American Women Sportspersons

With 39 Grand Slam titles and four Olympic gold medals, Serena Williams is clearly amongst the greatest female tennis players in the history. With 23 Grand Slam singles win, she is just a win away from equalling Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles. She has bagged the top spot in WTA’s world ranking numerous times.

A professional WWE wrestler, Ronda Rousey was the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion and also the first woman to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Earlier, she became the first US woman to win an Olympic medal in judo. Amongst the greatest female MMA fighter, Ronda has also appeared in films like The Expendables 3 and Furious 7.

Simone Biles is an artistic gymnast. Having won a combined total of 30 World Championship and Olympic medals, Biles is the world's third-most decorated gymnast and the most decorated in America. Regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time by some, Simone Biles continues to inspire several aspiring gymnasts around the world, especially gymnasts from the black community.

Regarded as one of the greatest women's tennis players of all time, Venus Williams is credited with introducing never seen before power and athleticism to women's tennis along with her sister Serena. She is also credited with changing the long-standing practice of paying male tennis players more than their female counterparts as she won the fight for equal prize money.

Retired artistic gymnast Gabby Douglas became an all-around Olympic champion in 2012, becoming the first African-American to achieve the feat. She is also the first American to win gold in both the individual and team competitions at the same Olympic event. She inspired the biopic The Gabby Douglas Story.

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky has also won 15 world championship gold medals, creating a record. At 15, she was the youngest American Olympic swimming team member at the 2012 London Olympics. The 6-foot-tall athlete is also a Stanford graduate and was the youngest Time 100 member in 2016.

Legendary American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner is still regarded as the fastest woman in the world. Her world records in both the 100m and 200m categories have still not been broken. The three-time Olympic gold medal winner was also known for her six-inch nails and her unconventional outfits.

One of the most popular female WWE wrestlers of the current generation, Sasha Banks was named the top black wrestler in a list titled BW 500 in 2020. A celebrated wrestler, she was involved in the first Iron Woman match, first women's WWE pay-per-view event, and first women's Hell in a Cell match.

Retired professional wrestler, Nikki Bella, is a two time WWE Divas Champion whose second win lasted for a record time. Earlier, along with her twin sister, she formed a popular tag team and entered the WWE. The sisters have also appeared in reality television show Total Divas and Total Bellas, launched their own YouTube channel, Podcast and ventured into business.

Nastia Liukin made headlines with her 5-medal haul at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Born to an Olympic medalist gymnast father and a world champion gymnast mother, she was destined to make a career in the sport. She is now part of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Holly Holm is a mixed martial artist. A former world champion in boxing, Holm currently competes in the UFC and holds the distinction of being the first fighter to hold a UFC title and a world boxing title. Her win against Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in the history of combat sports.

The most-decorated track and field athlete, Allyson Felix, once bullied for having skinny legs, now has a record 9 Olympic medals, including 6 gold medals. Named to Time 100 in 2020, she is also part of the board of Right to Play, which caters to children in underdeveloped countries.

Alex Morgan is an American soccer player who helped her national team win the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups. Thanks to her popularity, Morgan has appeared in several magazines and TV shows. Her numerous endorsement deals have made her one of the highest-paid American sportswomen. In 2019, she was named in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list.

Laila Ali is an American former professional boxer. The daughter of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali competed from 1999 to 2007, during which she remained undefeated. She is also credited with saving wrestling legend Hulk Hogan's life by calling him when he was suicidal and depressed. After retiring from professional boxing, Laila Ali became a television personality.

Nia Jax is a professional wrestler signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). A former WWE Raw Women's Champion, Nia Jax has been an important member of WWE's women's division since 2018. Nicknamed The Irresistible Force because of her speed and size, Jax has often been criticized for causing unintentional injuries to her colleagues while performing risky moves on the ring.

Bayley is an American professional wrestler. Currently, she is one of the most important female members of WWE. She has won several WWE championship titles, such as Raw Women's Championship and SmackDown Women's Championship. Renowned for her tag team partnership with Sasha Banks, Bayley has also won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship along with Banks.

Shaun White is an American snowboarder, musician, and skateboarder. Having won three Olympic gold medals, White holds the record for the most number of Olympic gold medals won by a snowboarder and most number of X-Games gold medals won. He also has 10 ESPY Awards under his belt. A multi-talented personality, White plays the guitar for the band, Bad Things.

 Amy Dumas (Lita) is an animal welfare activist, singer, and retired professional wrestler. Beginning her career as a wrestler, she was a full-time wrestler with WWE for a few years. After her retirement, she embarked on her second career as a singer and founded the punk rock band, The Luchagors. She is a dedicated animal lover as well.

Retired gymnast Mary Lou Retton, known for her trademark, The Retton Flip, made history by becoming the first American female gymnast to win an individual Olympic gold medal and was the first gymnast named to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. She later became a motivational speaker.

Paige VanZant is an American mixed martial artist, model, and author. Although she spent over 13 years exploring dance forms like hip hop, ballet, and jazz in a dance studio owned by her parents, VanZant took up martial arts during her teenage years and went on to compete in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A multi-talented personality, VanZant also loves hunting.

Brie Bella is an American entrepreneur, TV personality, and retired professional wrestler. One half of the popular wrestling duo The Bella Twins, Brie Bella often appeared in WWE alongside her twin sister, Nikki Bella. Brie Bella became one of the main wrestlers who helped develop the Women's Revolution movement in WWE.

Natalya Neidhart is a Canadian-American wrestler and columnist. She is best known for her appearances in WWE, where she is one of the most important members of the women's division. She is the first female wrestler to hold both the SmackDown Women's Championship and the Divas Championship in the history of WWE.

Bethany Hamilton is an American surfer. She serves as an inspiration to many surfers around the world as she returned to professional surfing even after surviving a shark attack in which she lost her left arm. Her 2004 autobiography, which narrates her experience, was adapted into a film titled Soul Surfer in which Bethany Hamilton was portrayed by AnnaSophia Robb.

Retired soccer player Abby Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She is a FIFA Women's World Cup champion as well and a six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award. She retired in 2015 and was listed in that year’s Time 100 list as one of the most influential people in the world.

Apart from being the first Hmong-American to participate in the Olympics, Sunisa Lee has also won a gold, a team silver, and a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She was also the 2019 world champion. Named to Time 100 in 2021, she was pepper-sprayed in a racist attack in Los Angeles.

Actress, dancer, and model, Stacy Keibler, has appeared in many TV shows including What About Brian. Prior to becoming an actress, she was a professional wrestler known for her work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). She has appeared in eleven WWE video games. She is popular for her beauty and is considered a sex symbol.

Shawn Johnson is a former artistic gymnast who won the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medal. She is a five-time Pan American Games gold medalist and a three-time U.S. all-around champion as well. She retired from gymnastics in  2012. She was the winner of season eight of the dance competition show Dancing with the Stars.  

Allison Stokke became an internet sensation after a few of her images went viral when she was 17. The talented high-school pole vaulter earned the 2011 All-American honors. She later gained more fame as a fitness model and a sex symbol than as a sportsperson. She also failed her Olympic trials.

Maryse Ouellet is a Canadian-American businesswoman, actress, and professional wrestler. Currently signed to WWE, Ouellet often appears alongside her husband and WWE superstar The Miz. In 2008, Maryse won the WWE Divas Championship and went on to become the third-longest reigning Divas Champion in the history of WWE. In 2009, she was ranked ninth in the PWI Female 50 list.