British Women Sportspersons

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Throughout history, there have been many British women sportspersons who have made significant contribution to the field. The list includes many familiar and great British female sportspersons such as Jessica Ennis-Hill, Fatima Whitbread, Vanessa-Mae, Joanne Calderwood, Beth Tweddle.
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 1 
Victoria Coren Mitchell
(Television Presenter and Poker Player)
Victoria Coren Mitchell
5
Birthdate: August 18, 1972
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England
Victoria Coren Mitchell is the first woman to win a European Poker Tour contest. She has hosted the BBC game show Only Connect and written several books, including a poker-centered memoir. The Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee has also written columns for The Guardian and The Observer
 2 
Jessica Ennis-Hill
(British Retired Track and Field Athlete Who Specialized in Heptathlon and 100m Hurdles)
Jessica Ennis-Hill
9
Birthdate: January 28, 1986
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Jessica Ennis-Hill is a British retired track and field athlete. She specialized in multi-eventing disciplines and 100 meters hurdles. In 2012, she won an Olympic gold in the heptathlon. She was introduced to sports as a young girl and immediately took an interest in athletics. She has won several other titles as well in addition to her Olympic gold. 

 3 
Paige
(Youngest WWE Divas Champion)
Paige
42
Birthdate: August 17, 1992
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Norwich, Norfolk, England
Retired wrestler Saraya-Jade Bevis, better known as Paige, has won the Divas Championship twice and was also its the youngest winner. She was also the first NXT Women's Champion. Paige later appeared on shows such as Total Divas and Tough Enough, and films such as Santa's Little Helper
 4 
Paula Radcliffe
(British Former Long-Distance Runner)
Paula Radcliffe
8
Birthdate: December 17, 1973
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Davenham, Cheshire, England

Paula Radcliffe is a retired distance runner, credited with winning the London Marathon and the New York Marathon three times each. Born into an athletic family, she emerged as a running talent by the time she was in her teens, winning the world junior cross-country title at the age of nineteen, eventually. She held the Women's World Marathon Record from 2003 to 2019.

 5 
Rebecca Adlington
(British Former Competitive Swimmer)
Rebecca Adlington
7
Birthdate: February 17, 1989
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England

Rebecca Adlington made headlines with her double-gold win at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in which she aced both the 400m and 800m freestyle events. After retiring at 23, she has worked for BBC as a sports pundit and participated in shows such as I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

 6 
Kelly Holmes
(Middle-Distance Runner Who Won Two Golds in the 2004 Olympics in Athens)
Kelly Holmes
4
Birthdate: April 19, 1970
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Pembury, Kent, England

Kelly Holmes is a retired English middle-distance athlete who specialized in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters events. She won gold medals for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Beginning her career with the British Army, she turned to professional athletics in 1993. She took part in her final major championship in 2004. 

 7 
Virginia Wade
(British Former Professional Tennis Player)
Virginia Wade
5
Birthdate: July 10, 1945
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bournemouth, England

Virginia Wade is a British former tennis player. A former world No. 2, Wade won three Grand Slam singles titles, including the famous 1977 Wimbledon, which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II. A former world No. 1 in doubles, Wade won four Grand Slam doubles titles. After retiring as a player, Wade has worked as a game analyst and commentator.

 8 
Clare Balding
(Television presenter, Journalist, Autobiographer)
Clare Balding
5
Birthdate: January 29, 1971
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kingsclere, England
 9 
Helen Glover
(British Professional Rower and Olympic Gold Medalist)
Helen Glover
3
Birthdate: June 17, 1986
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Truro, Cornwall, England
 10 
Sam Quek
(English Former Field Hockey Player)
Sam Quek
5
Birthdate: October 18, 1988
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Liverpool, England
 11 
Sky Brown
(British-Japanese Professional Skateboarder and Surfer)
Sky Brown
10
Birthdate: July 12, 2008
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Miyazaki, Japan
Born to a Japanese mother and a British father, Sky Brown is a self-taught skateboarder who learned the art from YouTube videos. At age 10, she became the world’s youngest professional skateboarder. The Dancing with the Stars: Juniors winner had a near-death experience after a skateboarding accident in 2020.
 12 
Kelly Smith
(Football player)
Kelly Smith
3
Birthdate: October 29, 1978
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Watford, England
 13 
Alex Scott
(English Sports Presenter and Former Professional Football Right-Back)
Alex Scott
13
Birthdate: October 14, 1984
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London, England

Alex Scott is an English TV presenter and former professional football player. Apart from playing for popular clubs like Arsenal and Birmingham City, Scott also represented the women's national football team. She also played for Great Britain at the London Olympics. In 2019, she was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

 14 
Charlotte Dujardin
(British Dressage Rider and Olympic Gold Medalist)
Charlotte Dujardin
3
Birthdate: July 13, 1985
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: London Borough of Enfield, United Kingdom
 15 
Emma Raducanu
(British Professional Tennis Player)
Emma Raducanu
3
Birthdate: November 13, 2002
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 16 
Denise Lewis
(Former Track and Field Athlete Who Specialised in the Heptathlon)
Denise Lewis
0
Birthdate: August 27, 1972
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: West Bromwich, England

Denise Lewis is a British sports commentator and former athlete. She won the heptathlon gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and became the first European to win Olympic gold in the heptathlon. A two-time Commonwealth Games champion, Lewis also won silver medals in the 1997 and 1999 World Championships. She was also the 1998 European Champion. 

 17 
Susie Wolff
(British Former Professional Racing Driver)
Susie Wolff
3
Birthdate: December 6, 1982
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Oban, Scotland

Susie Wolff is a British retired racing driver who competed in Formula One. Wolff made history in 2014 when she became the first woman in 22 years to participate in a Formula One race weekend. Susie Wolff is the current CEO of Venturi Racing, which competes in Formula E.

 18 
Abbie Eaton
(Racing driver)
Abbie Eaton
3
Birthdate: January 2, 1992
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Hull, England, UK
 19 
Jodie Kidd
(English Fashion Model, Racing Driver and Television Personality)
Jodie Kidd
3
Birthdate: September 25, 1978
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Guildford, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
 20 
Katarina Johnson-Thompson
(Heptathlete and an Indoor Pentathlete)
Katarina Johnson-Thompson
4
Birthdate: January 9, 1993
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Liverpool, England

Katarina Johnson-Thompson is an English heptathlete whose performance at the 2018 Commonwealth Games earned her a gold medal. She also won the gold at the 2019 World Championships. Katarina Johnson-Thompson holds the British record for the women's pentathlon with 5,000 points. A highly talented athlete, Katarina Johnson-Thompson also holds the British records for high jump in both outdoors and indoors.

 21 
Laura Trott
(British Professional Track and Road Cyclist)
Laura Trott
3
Birthdate: April 24, 1992
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Harlow, Essex, England

With six Olympic gold medals in her kitty, Laura Trott has become the most decorated female athlete from Britain in the Olympics. She is married to cyclist Jason Kenny, who is also an Olympic gold medalist. Surprisingly, born with asthma, she was advised by doctors not to take up sports.

 22 
Ellie Simmonds
(British Former Paralympic Swimmer and Paralympic Gold Medalist)
Ellie Simmonds
0
Birthdate: November 11, 1994
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Walsall, United Kingdom
 23 
Lizzy Yarnold
(British Former Skeleton Racer)
Lizzy Yarnold
4
Birthdate: October 31, 1988
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Sevenoaks, Kent, England
 24 
Laura Robson
(British Former Professional Tennis Player)
Laura Robson
5
Birthdate: January 21, 1994
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia

Laura Robson is a British professional tennis player who won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the mixed-doubles event. In 2012, Laura Robson reached the fourth round of the US Open singles championship, becoming the first British woman to do so at a Grand Slam tournament since Samantha Smith in 1998.

 25 
Nat Sciver-Brunt
(English Cricket All-rounder)
Nat Sciver-Brunt
0
Birthdate: August 20, 1992
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
 26 
Katie Boulter
(British Tennis Player)
Katie Boulter
3
Birthdate: August 1, 1996
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Leicester, England

Though the daughter of a tennis coach mother, Katie Boulter had initially focused on playing the piano before she deviated to tennis as a career. She first gained attention after winning the Lemon Bowl at 11 and now has five singles and four doubles titles in her kitty.

 27 
Jayne Torvill
(British Professional Ice Dancer and Former Competitor)
Jayne Torvill
91
Birthdate: October 7, 1957
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Clifton, United Kingdom
Jayne Torvill is a celebrated professional English ice dancer whose gold medal-winning performance with Christopher Dean at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics became a talking point worldwide. With Dean, she won the World Professional Championship five times and the Challenge of Champions title thrice. The top-scoring figure skating pair also starred in the television series Dancing on Ice.
 28 
Sarah Storey
(British Paralympic Athlete and Paralympic Gold Medalist)
Sarah Storey
0
Birthdate: October 26, 1977
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Manchester, United Kingdom
 29 
Katherine Sciver-Brunt
(Cricket Bowling All-rounder)
Katherine Sciver-Brunt
0
Birthdate: July 2, 1985
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Barnsley, United Kingdom
 30 
Dina Asher-Smith
(British Sprinter and Fastest British Woman on Record)
Dina Asher-Smith
1
Birthdate: December 4, 1995
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Orpington, Kent, England
 31 
Helen Richardson-Walsh
(English Hockey Player Who Plays as a Midfielder)
Helen Richardson-Walsh
3
Birthdate: September 23, 1981
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England
 32 
Tessa Sanderson
(Former British Javelin Thrower and Olympic Gold Medalist)
Tessa Sanderson
4
Birthdate: March 14, 1956
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Saint Elizabeth Parish St Elizabeth, Colony of Jamaica
 33 
Fatima Whitbread
(Retired British Javelin Thrower Who Broke the World Record With a Throw of 77.44 M)
Fatima Whitbread
0
Birthdate: March 3, 1961
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Stoke Newington, London, United Kingdom

Fatima Whitbread is a British former athlete who specialized in the Javelin throw. At the 1986 European Championships, Whitbread broke the world record in the qualifying round before winning the gold medal in the finals. She also has an Olympic silver and an Olympic bronze under her belt. A popular athlete, Whitbread also won the 1987 World Championships in Rome.

 34 
Katherine Legge
(British Racing Driver Who Became the Second Woman to Test an F-1 Car)
Katherine Legge
2
Birthdate: July 12, 1980
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Guildford, Surrey, England

British auto racing driver Katherine Legge is best known for her participation in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. She became the second woman to test a F-1 car when, in 2005, she tested at Vallelunga Circuit for the Minardi F1 Team. She has also tested for the UK team at the A1 Grand Prix.

 35 
Annabel Croft
(Former British Tennis Player and Television Presenter)
Annabel Croft
5
Birthdate: July 12, 1966
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Farnborough, Kent, England

Former British tennis player Annabel Croft had begun playing tennis at age 9. At 15, she became the youngest from Britain to play senior Wimbledon in almost 100 years. Post-retirement, she has stepped into a broadcasting career and has also appeared on ITV’s Interceptor and Channel 4’s Treasure Hunt.

 36 
Zara Tindall
(British Equestrian and the Eldest Granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II)
Zara Tindall
1
Birthdate: May 15, 1981
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Paddington, London, England

Zara Tindall is a British equestrian who won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She is the daughter of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. She excelled at many sporting activities as a young girl and represented her schools in hockey, athletics, and gymnastics. She eventually chose to pursue an equestrian career. 

 37 
Victoria Pendleton
(Former British Track Cyclist)
Victoria Pendleton
0
Birthdate: September 24, 1980
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England

Victoria Pendleton is a British former track cyclist who represented England and Great Britain in international cycling competitions. She dominated the individual sprint event from 2005 to 2012, winning a record six world titles in the individual sprint. Having won one Olympic silver medal and two gold medals, Pendleton is one of the most successful female Olympians from Great Britain.

 38 
Bianca Walkden
(British Taekwondo Athlete and Olympic Medalist)
Bianca Walkden
2
Birthdate: September 29, 1991
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Liverpool, England
 39 
Carrie Grant
(Television presenter, Singer, Vocal coach)
Carrie Grant
4
Birthdate: August 17, 1965
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: London Borough of Enfield
 40 
Christine Ohuruogu
(British Former Track and Field Athlete)
Christine Ohuruogu
3
Birthdate: May 17, 1984
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England

Christine Ohuruogu is a British athlete who has won an Olympic gold medal, two World Championships, and a Commonwealth gold medal in the 400m event. She also has an Olympic silver medal and a couple of bronze medals under her belt. In 2016, she became the second British track and field athlete to win Olympic medals at three consecutive Games.

 41 
Beth Tweddle
(Retired British Artistic Gymnast)
Beth Tweddle
3
Birthdate: April 1, 1985
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa

Known as Britain’s most successful gymnast, Beth Tweddle is a 3-time world champion and a 6-time European champion, apart from being an Olympic bronze medalist. Born in South Africa, she moved to England as a toddler and began training in gymnastics ate age 7. She has been named an MBE, too.

 42 
Laura Davies
(English Professional Golfer)
Laura Davies
0
Birthdate: October 5, 1963
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Coventry, United Kingdom
 43 
Nicola Adams
(British Former Professional Boxer)
Nicola Adams
12
Birthdate: October 26, 1982
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Retired British boxer Nicola Adams scripted history as the first female boxer to earn an Olympic gold and retain the gold at the following Olympic event. Openly lesbian, she is also an LGBT icon. Though shortlisted for Strictly Come Dancing, she withdrew after her partner tested COVID-positive.

 44 
Keely Hodgkinson
(British Middle Distance Runner)
Keely Hodgkinson
1
Birthdate: March 3, 2002
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Atherton, Greater Manchester, England
 45 
Maddie Hinch
(English Field Hockey Player Who Plays as a Goalkeeper)
Maddie Hinch
2
Birthdate: October 8, 1988
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: West Chiltington, West Sussex, England
 46 
Jo Durie
(Former World No. 5 Tennis Player)
Jo Durie
6
Birthdate: July 27, 1960
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bristol, England

Once ranked world number five, British tennis player Jo Durie has two Grand Slam titles in her kitty. She is a seven-time British National Singles winner and a nine-time British National Doubles winner. Post-retirement, she has been working as a coach and a BBC and Eurosport commentator.

 47 
Jessica Gadirova
(English Artistic Gymnast)
Jessica Gadirova
5
Birthdate: October 3, 2004
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland

Along with her twin sister, gymnast Jennifer Gadirova, British-born Azerbaijani gymnast Jessica Gadirova has created quite a stir in the gymnastics circuit. An expert in floor and vault, she has already won an Olympic bronze and a European Championship gold. She and her sister had taken up gymnastics at age 6.

 48 
Jenny Jones
(British Professional Snowboarder)
Jenny Jones
2
Birthdate: July 3, 1980
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bristol, England

British snowboarder Jenny Jones, especially known for winning Great Britain's first Olympic medal on the snow, rather than on ice, learned to ski before switching to snowboarding. Eventually she started representing her country in various international competitions, winning medals, making history by finishing third at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, earning a bronze medal in the women's slopestyle event.

 49 
Vera Menchik
(Russian-Born Czechoslovak Chess Player and the First Women’s World Chess Champion From 1927 to 1944)
Vera Menchik
2
Birthdate: February 16, 1906
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: June 26, 1944
 50 
Beryl Burton
(English Racing Cyclist)
Beryl Burton
2
Birthdate: May 12, 1937
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Halton, Leeds, United Kingdom
Died: May 5, 1996

Legendary British cyclist Beryl Burton dominated the British women’s racing scene from the 1950s to the 1980s. Apart from being a 5-time world champion, she set a new women’s record for the 25-mile time trial, which surpassed the men’s record for 2 years. Her achievements inspired a radio play.