By Miurel Zamora, Contributing Writer
For the last few decades, female athletes have been highlighted in the industry due to their talent and ambition in sports. As they become more popular in the industry, they become role models for young girls who are looking to become future athletes. Here are four women who have demonstrated what it means to be powerful icons in United States sports history.
Ronda Rousey is a former professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and judoka. Her national career started at the age of 15, when she was named to the United States Olympic team. Rousey won gold at the 2004 World Junior and Pan American Judo Championship and became an icon since then.
In 2008, she became the first U.S woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo. She was the first woman to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world’s largest mixed martial arts league.
In 2018, the UFC released a statement to announce that Rousey would become the league’s first female Hall of Famer.
Over the years, Rousey had demonstrated to be a strong woman dominating a less commonly seen female field, positioning herself as one of the best in contemporary mixed martial arts.
“This is an immense honor, to not only take part in bringing women to the forefront of this sport, but now the UFC Hall of Fame,” Rousey stated in an Instagram post.
Danica Patrick is a former American race car driver, who achieved many first female titles based on her successful career. Patrick started at the age of 10 when she achieved the World Karting Association Grand National Championship in the 1990s.
In 2005, she competed in the Indianapolis 500 and finished fourth place, achieving the name of “Rookie of the Year”. She became the highest ever female driver passing the previous record of ninth set by Janet Guthrie in 1978.
In 2006, she was named “Female Athlete of the Year” by the United States Sports Academy. In 2008, Patrick made history by winning the Firestone IndyCar 300 race championship and positioned herself in the sixth-place overall driving standings.
In 2010, she began racing stock cars in the NASCAR Nationwide and, the following year, she won the fourth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 2013, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, she won the time trials at the Daytona 500, becoming the first female driver to accomplish this at a famous NASCAR event. Patrick retired in 2018, leaving a legacy and inspiration for future female racers.
“I was brought up to be the fastest driver, not the fastest girl,” Patrick said, according to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website. “That’s how I’ve always approached my racing career. I have been lucky enough to make history and be the first woman to do many things. We have a lot more history to make and we are excited to do it.”
Serena Williams is an American professional tennis player who revolutionized women’s tennis due to her incredible talent and powerful style of play. Williams won her first major championship in 1999 in the U.S Open, becoming the second African American woman to do so and the first in the Open Era.
In 2000, she won her first women’s doubles Olympic gold medal with her sister Venus. Serena and her sister accumulated a total of four Olympic gold medals and 14 Grand Slam titles.
In 2009, both sisters purchased shares of the Miami Dolphins to become the first African American women to own part of an NFL team.
Serena is a very successful woman who has accumulated a record of 22 singles Grand Slam events—combined, she has a total of 39 Grand Slam titles. She has faced her sister more than 30 times in professional tournaments and holds an advantage—however, both sisters have demonstrated their talents in tennis.
Serena holds the record for the longest run as the No. 1 ranked female player, gaining this title multiple times since 2002. Williams is the tennis player with more Grand Slam littles than any other woman or man during the Open Era, breaking numerous records in both singles and doubles.
Simone Arianne Biles is an American gymnast with multiple world records from recent history. Biles begin her career in 2007 as a level 8 gymnast and, after only three years, she achieved junior elite level.
In 2012, she won the vault and the all-around events at the American Classic, the Alamo Classic, the Houston National Invitational, and the Secret U.S Classic. In 2013, she won the U.S P&G Championship and delivered a historic showing at the World Championships. She became the first female African American athlete to win gold in all-around.
In 2015, Biles became the first woman, since Kim Zmeskal in 1992, to win her third consecutive world all-around title. Biles holds the record of 19 world championship gold medals and 25 world championships medals.
At the 2016 Olympics, she became the first female U.S gymnast to win four gold medals in a single game and led the U.S to gold in the team event, consequentially winning the individual all-around. In 2019, she claimed her fifth individual all-around gold at the World Championship. Biles became an iconic figure, holding the title of the most decorated gymnasts.
All four women have accomplished world records and revolutionized their sports through dedication and passion. They have contributed to the development of women athletes and have demonstrated the capacity of women in any sports field. Their inspiring work will open the possibilities for younger girls to join sports teams, demand equal rights in the industry, and become appreciated as athletes.
