
Strong female athlete role models are dominating sport today, setting records and reaching new peaks. Just as exciting is watching these athletes grow their social impact.
Today, the most dominant female athletes aren’t just winning competitions, they’re inspiring the next generation of young people.
We’ve written before about the value of keeping girls in sport and why it matters to solve gender inequality in sports. That’s why we created this guide. These women have overcome obstacles to blaze trails for other young women to follow. We hope you’ll find it inspiring — and share their stories with the girls playing sport today.
Serena Williams: tennis champion and advocate for mothers in sport
Serena Williams is one of the most decorated athletes in tennis history, with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 39 major titles and 4 Olympic gold medals. In 2017 she won the Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant, without dropping a set.
After serious complications following childbirth, she returned to reach the 2018 Wimbledon and US Open finals and spoke out about the childbirth complications many Black mothers face. Her return also helped drive two WTA rule changes in 2019, including frozen rankings for players returning from pregnancy, so they can recover their form without losing their place.
Tessa Virtue: the most decorated Olympic figure skater of all time
With her partner Scott Moir, Tessa Virtue is the most decorated Olympic figure skater in history: 5 Olympic medals including 3 golds, and 8 Canadian ice dance titles.
Off the ice, she’s passionate about keeping girls in sport, pointing out that girls simply don’t have the same access to sport as boys. She was honoured with a doll in Barbie’s Role Models collection and has partnered with Adidas, FitSpirit and others to amplify young female athletes.
Simone Biles: the most decorated gymnast of all time
At the Tokyo Olympics, at the height of her dominance, Simone Biles withdrew from several finals after developing the “twisties”, a dangerous loss of air awareness. By prioritizing her mental health, she showed athletes everywhere that it’s okay to make space for their own wellness — then returned to win bronze on beam.
Her World Championship and Olympic medal tally is the largest in gymnastics history, and she has been named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People and won the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year award. Read more in our guide to the hardest gymnastics skills, many of which bear her name.
Billie Jean King: Hall of Fame tennis player and pioneer for equality
Billie Jean King won 39 Grand Slam titles and is remembered for the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes”, where an estimated 90 million people watched her beat Bobby Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
That same year she founded the Women’s Tennis Association, and in 1974 the Women’s Sports Foundation, which works to ensure all girls have access to sport. She remains a leading voice for equality and for the LGBTQ community.
Katie Ledecky: Olympic champion and world record holder
Katie Ledecky won Olympic gold in the 800m freestyle at London 2012, aged 15, on her first international trip to swim. She left Rio 2016 with four golds and a silver, and has set more than a dozen world records — often lapping elite competition.
What makes her a great role model is her grounded attitude. She calls swimming something she tries to have fun with and tells kids to “find something that you love and pursue it to the best of your ability.”
Ronda Rousey: judo medallist and combat sports trailblazer
Ronda Rousey won Olympic bronze in judo at Beijing 2008 before becoming UFC Bantamweight Champion and defending her title six straight times. She then moved into film and the WWE.
Her confidence and dominance showed girls that strong is beautiful. UFC President Dana White has said her success “is changing the perception of women… and how little girls look at what [their] possibilities are.”
Mia Hamm: World Cup and Olympic champion
Mia Hamm joined the U.S. national team at 15 and went on to win the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympic gold in 1996 and 2004, scoring 158 international goals. She was the face of women’s soccer for a generation, and today runs the Mia Hamm Foundation.
Kaetlyn Osmond: Olympic and World Champion figure skater
After breaking her leg in training and considering retirement, Kaetlyn Osmond came back stronger. In 2018 she won Olympic team gold and singles bronze in Pyeongchang, then the World Championship title a month later — the first Canadian woman to win world singles gold in 45 years. Her story is a lesson in perseverance. She now runs Off The Rock, a skating camp for young skaters in Newfoundland and Labrador (read their story).
Dipa Karmakar: India’s gymnastics trailblazer
Dipa Karmakar was born flat-footed and trained with a springboard her coach built from discarded scooter parts. She persevered to become the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics, reaching the vault final at Rio 2016 — where she landed the Produnova, one of the most dangerous vaults in the sport.
Marta: six-time FIFA World Player of the Year
Brazil’s Marta Vieira da Silva holds the record for most goals scored at FIFA Women’s World Cups. Growing up, she trained barefoot and was the only girl playing soccer in her small town. Her story shows that it doesn’t matter where you grow up or what people say — you can play the sport you love.
Michelle Kwan: the most decorated U.S. figure skater
Michelle Kwan won five World Championships, nine U.S. titles and two Olympic medals. After skating she earned a master’s degree, served on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and became a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics — proof that life after competition can be just as rewarding.
Sheryl Swoopes: WNBA pioneer
Sheryl Swoopes was one of the first players signed to the WNBA, and went on to win 4 WNBA championships, 3 MVP awards and 3 Olympic golds. She returned to play just six weeks after giving birth, helping to show that motherhood and a professional career in sport can go hand in hand.
Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser: hockey legend and physician
Hayley Wickenheiser joined Canada’s national team at 15 and won 4 Olympic golds and 7 world titles, retiring as the team’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points. In 2003 she became the first woman to score in a men’s professional hockey game.
Off the ice, she completed medical school while working in player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and became an assistant general manager. Her drive shows young athletes that they can pursue every goal, on and off the ice.
Strong female athlete role models are inspiring the next generation
It’s an inspiring time for young women in sport. These athletes are blazing trails for the next generation. Have a suggestion for someone we should add? Message us on Facebook or Instagram — we’d love to hear from you.
See Uplifter in action.
Book a demo and we'll show you how it works for your organization.
Book a demo