’t just as passionate? She’s dated golfer Rory McIlroy and NBA player David Lee.
Becky Lynch – Wrestling
This Irish wrestler is easily a fan favorite. Since she debuted in the WWE, everyone looks forward to seeing her fiery red hair on the stage. She’s exciting and energetic and is known to bring new energy to the stage.
Lifelong Affair
Becky has always loved wrestling. She started watching professional wrestling when she was young with her brother. Her brother ended up wrestling under the name Gonzo de Mondo. She began training in 2002 when she was just 15.
Gabby Douglas – Gymnastics
Yet another member of the Fierce Five is Gabby Douglas. She received the best scores out of the entire group, and she was the first Black person in Olympic history to become an all-around champion.
The Future
Luckily, Douglas’s reign isn’t over yet. She’s slotted to be in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Alana Blanchard – Surfing
Surfing is extremely difficult, but Alanas Blanchard made it look easy. She is close friends to Bethany Hamilton and was even there when the surfer lost her arm, but that fear won’t stop either of them.
Living Life
Blanchard has also gotten into modeling and even partnered with Rip curl swimwear. She got married to surfer Jack Freestone and had a baby in 2017.
Ali Krieger – Soccer
“The Warrior Princess” has worked hard to get her position on the US Women’s National Soccer Team. She’s a defender for the Orlando Pride.
FIFA Life
She was a part of the team that won FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015, which is incredible! Nowadays, she works with her brother who has a popular Youtube channel.