-
First Women to Participate in the Modern Olympics
The 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France was the first time that women competed. 19 women played in these games and competed in three sports, tennis, golf and croquet. Charlotte Cooper became the first women Olympic Champion after her win in tennis. In 1912 women were allowed to compete in swimming then in 1928 in track and field and 2002 for weightlifting. Women and men still only compete with each other in sailing and equestrain events. -
Gertrude Ederle
Gertrude Ederle became the first women to swim the English Channel at the age of 19. She completed the swim in 14 hours and 30 minutes beating the times of all 5 men that had previously completed it. Her time stood as the women's record for the next 35 years. Ederle went on to win a gold medal and two bronze medals at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
"People said women couldn't swim the Channel
but I proved they could" --Ederle -
Kinue Hitomi
Kinue Hitomi was the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic medal. She won two gold, one silver and one bronze medals in track and field events as well as best all around athlete. She set new world records in the high jump. Her wins rasied Japan to fifth overall. At the Women's Olympic Games in 1930 she helped raise funds and brought six women with her from Japan to compete, finishing in fourth place. -
Babe Didrkson
In a Amateur Athletic Union in 1932 Mildred Babe Didrkson competed in ten events, winning and setting world records in 5 of the events in track and field. At the 1932 Olympics she won 2 gold medals and one silver medal. Didrkson has also had success in basketball and golf. ESPN has named her 10th greatest North American athlete of the 20th century. -
Alice Coachman
In 1948 Alice Coachman became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal, she won in the high-jump with a 1.68m on her first jump. Coachman has been inducted to eight halls of fame for her domination in the high jump event during her career. She was on five All-American teams and was the only African-American on all of these teams. After retiring she formed the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to help young aspiring atheltes. -
Toni Stone
Toni Stone was the first female to play in the Negro League of baseball in 1943. Stone became the first women to regularly play baseball on a big league team in 1953. She is in the Baseball Hall of Fame and in the Women’s Sports Foundation’s International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. -
Title IX
Title IX created more opportunities for women to participate in sports by preventing discrimination in educational programs or activities that recieve federal assistance. At this time there is about 817,073 girls partipating in high school sports. This will go into effect on June 21, 1975. In 1988 the Supreme Court restored Titile IX's coverage to every educational institution's programs that recieved any federal assistance. -
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King's Impact Billie Jean King is the founder of the Women's Sports Foundation and of Women's Tennis Association. She has won 12 grand slam singles titles, 16 grand slam doubles titles, and 11 mixed grand slam doubles titles. On September 20, 1973 she defeated Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" and won $100,000. This match was broadcast world-wide and inspired many women to begin to demand equal treatment and pay. -
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jackie Joyner-Kersee was inspired as a high school athlete by a movie she saw about Babe Didrikson Zaharias to compete in multiple track and field events. She first qualified for the Olympics in the long jump in 1980. Joyner-Kersee has won six Olymipic medals and has been named "Greatest Female Athete of the 20th Century" by Sports Illutrated for Women. -
Venus Williams
Wimbledon 2005 Venus Williams has been the No. 1 ranked female tennis player three times, the first time in 2002 making her the first black woman to have this rank. She has won more Olympic gold medals than any other female tennis player. in 2005 she lead a fight to have Wimbledon pay female winners the same that they pay the male winners, then in 2007 she became the first female to have the equal pay as the male winner, Roger Federer. -
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova signs a eight year 70 million dollar deal with Nike, the largest deal for any women in the history of sports. She has been ranked No. 1 on four separate occasions and has been named on of the 30 Legends of Tennis by Time magazine. She was the most googled person in sports in 2005 and 2008. In Addition to her tennis achievements she is United Nations Goodwille Ambassador, the face of many fashion houses, and one of Forbes most powerful celebrities of 2011. -
Dawn Hamlin
In 2008 Dawn Hamlin broke the world record by completing a marathon on all seven continents. She broke the exiting world record of 64 days by finishing in 49 days. Hamlin is onw of fewer than 200 runners to have competed on all even continents. Her marathons to finish the "seven in seven weeks" started in Dubai, then Morocco, Orlando, New Zealand, Spain, Trinidad & Tobago and finishing in Antarctica.
