Ranker SportsList RulesVote up the most influential female athletes who changed their sport.
When it comes to the most influential female athletes of all time, who do you think tops the list? While being one of the best in their respective sports is certainly a qualifying factor, there's plenty more to consider in determining just which women had the greatest influence on generations of females to come. Of course, all these stars will go down as some of the greatest female athletes, but who changed the game for women the most? Who's the most iconic? That's up to you to decide.
From track and field to tennis, the most influential female athletes span a range of sports—and some have even competed with top male athletes. Some of the most notable women in sports include Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, soccer star Mia Hamm, and skiing phenom Lindsey Vonn, among many other iconic females. In short, the list of influential ladies below features some of the greatest female athletes of all time, and some of the most influential athletes right now.
Check out all the famous female athletes below and cast your votes for those you think had the greatest influence. You can also add others to the list if you think they deserve to be considered. , then head over and check out the highest-paid women in sports.
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36566Annika Sörenstam
Professional golfer, ArchitectBirthplace: Bro, Sweden, Sweden
Nationality: United States of America, Sweden
Annika Sörenstam (pronounced [ˈanːɪka ²sœːrɛnˌstam] (listen); born 9 October 1970) is a... more2
30450Yelena Isinbayeva
Track and field athleteBirthplace: Volgograd, Russia
Nationality: Russia
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva (Russian: Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, IPA: [jɪˈlʲɛnə gɐˈdʐɨjɪvnə... more3
461115Marit Bjørgen
Athlete, Cross-country skierBirthplace: Trondheim, Norway
Nationality: Norway
Marit Bjørgen (born 21 March 1980) is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. She is ranked... more4
27243Anni Friesinger-Postma
Speed SkaterBirthplace: Bad Reichenhall, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Anna ("Anni") Christine Friesinger-Postma (born 11 January 1977) is a German former speed... more5
27747Lidia Skoblikova
Speed SkaterBirthplace: Zlatoust, Russia
Nationality: Russia, Soviet Union
Lidiya Pavlovna Skoblikova (Russian: Лидия Павловна Скобликова; born 8 March 1939) is a... more6
451118Francina "Fanny" Elsje Blankers-Koen (26 April 1918 – 25 January 2004) was a Dutch track and... more7
472128Inge de Bruijn
SwimmerBirthplace: Barendrecht, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Nationality: Netherlands
Inge de Bruijn (Dutch: [ˈɪŋə də ˈbrœyn]; born 24 August 1973) is a Dutch former competitive... more8
831289Věra Čáslavská
GymnastBirthplace: Prague, Czech Republic
Nationality: Czech Republic
Věra Čáslavská (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvjɛra ˈtʃaːslafskaː]; 3 May 1942 – 30 August 2016) was... more9
825290Larisa Latynina
GymnastBirthplace: Kherson, Ukraine
Larisa Semyonovna Latynina (Ukrainian: Лариса Семенівна Латиніна, Russian: Лари́са Семёновна... more10
603197Sonja Henie
Figure SkatingBirthplace: Oslo, Norway
Nationality: Norway
Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She... more11
23138Birgit Fischer (born 25 February 1962) is a German kayaker, who has won eight gold medals over... more12
805293Steffi Graf
TennisBirthplace: Mannheim, Germany
Nationality: Germany,West Germany
Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf (German pronunciation: [ˈʃtɛfiː ˈɡʁaːf]; born 14 June 1969) is a... more13
32482Chris Evert
TennisBirthplace: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
Christine Marie Evert (born December 21, 1954), known as Chris Evert Lloyd from 1979 to 1987,... more14
370112Lindsey Vonn
SkiingBirthplace: Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
Lindsey Caroline Vonn (née Kildow ; born October 18, 1984) is an American former World Cup... more15
19832Stefka Georgieva Kostadinova (Bulgarian: Стефка Георгиева Костадинова; born March 25, 1965) is... more16
815325Nadia Comăneci
GymnasticsBirthplace: Onești, Romania
Nationality: United States of America
Nadia Elena Comăneci (UK: , US: , Romanian: [ˈnadi.a koməˈnetʃʲ] (listen); born 12 November... more17
Annemarie Moser-Pröll (born 27 March 1953) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from... more18
344109Martina Navratilova
TennisBirthplace: Prague, Czech Republic
Nationality: United States of America, Czechoslovakia
Martina Navratilova (Czech: Martina Navrátilová pronounced [mar'cɪna navˈraːcɪlovaː]; born... more19
395151Nastia Liukin
Actor, GymnastBirthplace: Moscow, Russia
Nationality: United States of America
Anastasia Valeryevna "Nastia" Liukin (; Russian: Анастасия "Настя" Валерьевна Люкина... more20
16935Paula Radcliffe
Track and field athleteBirthplace: Davenham, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE (born 17 December 1973) is a British long-distance runner. She is a... more21
11419Gertrude Ederle
SwimmingBirthplace: New York City, New York
Nationality: United States of America,Germany
Gertrude Caroline Ederle ( ED-ər-lee, AYD-; October 23, 1905 – November 30, 2003) was an... more22
293159Billie Jean King
TennisBirthplace: Long Beach, California, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former World No. 1... more23
234145Jackie Mitchell
BaseballBirthplace: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Virne Beatrice "Jackie" Mitchell Gilbert (August 29, 1913 – January 7, 1987) was one of the... more24
7620Kerri Walsh Jennings
Beach VolleyballBirthplace: Santa Clara, California, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings (born August 15, 1978) is an American professional beach volleyball... more25
13773Maria Sharapova
Athlete, ModelBirthplace: Nyagan, Russia
Nationality: Russia
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова, IPA: [mɐˈrʲijə ˈjʉrʲjɪvnə... more
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