They Did More Than Win

Some athletes win medals, break records, and collect trophies, but a few do something even bigger. They change what people think is possible, who gets invited to compete, how fans watch the sport, or how future athletes are treated. Many of these women had to fight rules, stereotypes, low pay, limited coverage, and people who were weirdly confident about what women supposedly couldn't do. Their victories mattered, but their influence reached far beyond the scoreboard. Here are 20 of the most influential female athletes.

Александр Осипов from Ukraine on Wikimedia

1. Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King changed tennis and women’s sports by fighting for equal treatment with uncommon persistence. She won major titles, helped create professional opportunities for women, and became one of the strongest voices for pay equity. Her 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” victory over Bobby Riggs became a cultural moment that reached far beyond tennis. 

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2. Serena Williams

Serena Williams transformed tennis with power, mental toughness, and a competitive presence that made every match feel important. She dominated across different surfaces, eras, and expectations placed on her as a Black woman in a mostly white elite sport. Her influence also changed how fans talked about strength, motherhood, confidence, and greatness. 

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3. Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Babe Didrikson Zaharias was so talented in so many sports that narrowing her down feels almost unfair. She won Olympic medals in track and field, then became one of the greatest golfers of her era. At a time when women athletes were often expected to stay small, quiet, and decorative, she was bold, competitive, and impossible to ignore. 

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4. Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph became an Olympic sprinting legend after overcoming childhood polio. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, she won three gold medals and became one of the most visible athletes in the world. Her success made her a role model for Black athletes, women athletes, and anyone who had ever been underestimated. 

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5. Kathrine Switzer

Kathrine Switzer helped change distance running when she officially entered and ran the Boston Marathon in 1967. During the race, an official tried to remove her from the course, but she kept going and finished. Her courage helped push the sport toward greater inclusion for women. 

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6. Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson broke barriers in tennis long before the sport was ready to welcome her properly. She became the first Black player to win major titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, opening doors that had been kept shut for far too long. Her success came during a deeply segregated era, which made every victory carry extra weight. 

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7. Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm helped make women’s soccer visible to millions of fans. Her skill, scoring ability, and star power helped turn the U.S. women’s national team into a cultural force and something people actually wanted to watch. Young girls saw her play and suddenly had a new version of athletic possibility to imagine. 

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8. Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach brought power, leadership, and a fearless scoring presence to women’s soccer. She became one of the sport’s most recognizable goal scorers, especially with her famous headers and clutch performances. Her voice after retirement also helped keep conversations about equality and leadership alive. 

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9. Simone Biles

Simone Biles changed gymnastics by pushing difficulty and execution to extraordinary levels. Her skills became so advanced that the sport had to name multiple elements after her. She also reshaped public conversations about athletes’ mental health by stepping back during the Tokyo Olympics when she needed to protect herself. 

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10. Nadia Comăneci

Nadia Comăneci made Olympic history in 1976 when she earned the first perfect 10 in gymnastics. Her performance changed how people watched the sport because she made precision, control, and grace feel almost unreal. She became a global star as a teenager, which brought enormous attention to women’s gymnastics. 

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11. Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Jackie Joyner-Kersee became one of the greatest track and field athletes in history through her dominance in the heptathlon and long jump. Her range, consistency, and competitive toughness made her stand out in a sport that rewards both power and precision. She showed that women could excel across multiple demanding events at the highest level. 

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12. Florence Griffith Joyner

Florence Griffith Joyner, known as Flo-Jo, changed track and field with her speed, style, and unforgettable presence. Her world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters still stand, which says plenty about how extraordinary her performances were. She also brought fashion and personality into sprinting in a way that made people pay attention. 

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13. Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova changed tennis with her athleticism, net play, fitness, and long-lasting dominance. She helped push the women’s game toward a more physically demanding style. Off the court, she became an important public figure as an openly gay athlete during a time when that carried real personal and professional risk. 

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14. Annika Sörenstam

Annika Sörenstam raised the standard in women’s golf through precision, discipline, and a calm competitive style. She won major championships, dominated the LPGA Tour, and became one of the most respected golfers in the world. In 2003, she also competed in a PGA Tour event, bringing major attention to women’s golf. 

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15. Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey helped bring women’s mixed martial arts into the mainstream. Her dominance in the UFC made her one of the promotion’s biggest stars and proved that women’s fights could draw huge attention. Before her rise, women’s MMA didn't have the same platform or respect. 

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16. Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick changed the conversation around women in major motorsports. She became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race and later competed in NASCAR, where she attracted a large audience. Her career brought visibility to women in a field where they had often been treated as outsiders. 

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17. Megan Rapinoe

Megan Rapinoe changed women’s soccer through her play, personality, and outspoken advocacy. She helped the U.S. win major international titles while also becoming one of the most visible voices for equal pay and LGBTQ+ rights in sports. Some fans loved her, some argued about her, but everyone knew she mattered.

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18. Ibtihaj Muhammad

Ibtihaj Muhammad made history as the first American Muslim woman to compete at the Olympics wearing a hijab. She won a bronze medal in fencing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, giving her achievement even more visibility. Muhammad changed the game by making inclusion visible on one of the world’s biggest stages, and challenging narrow ideas about who should be allowed to represent the U.S.

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19. Junko Tabei

Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1975. She later became the first woman to climb the highest peak on every continent. Her achievements challenged assumptions about women in mountaineering, endurance, and extreme environments. 

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20. Cheryl Miller

Cheryl Miller helped transform women’s basketball with her dominance, confidence, and all-around ability. She became a college basketball legend at USC and helped bring more attention to the women’s game. Her style of play influenced future generations, including players who would eventually build the WNBA era. 

Jayne Kamin, Los Angeles Times on Wikimedia