Romanian professional tennis player Simona Halep has gone toe-to-toe with some of the biggest racket holders of her time and emerged as one of the most successful players of this decade. She ranked world number one in singles twice between 2017 and 2019, for a total of 64 weeks, eleventh most in the history of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings…
Before Venus and Serena Williams, there was Althea Gibson. The trailblazing tennis legend was the first Black player to compete at the U.S. National Championships in 1950, and the first Black player to compete at Wimbledon in 1951. Recognized as the world’s best women’s tennis player of the time…
Cathy Engelbert is the first-ever Commissioner of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) — previous WNBA leaders had been titled “President.” Appointed in 2019 at the age of 54, Engelbert stepped into her position with high praise. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, “Cathy is a world-class business leader with a deep connection to women’s basketball…
Tennis phenom Angelique Kerber has spent her entire life swinging a racket. She first started playing at only three years old, joined the junior circuit early on, and in 2003 made her professional debut at age 15. Kerber reached the semifinals in the 2011 US Open, ranked at number 92 in the world…
Track and field star Alice Coachman made history at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, becoming the first Black woman from any country to win an Olympic gold medal. On her first attempt in the high jump finals, she leaped 1.68m (5 feet 6⅛ inches), setting a record for the time…
As a child, Lisa Leslie knew she was destined for stardom. In an interview with The New York Times, she recounted a story about how she started signing her name on all the paper around the house when she was seven. When her mother asked her why, she simply replied, “‘Because I want to give out autographs.’
Basketball legend Sue Bird is widely considered one of the greatest players in Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) history. Recognized by her signature slicked-back ponytail, the 5-foot-9-inch point guard spent Continue Reading
Dara Torres is proof that dreams are achievable at any age. She broke her first world record at only 15 and at 41 became the oldest ever female Olympic swimmer. The years in between were filled with success, with the competitive swimmer winning 12 Olympic medals, four of them gold, and becoming a best-selling author, fitness advocate, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and mother…
National Soccer Hall of Fame member Abby Wambach shot to the top early in her career and stayed there, cementing her status as a soccer legend with an abundance of awards and championship titles. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA World Cup Champion, and six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award…
Sheryl Denise Swoopes was the first player to be signed by a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team when the league was created in 1996. Referred to as the “female Michael Jordan,” she is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time…
