Throughout history, there have been many female Hispanic athletes whom have made a large impact or have many outstanding achievements. Here are a few that stand out to me.
Marta
Marta Viera da Silva, or more commonly known as Marta, grew up in Brazil playing fĂștbol barefoot in the streets and on the boys teams. Her talent quickly drew attention, leading her to debut with Vasco da Gama’s(a professional team in Brazil) women’s team at just 14 years old. A few years later in 2002, she made her first appearance on Brazil’s national fĂștbol at 16 years old and appeared on the senior national team just a year later.
She secured her name on the international level, scoring 3 goals in her debut on the Olympic level and at the 2007 World Cup, she was named the tournament top-scorer with 7 goals throughout the games. As well, in 2021 Marta became the first player to score in five consecutive Olympic games, scoring 17 goals in total.
Throughout her career, she has received countless awards and recognitions. A few being, the FIFA World Player of the Year (6 times), the FIFA Special Award for dedicating 20 years to fĂștbol, and has recieved three Olympic silver medals. Additionally, Marta is widely considered the best female soccer player of all time and has the nickname “The Queen”, due to her help to transform women’s soccer in Brazil and worldwide.
As a soccer (or fĂștbol) connoisseur, Marta has made an appearance on my screens numerous times and I thoroughly enjoy watching her play. She has a calm composure on the field that supports her teammates, as well as an uncanny ability to dribble around defenders and put the ball into the back of the net. If you haven’t seen her on the pitch, I definitely recommend watching a game, even if it’s five minutes of one!
Laurie Hernandez
Laurie made her Olympic debut on the U.S gymnastics team at just 16 years old, where she received a gold medal in the team event, and an individual silver medal in the balance beam event; she was the first Latina U.S gymnast to qualify for the Olympics. Also, she was apart of the remarkable U.S “Final Five” team in 2016 alongside her teammates, MyKayla Skinner, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian, and Simone Biles.
After her strong outing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, her joy and charisma opened doors for the entertainment industry. Most famously, she competed on season 23 of Dancing With the Stars with her partner Val Chmerkovskiy, where they received the Mirror Ball and she was named the youngest winner in the shows history. Also, she co-hosted American Ninja Warrior Junior and starred on Nickelodeons series Middle School Moguls.
Laurie continued in the gym until she suffered a knee injury in 2021, where she underwent surgery and ultimately medically retired from gymnastics. However, the injury wasn’t the only reason she retired. After her first appearance on the national team, she faced immense pressure, performance anxiety, and severe burnout. Also, she faced emotional and verbal abuse regarding her weight from her former coach, Maggie Haney. This contributed to eating disorders, depression, and panic attacks; all pilling up to impact her decision to retire.
Today, Laurie is pursuing an acting and theatre career, recently making her Broadway debut in & Juliet after graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. As well, she is visiting universities to lecture students on burnout, mental health, and her transition away from professional sports!
Diana Taurasi
After starting her basketball career in high school, Diana quickly gained fame from her skills. At the University of Connecticut (Uconn), she received the Naismith award and helped lead her team to three NCAA Division 1 National championship titles. Her talent prompted the Pheonix Mercury to select her as the first overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft. On the Mercury, she also helped to lead them to three titles as well(2007, 2009, and 2014). In 2021, she became the first player in the WNBA to exceed 9,000 career points, and reach 10,000 in 2023.
On the national level, she played in six Olympic tournaments, receiving a gold medal in each. Also, in these games, she ended her career with a perfect 44-0 record in the Olympics. She has three gold medals from the FIBA World Cups and is the second most decorated FIBA athlete in the world.
Outside of basketball, she advocates for equal pay and working conditions, the LGBTQ+ community, and environment protection. Diana has significantly changed Women’s basketball and sports in general as an inspiration for the next generation of female athletes. Widely known as the ‘GOAT’ and titled the ‘White Mamba”, by Kobe Bryant, Diana Taurasi is one of the faces of the WNBA and women sports!
These are just a few examples of the many Hispanic female athletes who have made an impact on the world of sports and the younger generations!