Sports was always in Hillary Knight's blood. Her family is a skiing family, with her brother, Chip Knight, being a three-time Olympic skier. Naturally, she had to do something in winter sports. Instead of grabbing skis, she went for the skates and began to play hockey with her three younger brothers. During her freshman season with the Wisconsin Badgers, she was clearly a star.
She totaled a third of her overall team's score. Soon, she would find herself in the Olympics. So far, she's participated in the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 Winter Olympics, bringing home golds and silvers. There's no sign of this hockey queen slowing down, so everyone else should look out!
- Awards: Olympics: 1 Gold Medal, 3 Silver; 9 Gold World Championships; 5 Silver World Championships
- Net Worth: $1 Million (via Players Wiki)
Nicknamed "Magnificent Mary", she is the only Indian female boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the first and only boxer to win the World Amateur Boxing championship six times, after she won her sixth at the 2018 championships. She's also the only woman boxer to have won a medal at each of the seven World Championships.
Kom is already regarded as the greatest women’s boxer in India’s history, but an individual gold medal at the Olympics would be something else when added to her other accomplishments--only one person, male or female, in any sport, has done it before.
- Awards: 1 Bronze Olympic Medal; 6 Gold World Championship Medals, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
- Net Worth: $1 Million (via Players Bio)
Olympian Florence Joyner, aka "Flo Jo," was born in 1959, in Los Angeles, California. Joyner began running at the age of seven, and her gift for speed soon became apparent. At the age of 14, she won the Jesse Owens National Youth Games, and it was all gold from there (literally). One of her most impressive achievements is when she tried out for the 1988 Olympics and ran 100 meters in just 10.49 seconds.
At the 1984 Summer Olympics, Florence Joyner won a silver medal in the 200-meter run. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Joyner took home three gold medals and a silver. Sadly, Joyner died unexpectedly in September 1998, at age 38, after suffering an epileptic seizure. She still holds the world records for the 100- and 200-meter events.
- Awards: Olympics: 3 Gold Medals, 2 Silver; 1 Gold Medal World Championship; 1 Silver Medal World Championship; Current WR Holder (100- & 200-meter events)
- Net Worth: $1.8 Million (via Wealthy Genius)
Stefi Cohen is an athlete you may not have heard of, but her exploits demand that you should. She is a five-foot, 119lb powerlifter with more than 20 all-time world records to her name. She is the best in the world in her weight category, and her achievements rank her among the best ever pound-for-pound.
That’s quite the resume for someone only in their early 30s. Her most notable achievement to date? Cohen holds the APA deadlift world record for 402lbs deadlift at 123 lbs of bodyweight. She has deadlifted more than 4.4 times her body weight. Just let that sink in for a moment.
- Awards: 25 All-time World Records
- Net Worth: $2 Million (via Idol Net Worth)
One of the greatest American track and field athletes, Jackie Joyner-Kersee was known for the heptathlon (where athletes compete in seven different track and field events over two days) and long jump. Over four Olympic Games, she took home three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals in the two events.
Joyner-Kersee established the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation in 1988, which is dedicated to providing youth, adults, and families with athletic lessons and resources to improve their quality of life. She is also one of eleven athletes who founded Athletes for Hope, which helps professional athletes participate in charity events and volunteering. She is also an activist for children's education, racial equality, and women's rights.
- Awards: Olympics: 3 Gold Medals, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze; 4 Gold World Championship Medals; 4 Goodwill Games Gold Medals
- Net Worth: $2.5 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
Missy Franklin was almost destined to be a swimmer. When she was a baby, her mother was concerned about water safety, so she made sure Missy knew how to swim and got her comfortable with water. By five, she was taking swimming classes regularly. Who knew that would turn into her being an Olympic swimmer?
Missy’s swimming career began at 12 when she competed against other girls much older than her. By 13, she competed at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. While she didn’t qualify then, less than five years later, she would compete in the 2012 London Summer Olympics and earn four gold medals (and one bronze).
- Awards: 4 Olympic gold medals, 1 Olympic bronze medal, 11 World Championship golds, 2 World Championship silvers, 3 World Championship bronzes, set 200 backstroke world record for seven years.
- Net Worth: $3 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
Alex Morgan has been in the public's eye since she graduated from Berkeley, where she played for the California Golden Bears. She was drafted number one overall in the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer Draft. Her professional debut blew everyone away, largely since she was only 22 and the youngest player on the national soccer team in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
It isn't just about soccer, however. She's teamed up with Simon & Schuster to write a middle-grade book series about soccer players. The first book even made it to the New York Times Best Seller list in 2013. In 2015, Time ranked her as the top-paid American women's soccer player, largely thanks to her endorsement deals.
- Awards: 1 Olympic Gold, 1 Olympic Bronze; 2 World Championships Golds, 1 World Championships Silver, youngest U.S. player to score 20 goals in a single season, U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year
- Net Worth: $3 Million (via Forbes)
Dara Torres was born in 1967. As an American former competition swimmer, she is a twelve-time Olympic medalist and former world record holder in three events. Torres is the first and only swimmer to represent the United States in five Olympic Games (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2008), and, at age 41, she was the oldest swimmer ever to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she competed in the 50-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter medley relay, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay and won silver medals in all three events. She won 28 NCAA awards while at the University of Florida, including three NCAA individual national championships.
- Awards: Olympics: 4 Gold Medals, 4 Silver, 4 Bronze
- Net Worth: $3 Million (via Players Wiki)
Caitlin Clark burst onto the college basketball scene with her exceptional scoring ability and court vision. Playing for the University of Iowa, Clark quickly became one of the most electrifying players in women's college basketball. In 2023, Clark led Iowa to its first Final Four appearance in 30 years and was named the Naismith Player of the Year. She broke numerous records, including becoming the all-time leading scorer in both men and women's NCAA Division I basketball history.
Her performances have drawn unprecedented attention to women's college basketball, with record-breaking viewership for her games. The Indiana Fever selected her as the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft.
- Awards: Naismith Player of the Year (2023), Big Ten Player of the Year (2022, 2023), NCAA all-time leading scorer (Division I, men's and women's), 1st overall pick in 2024 WNBA draft
- Net Worth: $3.1 Million (via Sporting News)
People love to have debates about who is the greatest of all time in any given sport, and in women’s swimming, Ledecky is operating at a different level compared to her competition. The Washington native has 14 world records (many breaking her own) and is still only 27. At this rate, there's no telling what she can achieve!
Since her international debut as a 15-year-old at the 2012 Olympics, Ledecky has gone on to swim so far ahead of the field, it’s as if she is in her own pool these days. Michael Phelps may be the marquee name in American swimming history, but Ledecky could potentially soar beyond that if she continues to thrive.
- Awards: Olympics: 7 Gold, 3 Silver; 21 World Championship Gold Medals; Current World Records: 2
- Net Worth: $5 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
Former professional basketball player Lisa Leslie was born July 7, 1972, in Gardena, California. Standing six feet tall in seventh grade, Leslie hated it when people would ask her if she played basketball. But after reluctantly picking up the sport in middle school, she was hooked. In college at the University of Southern California, she set several Pac-10 conference records for points and rebounds.
She was drafted No. 7 overall in the 1997 inaugural WNBA draft and went on to win two WNBA championships with the Los Angeles Sparks. She was also selected as a WNBA All-Star eight times. Leslie was the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. Since her retirement in 2009, she has served as a sports commentator in several sports networks and in 2018 joined Fox Sports Florida as a studio analyst on Orlando Magic broadcasts.
- Awards: Olympics: 4 Gold Medals; 2 Gold World Championships; 1 Bronze World Championship
- Net Worth: $5 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
Beach volleyball was introduced as an Olympic sport in 1996. In the beginning, there was a good degree of huffing and puffing about how the sport's main appeal was the fact that its women competed in skimpy bikinis. However, fans have come to appreciate the reckless athleticism of beach volleyball, and its profile in the USA has been raised by its dominating women's team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings.
They are considered the greatest beach volleyball team of all time, with a focus on teamwork. "It takes time to develop trust and confidence in each other (and) get the handle on teamwork. We felt as if we both could play blindfolded." As a team, Misty and Kerri became icons. Misty May and Kerri Walsh did for volleyball what Wayne Gretzky did for hockey and Magic Johnson did for basketball.
- Awards: Olympics: 3 Gold Medals; 3 World Championship Gold Medals
- Kerri Walsh Jennings Net Worth: $6 Million (via Players Bio)
- Misty May-Treanor Net Worth: $6 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
This kind of skill doesn't come without a little hard work and determination. Rapinoe spent most of her teenage years playing soccer in high school, but she was also a fan of track and basketball. Nothing was holding her back. By age 14, she was already playing in Northern California's Olympic Development Program, so she was meant for greatness.
She participated in two Olympic Games and several FIFA Women’s World Cups. Her fundamental skills and strong scoring abilities helped her to lead the U.S. team to several victories. She’s been named Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year, marking just the fourth woman in the award's 66-year history to win it unaccompanied.
- Awards: 1 Gold Olympic Medal, 1 Bronze Olympic Medal; 2 FIFA World Cup Titles; Ballon d'Or Féminin (Best Female Soccer Player)
- Net Worth: $8.2 Million (via Forbes)
Gymnastics was in Nadia Comaneci’s blood from a young age. She started practicing and made her Olympic debut at just 14 years old. What really made Comaneci stand out was the fact she was the first person to ever receive a perfect 10, but that wasn’t enough for her. She earned seven perfect tens. That’s definitely something to brag about.
Overall, Comaneci earned nine Olympic medals (five golds) and four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals. Unfortunately, her life hasn’t been easy. Comaneci had to fight every second. After her coach defected, Comaneci became very depressed. She drank bleach, but thankfully, she survived. Fearing she would defect, Romania put her on lockdown. With a little help, she defected in 1989 and has been an avid spokesperson ever since.
- Awards: Olympics: 5 Gold Medals, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze; 4 World Championship medals; 12 European Championship Medals
- Net Worth: $10 Million (via Net Worth Planet)
Michelle Kwan began skating at age five and won her first competition two years later. In 1994 she landed the alternate spot on the U.S. Olympic team and the following year placed fourth at the world championships. She entered the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan as the gold-medal favorite but had to settle for a silver medal. She captured a bronze medal at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the following year she won her fifth world championship.
Kwan has earned numerous awards and honors, including the 2003 U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Sports Woman of the Year and the 2001 Sullivan Award as America’s top amateur athlete. In 2000, Kwan was selected one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World.”
- Awards: Olympics: 1 Silver, 1 Bronze; 5 World Championships
- Net Worth: $12 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
Having announced her retirement in 2019, Lindsey Vonn leaves behind one of the greatest legacies in the history of skiing. Her list of achievements is staggering. She’s one of just six women to have won World Cup races in all five skiing disciplines and one of only two to win the World Cup overall championships four times.
But it’s not just through her career that caused Vonn to leave a mark on her sport. It’s also her famed sportsmanship and grace, an astonishing lack of arrogance for someone at the top of her sport. She leaves the sport as skiing’s biggest star.
- Awards: Olympics: 1 Gold, 2 Bronze; 2 World Championship Gold Medals, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze; World Cup: 82 Golds, 35 Silver, 20 Bronze
- Net Worth: $14 Million (via EssentiallySports)
Most of us have heard of Ronda Rousey, mostly because it's hard to find a woman that's achieved as much in MMA as her. When she was just 11, she joined judo with her mother. Her strength was clear as she broke her mother's wrist on accident at just 13. By 17, she was the youngest judoka to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
The hits just kept coming after that. Rousey was the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo by earning bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics. From there, she participated in MMA, UFC, and the WWE. What keeps her going? Never taking "no" for an answer. Rousey feels like she can figure out anything.
- Awards: 2008 Bronze Olympic Medal, 2007 Silver World Championship Medal, 2007 Gold Pan American Games medal, 12 (out of 14) wins in MMA, and 3 (out of 3) amateur wins
- Net Worth: $14 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
Evert has a lot of accomplishments under her belt, but she's most known for her win percentage – 89.97%. That’s the highest in the history of Open Era tennis! Tennis was always going to be in her life, and her father made sure of that as he started training her when she was just five years old. He was a professional tennis coach who had won the men's singles title at the Canadian Championships in 1947.
Over her career, she's certainly made her father proud, especially as she made her first Grand Slam tournament at just 16 years old. Along with her other achievements, she's also won a record seven championships at the French Open and six championships at the U.S. Open (tied with Serena Williams).
- Awards: 18 Grand Slam titles, 157 title victories, 262 weeks ranked number one
- Net Worth: $16 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
"Smiling doesn’t win you gold medals." That was the moment she became our favorite gymnast. That sass plus her skill is what you'd call a perfect storm. The only real competition for Simone Biles is herself. Gymnastics has always been a sport of prodigies, particularly in the female division, but the level Biles has achieved is something else. With a huge platform comes the ability to send a message, too. Her sass on Dancing With the Stars isn't all she speaks out about.
Last year, Biles wore teal to the U.S. Nationals in support of those affected by the U.S. Gymnastics abuse scandal. Biles designed the costume herself and later said: “The colour is for the survivors. I stand with all of them and think it’s kind of special to unite.” She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. She's accomplished so much that it's honestly hard to believe she's in her early 20s. At this point, the world is her oyster.
- Awards: 4 Olympic Golds, 1 Olympic Silver, 2 Olympic Bronzes, 23 World Championship Golds, 4 World Championship Silvers, 3 World Championship Bronzes
- Net Worth: $16 Million (via EssentiallySports)
No list is complete without Billie Jean King. This tennis legend basically paved the way for modern tennis stars to shine bright like a diamond. During her time, she was the best player in the entire world. At this point, it would be faster for us to name everything she hasn't won! Regarded by many as one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time, King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
One of the most famous moments is when she played Bobby Riggs, the number one male tennis player in the world. Guess who won? Ya girl Billie! A massive 50 million people tuned in to watch her dominate the guy, and it was a sight to behold.
- Awards: 129 Single Titles, 12 Grand Slam Singles, 16 Grand Slam Doubles
- Net Worth: $20 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
Moa Hamm has been hailed as a soccer icon, and there's a good reason. This Selma, Alabama-born player played as forward for the United States women's national soccer team from 1987 until 2004 and made headlines the whole time. Hamm held the record for the most international goals scored (by a man or woman) until 2013, and she ranks third in the history of the U.S. national team for international caps (276).
Soccer became a passion of hers thanks to her family moving to Italy. There, they all got very involved in the sport and it just stuck. By 1987, she was headed to the U.S. Olympic Festival as the youngest player to ever play for the United States women's soccer team. From there, it was all golden (both figuratively and literally).
- Awards: two Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year five years in a row, three ESPY awards, and induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame
- Net Worth: $40 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
Think of women’s golf and Annika Sorenstam will invariably pop into your head. The eight-time LPGA player of the year was the first truly world-renowned female face in the game. In a quick 16 years, Sorenstam became third all-time of women golfers. Sorenstam stepped away from golf in 2008, but her name is very much relevant today.
She's the female golfer with the most wins to her name, so you can't just step out of the spotlight. In 2021, she was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Donald Trump, and the year before, she was appointed president of the International Golf Federation.
- Awards: 94 Professional Wins; LPGA 72 Wins; 17 European Tour Wins
- Net Worth: $40 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
Often forgotten by the last three generations, Sonja Henie was a figure skater. And while there were famous figure skaters before her—Jackson Haines, known as the “American skating prince,” and men such as Axel Paulsen and Ulrich Salchow, for whom jumps were named—none caught the attention of the public as Henie did. Beginning in 1927, at the age of 14, she won 10 world championships in a row. More amazing still, during those 10 years, she won three successive gold medals in the Winter Olympics of 1928, 1932, and 1936.
Simultaneous with her film career, Henie launched an ice extravaganza that would crisscross the country. Her sold-out ice shows worked as advertising for her movies. Or, perhaps it was the other way around--the movies brought the masses to the shows. Whichever way you look at it, Henie was irresistible. She put figure skating on the map and got everyone heading for the ice.
- Awards: Olympics: 3 Gold Medals; 10 World Championships; 6 European Championships
- Net Worth: $47 Million at the time of her death (via Chicago Tribune)
Caroline Wozniacki didn't spend a lot of time in the Tennis game, but she rose the ranks very quickly while she was heavily involved. She was ranked number one in singles for a total of 71 weeks -- talk about unbeatable! She’s even beat the Williams’s sisters a few times.
Sports has always been important in her family, as her mother Anna was on the Polish women's national volleyball team and her father Piotr was a professional football player. On top of that, her brother Patrik is also a professional football player. That’s a lot of competition in one family.
- Awards: 30 titles, including a Grand Slam, WTA Finals, three Premier Mandatory, and three Premier 5 titles
- Net Worth: $60 Million (via Celebrity Net Worth)
The hits just keep on coming for Naomi Osaka! She's easily one of the world's most marketable athletes out there, having been ranked eighth among all athletes in endorsement income in 2020. On top of that, she's the highest-earning female athlete of all time when ranked by annual income for 2020. All this is thanks to several appearances in Sports Illustrated and even having a Barbie designed after her.
All that came with a lot of hard work and dedication. Osaka's father saw the Williams sisters compete in 1999, and he wanted to teach his girls how to be just as fierce. He trained both Naomi and Mari, who is also a professional tennis player. However, between the two, Naomi is the one with an aggressive play style that can reach up to 125 miles per hour.
- Awards: multiple US Open titles, four Grand Slam titles, seven total career titles
- Net Worth: $60 Million (via Forbes)
There is every chance you won’t have seen one second of NASCAR or IndyCar action, but you’ll definitely know who Danica Patrick is. The Wisconsin native is the most famous and most successful female driver in history. Her journey from a 10-year-old kart driver to motorsport icon is revolutionary.
She became the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and later the first to win an IndyCar Series race at the 2008 Indy Japan 300. She continues to inspire but is now shifting her focus to a deep passion for fitness, releasing a book called Pretty Intense in 2017 and a podcast by the same name in 2019.
- Awards: NASCAR: 7 top ten finishes; IndyCar Series: 1 win, 7 podiums
- Net Worth: $80 Million (via Wealthy Gorilla)
Of course, Venus has to make the list! This tennis legend is regarded as one of the all-time greatest players in the world (along with her younger sister). Before her sister stole the spotlight, Venus was all anyone could talk about when it came to the court. In 2002, she became the first African American woman to rank number one in the Open Era and second all time since Althea Gibson.
While she still plays at 43, she isn't as active as she used to be. Venus has suffered from Sjogren's syndrome since 2004, and that has seriously affected her game. She's quoted as saying, “No matter how hard I worked, I was exhausted, short of breath, and never felt in shape. It was really frustrating. My symptoms got progressively worse, to the point where I couldn’t play professional tennis anymore.”
- Awards: Four Olympic gold medals, one silver Olympic medal, and 16 Grand Slam finales (seven won)
- Net Worth: $95 Million (via Cosmopolitan)
Hegerberg’s life story is one of unbridled and, often unprecedented, success. Before becoming a shining star for the world, her startling talent helped her become the youngest-ever scorer of a hat-trick, aged 16. Through the sheer weight of numbers, Hegerberg’s achievements are outstanding.
From 233 club appearances, 237 goals have been minded. These are numbers that only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can come close to in the men’s game. December 2018 saw the lethal striker named as the first recipient of the Ballon d’Or Feminin, honoring the best female footballer.
- Awards: Career Goals: 237; Most Goals in the UEFA Women’s Champion League; Ballon d'Or Féminin (Inaugural Winner- Best Female Soccer Player)
- Net Worth: $117 Million (via Forbes)
When we say Maria Sharapova started young, we mean it! She hit her first tennis ball when she was just four years old using her own tennis racket, given to her by Yevgeny Kafelnikov's (two Grand Slam singles titles and Russia's number one ranked tennis player) father. It was on from there! She practiced at the park every chance she got, hoping to improve her hand-eye coordination.
Professional training started when she was six, and it certainly helped. Before long, she was ranked number one in singles by the Women's Tennis Association and won an Olympic silver medal. Out of all the players out there, she's considered to be one of Serena Williams's greatest rivals. She retired in 2020 after almost two decades of being a pro.
- Awards: 2012 Olympic silver medal, ranked number 1 in the Women's Tennis Association, five Grand Slam titles, and 36 titles in total
- Net Worth: $180 Million (via EssentiallySports)
Serena Williams is such a force of nature that it’s difficult to understand the depth of her accomplishments in tennis. She is a constant reminder of what can be achieved through sheer force of determination and tenacity. The 42-year-old carries a huge responsibility on her shoulders as one of the most iconic athletes on the planet.
Serena is victorious, and the magnitude of her success is incredibly compelling. Her numbers present a case for being not just the tennis G.O.A.T but the G.O.A.T. of any sport. In May 2021 Serena played her 1,000th match of her career—she hung up her racket for good in 2022. There can be no doubt about her status within the sport.
- Awards: 23 Grand Slam Singles, 73 Career Titles, 14 Grand Slam Doubles
- Net Worth: $240 Million (via Forbes)
