Throughout history, women in sports have been one of the hardest places for females to earn equality. Even today, women are sexualized in sports magazines, rejected from sports media coverage, and criticized for their “buff” body types. But, this is 2020, and it is time to change that. Here is a list of four athletes that we believe deserve to be recognized for their athletic achievements.
- Katrin Davidsdottir, Crowned “The Fittest Woman On Earth”
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Originally from Reykjavik, Iceland, Katrin Davidsdottir is the human representation of fitness. She was originally a track athlete and a gymnast but found her passion lied with CrossFit during her early 20s.
CrossFit is a form of high-intensity interval training that combines weightlifting, gymnastics, and conditioning workouts. Athletes who excel in this workout regime have the opportunity to compete in CrossFit competitions. After only one year of starting CrossFit, Davidsdottir took 30th at the 2012 CrossFit Games competition.
From 2012, Davidsdottir worked continuously to improve her fitness and mental strength to excel above her competitors. Three years later, she found herself on top of the podium, earning the title “fittest woman on earth.” Although she had finally achieved her goal, that did not stop her from training harder every day. In 2016, Davidsdottir became one of three CrossFit athletes to win the CrossFit games twice.
To see the perseverance she carried for so many years emphasizes the mental strength it took for her to achieve those goals. Katrin Davidsdottir breaks female stereotypes and proves to be a role model for all women interested in fitness. She can back squat 255 pounds, deadlift 310 pounds, and is proud of it. As the world begins to change their mindset about female body types, Davidsdottir continues to confidently show off her six-pack abs and muscles and proves that strong is in fact beautiful.
- Lindsey Vonn, Olympic Skiier
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Lindsey Vonn is a four-time world cup champion and a three-time Olympic medalist. Originally, she is from Minnesota where her father was the person who got her into skiing at the age of seven. The first time she went to the Olympics she was 17. Vonn was maybe always destined to succeed considering how much the sport meant to her family. She ended her career as one of the most well-known athletes in her field.
Lindsey Vonn had several different achievements in her career, but she also had to go through a lot to get to where she was. Vonn did get injured very badly nine different times which made it harder for her to persevere in her career. She bore each injury with grace and always kept pushing herself to the max. She never made excuses for herself, but instead, she always made sure that she kept trying to reach her goals to become one of the best athletes.
Lindsey Vonn retired on February 10th, 2019. Vonn was one of the women in skiing that made history, being a part of the U.S team she was able to win many awards. By the end of her career, Vonn had become extremely well known in her career becoming one of six women to ever win a world cup race. She did retire after a serious knee injury explaining to the world that she needs to finally start listening to her body after crashing so many times. Now that her career is over she has released a documentary on HBO explaining what it took her to be one of the best in the world.
- Megan Rapinoe, Named 2019 Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated
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That iconic picture of a lilac hair-colored legend, Megan Rapinoe, looking like a true champ foretold the fate of her team— the USWNT and their World Cup Championship in 2019. Her stance in the photo with her arms reaching up wide, her head and body tilted at just the slightest angle also symbolized Rapinoe’s defiance and triumph on the field, and off the field as well.
Megan Rapinoe is the 4th woman to ever win the accolade of Sportsperson of the Year in its 66-year history. Not only did her athleticism, game-winning goals, being the World Cup top-scorer and MVP help her achieve the feat, but so did her leadership in advocacy for the gender pay gap and other issues. Rapinoe became a voice for so many across the world, even while being subtweeted by the POTUS. The tweet read: “Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!”
And so she did just that, all while fighting the gender pay gap, protesting police brutality, and using her platform to advocate for so many other issues. Megan Rapinoe, one of the greatest athletes in the world exemplified what it means to be Sportsperson of the Year in 2019 and embodies what it means to be a true leader.
- Serena Williams, Professional Tennis Player
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Serena Jamkea Williams is a professional American tennis player. She began her tennis career in Compton, California at the age of four. Williams is considered a baseline player as her forehand is said to be the best in the game. She was first coached by her father as well as other mentors.
Today, Williams has won 23 grand slam singles titles which is the highest number among men and women combined. In addition, she has represented the USA in three Olympics, winning four gold medals. Serena Williams gave birth to her first child, Olympia, in 2017, and that hasn’t stopped her from playing the game she loves. You can still find Williams on the court today at age 38, inspiring her fellow athletes and the next generation.
International Women’s Day (which we’re celebrating all week) marks a time when we appreciate all the sacrifices, achievements, and successes women have made in this world. Female athletes have sacrificed so much to prove their worth in a male-dominated profession. These four athletes, and many more, have proved to the world that women can succeed in whatever they set their minds to.