During the last century, women in sports have been making an impact and serving as inspirations to those who wish to accomplish the same.
It started with names like Wilma Rudolph and Billie Jean King but has grown so much more to include the Williams sisters, Megan Rapinoe, and Katie Ledecky.
According to a 2018 Nielsen report on the rise of women's sports, 84% of general sports fans now have an interest in women's sports.
Below, we take you through the most iconic female athletes that have helped put women's sports in the spotlight.
Wilma Rudolph
Rudolph gained international recognition during the 1960 Olympics because of worldwide television coverage and became an iconic figure for black and female athletes.
During the peak of the civil rights movement, Rudolph was a trailblazer for the rights of African Americans and women. She broke the gender barrier of all-male events in track and field, and her legacy lives on today.
Lindsey Vonn
Vonn won her 20th World Cup crystal globe title in 2016 to surpass Ingemar Stenmark for the overall record for men or women. She is also one of six women to win a World Cup race in all five disciplines of alpine skiing She is one of the greatest skiers of all-time behind three Olympic medals, four World Cup titles, 82 World Cup victories, and two World Championship gold medals, among other accomplishments. Vonn has missed part
s of several seasons as a result of injuries, which ultimately pushed her to retire in 2019.
In 2012, Morgan recorded 28 goals and 21 assists to become the second American woman to score 20 goals and 20 assists in the same calendar year alongside Mia Hamm. She was also the sixth and youngest US player to score 20 goals in a single year.
Since being named to the senior US team in 2019, Morgan has accumulated 169 caps and 107 goals.
She was also one of the first women's soccer players to appear on the cover of a FIFA video game. Off the field, Morgan is part of the US soccer women fighting for equal pay.
She won the 2008 Olympic all-around, as well as five Olympic medals, which tied the record for most medals won by an American gymnast in a single non-boycotted Olympic Games. Simone Biles later also tied the record.
A four-time all-around US national champion, Liukin's strongest events were the uneven bars and balance beam. She attempted a comeback in 2011 with hopes of making the 2012 Olympic team, but fell several times during the Olympic Trials and retired in 2012. She is now a gymnastics analyst for NBC Sports and hosts an annual Nastia Liukin Cup to support the growth of gymnastics.
Williams holds the most Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles combined among active players and tied for third on the all-time list. She is second in the Open Era.
Her 23 Grand Slam singles titles is a record for the most tournament wins in the Open Era.
In 2019, she was the only woman on the list of the world's highest-paid athletes, according to Forbes.
Along with her sister Venus Williams, the two are considered pioneers of a new era for women in tennis that is focused on power.