Female athletes who broke barriers

From amateur baseball to tennis to boxing and beyond, the history of sport is full of women who have defied their background and the odds to break barriers and pave the way for their female colleagues. 

By daring to take risks that many others would have shied away from, these athletes made inroads into their male-dominated sport of choice thanks to their courage, vigor, and tenacity, then went a step further – by creating foundations to give back, acting as mentors, and funding and supporting athletic and humanitarian causes to this day.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the sporting world would be very different without the women in this list. Their sporting success is undeniable in its own right, but more often than not their achievements represent more than just trophies or points on a scoreboard. These female athletes pushed boundaries and disrupted long-standing customs, ultimately upending the historically male-dominated world of sports.

1. Mildred ‘Babe’ Didrikson Zaharias (Track & Field, Golf): Zaharias was a multi-talented athlete who excelled in several sports during her lifetime. At the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, she won two gold medals and a silver medal in track and field, including a record-setting 80-meter hurdle run. By the 1940s, Zaharias had switched to professional golf, where she continued to make waves in a male-dominated sport, winning 82 tournaments throughout her astonishing career.

2. Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Track & Field): Joyner-Kersee is considered one of the greatest female athletes in the history of track and field. She excelled in the heptathlon and long jump, winning three Olympic gold medals and one silver, and she set a world record in the heptathlon that still stands today.

3. Billie Jean King (Tennis): A former world No. 1 professional tennis player, Billie Jean King is not only known for her considerable on-court achievements, but also for her advocacy for gender equality in sports. She famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match.

4. Kathrine Switzer (Marathon Running): In 1967, Switzer became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entrant, despite the race being open to male participants only at the time. She registered as “K.V. Switzer” to initially conceal her gender, and went on to finish the race.

5. Toni Stone (Baseball): Toni Stone may not be a household name these days, but she played a major role in breaking down gender barriers, as the first woman to play professional baseball in a men’s baseball league. In 1949, Stone played for the New Orleans Creoles in a semi-pro league before signing with the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953 in the Negro American League, making her the first woman to cross the gender barrier and play in a men’s league.

6. Wilma Rudolph (Track & Field): Rudolph overcame childhood polio to become a track and field star. Most notably, she made history by winning three gold medals in sprint events at the 1960 Summer Olympics, becoming the first American woman to achieve such a feat.

7. Mia Hamm (Soccer): One of the most accomplished soccer players in history, Mia Hamm helped popularize women’s soccer to a new generation of fans. She also won two Olympic gold medals and two FIFA Women’s World Cup titles over the course of her trailblazing career.

8. Serena Williams (Tennis): Widely regarded as one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, Serena Williams has won numerous Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold medals, and is the highest-earning woman athlete of all time. She has also been a powerful advocate for gender equality in sports, expressing hope that a new generation of female athletes would “push for greatness and follow their dreams with steadfast resilience.”

9. Althea Gibson (Tennis and Golf): Gibson was the first African American woman to “cross the colour line” of international tennis and win a Grand Slam title, achieving this milestone at the French Open in 1956. She later broke barriers in golf, becoming the first African American woman to compete on the LPGA Tour, and has been cited as an influence by Venus and Serena Williams, among others.

10. Danica Patrick (Auto Racing): Patrick broke barriers in the traditionally male-dominated world of auto racing, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race and achieving considerable success in NASCAR as well.

These women, among many others, have excelled in their respective sports while also making significant contributions to advancing gender equality and breaking down barriers in the world of athletics. With sports crowdfunding on the rise around the world, who knows where the great female athletes and activists of the future will come from next?