“Who run the world? GIRLS!” This is one of the most famous Beyonce songs of all time. It has been said that sports are for men but we disagree — in every sport, there is a woman just waiting for an opportunity to unleash the power within.
Tennis, soccer, basketball, hockey, or even wrestling — you name it! There are girls who rock in all these sports. With the right amount of patience, training, and hard work, they’ve risen through the ranks and become successful and known in their sports. These wonder girls sure know how to use their charm and talent!
Chloe Kim
Whether it’s in sports, school, degrees or even games, Asians are known to be at the top of their game for a reason! Chloe’s Korean family moved from Los Angeles to Switzerland where she learned a new sport, snowboarding.
Chloe Kim may have struggled with her identity growing up, but it did not stop her from excelling at the one thing she loves — snowboarding. At age 17, she already had the amplitude to win a gold in the halfpipe, and followed this up with a stint in the Youth Olympic Games Lillehammer debut. If you ask her if she has any lucky routines before each event, she would tell you she knocks on her snowboard twice before starting her run. The old knock on wood superstition seems to work!
Alexandra Raeva
Alexandra is a well-known Curling enthusiast. Born in Moscow, Russia in 1992, this European beauty has the most fun playing with natural ice and stones. Curling is a sport which takes a lot of coordination and balance. Players slide the stones on a sheet of ice towards the target area, which requires a lot of skill.
Alexandra competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics Women’s Tournament as part of the Russian National Women’s Curling Team. Her team also won the gold in the 2013 Winter Universiade, the 2013 World Junior Curling Championships, and the 2015 European Championships. In the 2014 Bejing Olympics, they also won the silver. One thing’s for sure, this lady is more than just a beauty. She’s got an exceptional talent.
Hilary Knight
Speaking of sports on ice, this lady is also outstanding on the rink. Ice hockey was Hilary Knight’s passion growing up. The only girl among her siblings, she grew up playing rough sports with her brothers — and Hilary was more than up to the challenge. “When I step on the ice, it’s like I’m entering a different world,” she said. Ice hockey became not only her joy, but her stress relief.
Hilary competed for the Wisconsin Badgers Women's Ice Hockey Program, as well as for Choate Rosemary Hall. She is a three-time Olympic champion representing her country in 2010, 2014, and 2018. During this time, she won one gold and two silver. She is also a prominent leader and helped the Boston Pride win the 2016 Isobel Cup.
Ellen Hoog
Who said field hockey is a man’s game? Ellen Hoog sure is proving this stereotype wrong! Playing field hockey helped Ellen gain resistance and muscle strength. A dangerous sport, there is a 90% chance any injury sustained would be to the head or face. Did this deter her from taking it up? No, c’est la vie! Field hockey is what makes Ellen happy, and she’s in it for the long haul.
Ellen started playing at an early age. Her hard work and determination over the years paid off when she won gold medals at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. With over 30 goals and a hundred international matches under her belt, Ellen is a phenomenal player. Do you know her secret? Her rituals before the match include putting on the right shin guard before the left, and watching The Notebook the night before a big game. Strange rituals, but they seem to work!
Michelle Waterson
Just like any other successful athlete, Michelle started young, commencing training at just 10 years old. As an adult, she’s still doing what she loves — mixed martial arts. It’s said she’s difficult to topple in the ring — some suspect this is partially because of her height, which comes in at a petite 5’3.
Michelle has been affectionately nicknamed “Karate Hottie”, and with good reason! Michelle has won the Invicta FC Atomweight, holds a black belt for American Freestyle Karate, and has also trained in Wushu, Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and wrestling. Fun fact: she is also a model (that’s where the ‘hottie’ part comes in!), and is currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Darya Klishina
When girls are as beautiful as Darya, they often receive ridiculous unsolicited offers. Darya is no exception — an anonymous person sent her a direct message on Instagram offering her almost $300,000 a month to be an escort! Naturally she declined the offer. After all, she can do better than that!
Darya Klishina is a renowned long jumper originating from Russia. Born athletic, at the age of 8 she was already playing volleyball. Thanks to her father, at 13 she was encouraged to take up long jump, and was able to achieve a jump of 7.03 meters — the second-best junior mark of all time.
Robin Bone
Many athletes start honing their skills at a young age. What better way to excel in adulthood? However, this wasn’t the case for Robin Bone, who didn’t take up pole vaulting until age 23.
Also known as the “Helmet Girl”, you will often see Robin practising her spring and jump wearing a helmet. This is because she had five concussions before she turned 15, prompting her to quit gymnastics to prevent her from dying. Since her body and muscles were primed for sport, she turned to pole vaulting instead. Although her doctor allowed this, she must wear a helmet at all times, lest she receive another concussion. Did she let that hold her back? No way! Way to go, girl!
Aly Raisman
Gymnastics is one of the most popular women’s sports. It requires strength, flexibility and presence of mind — something Aly Raisman has in spades. At just eighteen months old, Aly was already familiar with the world of gymnastics, as her mom was a gymnast herself. Aly went through a lot of training before achieving the gold medals in the 2012 Olympics in London. Like many women gymnasts, she brought pride and honour to her home country.
Despite her amazing career, some controversies surround Aly Raisman, including the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar, the team doctor of the US women’s national gymnastics team. Aly Raisman didn’t stay quiet — she bravely rose up, speaking out and emphasizing that no woman should have to go through such atrocities.
Blair O’Neal
Being pregnant and having a baby are special, unique joys in the life of a woman. We salute the wonder women who are pregnant and yet still keep up with their normal routine — like golfer Blair O’Neal. When she was six months pregnant, she competed in the prestigious Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. She has said jokingly that she has gotten her baby through the swing!
In spite of being pregnant, Blair still finished in 6th place on the leaderboard, racking up 129 points in the Stableford format. That memorable moment happened around January 2020, and in April that same year, she gave birth to an eight-bound baby boy. Win-win!
Paige Spiranac
A talented golfer, Paige Spiranac is also a social media personality, with over 2.7 million followers on Instagram. Paige was born in Arizona into a family of athletes. Her dad was a football player, and her mom was a ballet dancer, while her sister specialises in track and field.
One odd fact about Paige is that she ate baby food until she was 18 years old! Yes, you read that right! Her mom wants her to watch her carb count on the golf course, so sandwiches are out, and little meat sausages intended for babies are in. Nice diet, Paige!
McKayla Maroney
Widely known as a living meme, McKayla was famous for her, “not impressed” face, made famous after a picture of her pouting was taken after the 2012 Olympics. McKayla Maroney is an American Gymnast, just like Aly Raisman.
Aside from being an internet sensation, McKayla has an impressive background in gymnastics garnering a lot of gold, and silver medals. However, in 2016, she retired from competitive gymnastics and focused on her other craft, which is music. Just this March, she released her single Wake up Call, and thousands of people loved it. Her breathy vocals and pop songs made her just as popular in the world of music as she was in sports.
Paige VanZant
Paige Michelle Vanderfort, also known as Paige VanZant, is an American mixed martial artist, boxer, author, and model, and is now signed in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A victim of bullying in high school, Paige can’t believe she would eventually go down this path.
Within a year of winning her first amateur fight, Paige had realised this was her destiny, and became a professional martial artist. Paige is a powerful advocate against bullying and sexual assault, and has also made a few appearances on entertainment media, including Dancing with the Stars and Chopped.
Katie Kearney
This professional golfer, who looks a lot like Margot Robbie, is a lot of people’s “girl rush.’ Katie is also known as the daughter of former NFL pro footballer, Tim Kearney. Katie likes people to see her as a kind, funny person.
As well as being kind, Katie is an inspirational woman. The blonde beauty was also hailed as Miss Missouri before becoming a professional golfer. In her spare time, she loves traveling and modeling.
Michelle Jenneke
This hurdle charmer is famous for her “magic fingers” — her 15-second warm-up dance that became viral on the internet. Michelle said her famous dance is her way of removing her nervousness and maintaining circulation in her lower extremities. She is known for winning a silver medal in the 100m hurdles race at the 2010 Summer Olympics.
Being an athlete means also taking care of your body, internally and externally. Having an hourglass figure of 36-26-36, Michelle eats six times a day! How did she do that? A lot of it can be credited to her hard work and perseverance. Her rigorous training and workouts are her secret to a rocking bod.
Anastacia Ashley
American professional surfer Anastacia Ashley started her career at age 2, when she first learned to swim. By age 6, she was able to surf, and a year later her family encouraged her to compete. She became a professional surfer by the age of 16. This Californian goddess won awards such as the Triple Crown Rookie of Year award in 2013.
Aside from being a professional surfer, you can also see her on TV, hosting a few programs on ESPN, Access, Hollywood, FX, and MTV. Her quote in life will always be, “Be yourself and don’t listen to negativities.” Aside from being an athlete and host, it seems that she is also a motivator.
Allison Stokke
Allison Stoke is many people’s internet crush, but she’s also been body-shamed on various news outlets. Of course, she is also incredibly popular and famous.
Allison Stokke is an American track and field athlete and also a fitness model, who has broken pole vaulting records, competed in a lot of games across the United States, and has also modelled popular sportswear brands.
Alica Schmidt
It takes a lot of stamina and energy to be able to pull off a kilometer run. However, it’s not much trouble for Ms. Alica, as she was able to sprint with no sweat!
Dubbed as Germany's sexiest sprinter, this 5’11'' goddess is not just a race track runner, she’s also an Instagram stunner. Alica has excelled in her chosen sport, being part of her national team and competing in worldwide athletic games.
Gabby Douglas
Gabrielle Christina Douglas was the first African American to bag awards at the 2012 London Olympic Games, earning gold medals in both team and individual events. What’s her secret? She’s been doing gymnastics since she was six.
Hailed as the “flying squirrel”, she dazzles as she maneuvers elegantly through uneven bars. Gabby is also the first woman of color to make it to the U.S women’s gymnastics team since Dominique Dawes. Way to go, Gabby!
Lucy Robson
Born and raised in England, this Brit beauty migrated to America for greater opportunities, and became a professional golfer. She became the Treasure Coast Player in 2012 and 2013.
Aside from being a professional golfer, she also motivates young generations of women to go out of their comfort zones and reach their maximum potential. What an inspiration!
Meghan Hardin
Another lovely golfer, Meghan is also a real estate agent, alongside her mom. Before she settled into the corporate world, she was able to compete in Big Break Atlantis — a golf channel reality show in the US.
Meghan seems to excel in a lot of areas. Her first love, surprisingly, was tennis. Although she’s changed careers a few times, she does not regret anything. In fact, she is grateful she was able to experience all the things she wanted to do with her life — first tennis, then golf, and now real estate.
Eugenie Bouchard
This charming tennis player was the first Canadian-born player representing Canada in the 2014 Wimbledon Championship. In the end, Genie came runner-up to Petra Kvitoria.
Genie started training at the age of five in the Training Center in Montreal. As her skills improved, she competed in the 2014 Australian Open, the 2014 French Open, and the 2012 Wimbledon, in which she earned titles such as Newcomer of the Year and Most Improved Player.
Antonija Sandric
Antonija was born in Sibenik, Croatia. Guess what her sport is? It’s basketball! Antonija is a swingman for Sweden’s Lulea Basket, and competes in the women’s division in basketball.
Antonija has been playing professionally for 15 years, participating in a range of games including the 2009 Mediterranean Games, EuroBasket Women 2011, 2012 Olympics, and EuroBasket Women 2013. She has garnered media attention for her impeccable beauty.
Lexi Thompson
American Lexi Thompson started golfing at the age of 7 and joined the US Women’s Open when she was 12 years old — the youngest golfer to qualify for this competition. Lexi was also the youngest winner of the LPGA Tournament, competing at 16 years old.
Lexi grew up with golf, with 2 professional golfer brothers: Nicholas and Curtis Thompson. One fun fact about Lexi is that she was home-schooled. Lexi is still active in the golfing world as of 2021.
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is a famous WWE and UFC fighter, who made a name for herself first as a mixed martial artist, and later as a professional wrestler. She earns around $12 million for each project.
Aside from being a fighter, she has also appeared in few movies, such as The Expendables 3, Furious 7, and Mile 22. Recently, Ronda has been quieter, with speculation that she is living a new life with her husband, Travis Browne. On her Instagram, you can see that she has been busy with her sustainable farm, though we are still hoping to see Ronda on our TV screens again someday!
Natalie Gulbis
Another golfer beauty, Natalie is known to be a daddy’s girl. As a child, she tagged along to his competitions, growing to love what her daddy did. Inspired by her dad, she became a professional player at age 14.
Even though she is a self-proclaimed daddy’s girl, she did not rely on her father’s connections to build her reputation. Natalie is a hardworking woman and she’s mindful of her performance. The biggest highlight of her career is playing the Solheim Cup and winning three other tournaments.
Alana Blanchard
Just like her father, Alana’s path lay in the world of surfing. Starting her journey at 4 years old, she rode her first wave at Hanalei Pier in Kauai, and because of this competitions and championships followed.
She is widely known as the “Anna Kournikova of Surfing” due to her skills. Because of her profession, she advocates for a healthy obsession with sunscreen and hydration. Alana is glowy even under the sun!
Alex Morgan
Alex became famous when she played in the 2011 World Cup for her national soccer team. She was the youngest player at the time, and the first to score a goal in the finals. Alex continues to excel in her soccer career.
Alex was a multi-sport athlete growing up, exploring a variety of options before she discovered her true passion. She began playing soccer with her father as her coach, and we bet her dad is extremely proud of her!
Rachel Wray
This blonde bombshell used to cheer for the Chief’s football team, until she decided she wanted to take martial arts lessons at the Kansas Gym. What started out as a hobby eventually became more, and Rachel decided to take things to the next level.
She may be pretty and bubbly, but don’t underestimate her onstage. Rachel has astounding skills in Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, and is continuously improving. While her mom hates her chosen path, her dad supports her choices, and she is active in the MMA and UFC world to this day.
Anna Kournikova
This charming Russian tennis player may not have won a singles title yet, but she has made great strides playing doubles. At one time she was one of the world’s No. 1 players, with Martina Hingis as her partner. Together, they won Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002.
Anna is one of the most famous tennis players worldwide, and one of the most searched people on Google Images. Aside from being a tennis player, she has made money from multiple endorsements and TV appearances. Anna is now focused on being a mom of three wonderful children.
Lindsey Vonn
This smiling goddess is a real-life Elsa from Frozen. Lindsey is an alpine ski racer in the US Ski Team. She won four World Cup championships and received awards in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2018. She definitely deserves all the hype!
Winning the World Cup for three consecutive years was no sweat for Lindsey. She trained at an early age, so it’s no wonder she excels in alpine skiing. Her talent came from her father, who is also a competitive skier. Way to go, Elsa...we mean, Lindsey!
Elisa Lobb
Do all women golfers have to be this good-looking? Elisa is definitely no exception — she’s both beautiful and talented. She first learned to play at Torrey Pines, where she discovered her love for golf.
Elisa admits that her profession and experience taught her the values of self-discipline, integrity, and patience. She has been active on social media to inspire future golfers, and hopes they will adopt the values she believes in.
Stephanie Rice
If Lindsey Vonn is a real-life Elsa; Stephanie might be the real-life Ariel of the Little Mermaid. This gal has a fondness for the water. She’s known to be shy, but whenever she’s in the pool, her competitive spirit is unleashed.
Stephanie represented Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where she won three gold Olympic medals and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. In 2014, she confirmed her retirement from swimming to focus on her private life.
Camila Giorgi
Currently, Camila is called “Italian No. 1” for securing her spot in the rankings of tennis singles. She has also won many awards and medals for tennis such as the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, US Open, and the 2021 National Bank Open.
Camila seems perfect, but as of the moment, she’s not dating anyone. Maybe she is still focused on her career. She’s known to have a powerful flat groundstroke and is a hard hitter on the court. A truly confident woman!
Danica Patrick
They say cars are a man’s best friend, but they can be a woman’s too! Cars have been Danica’s best friend ever since she entered the world of racing. She has been labeled the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel car racing.
Because of her fame in car racing, Danica was also able to make a few TV appearances on shows such as Spike, and Girl Racers. She even wrote her autobiography, entitled “Danica: Crossing the Line”, hoping to inspire other women to go into car racing.
Maria Sharapova
The smile on this wonderful Russian woman’s face says it all. Maria was the second-youngest female tennis player to win the women’s singles in the Open Era. She also won the Wimbledon championship at just 17.
Unfortunately, despite her being famous for her craft, she finally bid goodbye to tennis and formally retired at age 32. We know Maria Sharapova gave it her all on her court, and we can just imagine her heartache at having to leave.
Caroline Wozniacki
The name Caroline Wozniacki is well-known in the world of tennis. Caroline was ranked No. 1 in the world in singles in 2010 and 2011, and achieved the top ranking in the Open Era. She was also the first woman from a Scandinavian country to hold the top position.
Unbeknownst to most people, Caroline was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and was told by doctors that tennis might exacerbate her condition, especially if she played for long periods of time. This didn’t stop her playing, though! Caroline is still going, and is interested in branching into doubles games.
Serena Williams
If ever there was a common household name in tennis, Serena Williams is it. One of the most successful in her field, she has acquired 23 Glam Slam singles, doubles, and mixed doubles combined. This powerhouse woman is indeed one of the greatest female tennis players of all time.
Aside from tennis, Serena invested in her own fashion line, S by Serena; and a venture capital firm, Serena Ventures. Serena’s worth sits at around $180 million, and she is a happy mom to her daughter Alexis.
Silje Norendal
This Norwegian girl might resemble Barbie, but she’s not the doll she might seem. Silje won gold medals for X Games Snowboard Slopestyle in 2013-2015. She loves to compete in halfpipe, boardercross, and slopestyle.
Silje is famous for competing in the 2018 Korean Winter Olympics, where she placed 4th in the Slopestyle Finals. In that same year, she became engaged to her hockey player boyfriend, Alexander Bonsaken. Hopefully we will see more of her in the coming years!
Ali Kreiger
Ali is an American soccer player. She is known for her place on the Orlando Pride team in the National Women’s Soccer League, which is the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States. She has represented the US in all kinds of soccer competitions and brought home several medals.
An interesting fact about this attractive girl is that she has had a concussion, but because of her love for soccer, she continues to play while wearing her protective headband. Now, she takes care of herself even more after the accident while doing what she loves to do.
Summer Rae
Born Danielle Louise Monet, her professional name “Summer Rae” is well known in the WWE community. She is a professional wrestler, model, actress, ring announcer, and former football player. Summer Rae is up for all physical challenges.
One fun fact about her is that she was the one who guided Fandango, Tyler Breeze, and Rusev through their initial months in the WWE. Summer was able to maintain her reputation as a kingmaker in the main roster because of this.