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Whether you like it or not, not all men and women were created equal. Some were just better than others. And then some were simply all-time greats. When it comes to woman power, these are the greatest female athletes of all-time:
1. Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is regarded as the greatest female athlete of all-time. She is among the all-time greats in the heptathlon and long jump events of track and field. Joyner-Kersee won three gold medals, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals in those events. She also won a total of four gold medals in the World Championships: two in the heptathlon and two in the long jump. In college, she played basketball for the UCLA Bruins an is 19th in the all-time list with 1,167 points scored during her collegiate career. After her retirement, she founded the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation and became a philanthropist in children’s education, racial equality, and women’s rights.
2. Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Some athletes are two-sport athletes. Babe Didrikson Zaharias was even more. Zaharias won two gold Olympic medals in track and field during the 1932 Olympics and then she changed careers to professional golf and won 10 LPGA major golf tournaments. In 1934, she pitched the first inning of an exhibition game in Major League Baseball between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. She was hailed by the Associated Press as the 9th Greatest Athlete of the 20th century and the 10th Greatest North American Athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN. She was inducted to the Women’s Hall of Fame in 1976.
3. Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova is one of the greatest tennis players of all-time and the best during her era. She reigned as world #1 for a total of 332 weeks in singles and another 237 weeks in doubles, making her the only female tennis player to hold the #1 spot in both categories at least 200 weeks each. She was world #1 in a total of seven year-ends, including a record five in a row. Her 31 grand slam women’s doubles titles are a record and that is on top of 16 grand slam singles titles. She reached the finals of Wimbledon a total of 12 times including 9 in a row from 1982-1990 and won a total of nine Wimbledon titles, also a record. Her 167 singles titles and 177 doubles titles are a record in the Open Era
4. Florence Griffith Joyner
Flo-Jo is hailed as the fastest woman of all-time. Joyner set the record for the 100m and 200m in 1988 and both records still stand to date. She was an icon during the ’80s because of her record-setting runs and her flamboyant fashion style. She won three gold medals during the 1988 Olympics and suddenly retired after. She remained a popular cultural icon through her endorsement deals, TV guestings, and designing. She died in her sleep as a result of an epileptic seizure in 1998 at the age of 38.
5. Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm was the original soccer icon from the United States. Hamm played forward for the United States women’s football team from 1987 to 2004. She played professional football for the Washington Freedom from 2001 to 2003 and became the face of the Women’s United Soccer Association. In college, Hamm helped the University of North Carolina Tar Heels win four NCAA Division I titles. In international competition, she won the Olympic gold medal twice and the women’s FIFA World Cup also two times. She is currently the co-owner of the MLS soccer team Los Angeles FC and a global ambassador for FC Barcelona. She was named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year in five straight years and has won three ESPYs.
6. Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf may be the best female tennis player in the open era. Her 22 grand slam titles rank next to Serena Williams’ 23 and third-overall behind Williams and Margaret Court who won a record 24. She is the only tennis player, male or female, to achieve the golden slam-that is winning all four grand slam titles plus the Olympic gold medal. She is also the only tennis player to have won each grand slam title at least four times. Graf’s reign as world #1 for 377 weeks is the longest since the WTA ratings were established. Her 107 WTA titles won rank third behind Martina Navratilova’s 167 titles and Chris Evert’s 157 wins. Only Graf and Margaret Court have won at least three grand slams in five separate years.
7. Annika Sorenstam
Annika Sorenstam was one of the greatest female golfers ever. She won a total of 90 professional and international golf tournaments, the most by any female golfer. 72 of those wins were official LPGA tournaments and 10 were majors. She has over $22M in career winnings, the most by any female golfer and better by $2M from her closest rival despite the fact that she played in 149 fewer tournaments. Sorenstam is the winner of a record eight Player of the Year awards and six Vare Trophies given to the player with the lowest season score. She is the first woman to play in a PGA tournament since 1945 when she joined the 2003 Bank of America Colonial.
8. Billie Jean King
One of the best tennis players ever, Billie Jean King was a true legend. Inside the tennis court, she won a total of 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 singles, 16 in women’s doubles and 11 in mixed doubles. She also led the United States to victories in seven Federation Cup and nine Wightman Cup titles, captaining in three Federal Cup wins. In 1973, she won the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match against 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. Outside the court, she was the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association or the WTA. She is also an advocate for gender equality and social justice. In 2005, the US National Tennis Center in New York was renamed after her.
9. Lisa Leslie
Back in the days when women’s basketball was ruled by passes, layups and outside shots, Lisa Leslie was a trailblazer. On July 30, 2002, she became the first woman to dunk the basketball during an actual WNBA game. But that’s not the only reason why she’s here. Leslie was the 7th pick of the inaugural 1997 WNBA draft and she led the Los Angeles Sparks to five straight playoff appearances including the world title in 2001. Leslie was a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner, playing from the 1996-2008 Olympic games. She also led the U.S. team to the gold medal in the World Championships in 1998 and 2002, winning FIBA World Championship MVP honors in 2002.
10. Bonnie Blair
Bonnie Blair was a former American speed skater and is considered as one of the top speed skaters of all-time. Blair was a decorated Olympian, having represented the United States in a total of four Olympic games where she won a total of five gold medals and one bronze. She won the 1986 short-track World Championship and her first Olympic gold medal in the 500m at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. She also took the bronze in the 1000m. She won 2 more gold medals in 1992 at Albertville and her final gold medal at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer.
