Female Athletes That Are Strong, Talented, & Beautiful

Published on March 1, 2021
These iconic athletes are impressive in every single way. They’re hard working, talented, and not only that, they are absolutely stunning. These women are role models to all young women everywhere and they prove that being strong is beautiful. Here are some of the most incredible athletes.

Natalie Coughlin

12 time Olympic swimming champion Natalie Coughlin has won the World Swimmer of the Year Award twice and the American Swimmer of the Year award three times. She has also posed for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

Natalie Coughlin

Natalie Coughlin

Blair O’Neal

Blair O’Neal has been golfing since she was 11 years old and began playing for the American Junior Golf Association when she was just 13. She golfed at Arizona State University and has pursued the sport professionally while also modelling.

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Blair O’Neal

Blair O’Neal

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Kim Glass

Kim Glass is an indoor volleyball  player who made the US national team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, helping the team earn a silver medal. In addition to volleyball, Glass has also pursued a career in a modeling, having posed for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. She also auditioned for America’s Next Top Model.

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Kim Glass

Kim Glass

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Silje Norendal

Silje Norendal is a professional snowboarder from Norway who competes in Slopestyle. In the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, she finished in 4th place. In addition to her impressive skills on the slope, Norendal has also modeled for many brands and magazines.

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Silje Norendal

Silje Norendal

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Lindsey Vonn

Lindsey Vonn is a former alpine ski racer who had a truly impressive skiing career. She started skiing at age 2 and managed to win many championships and Olympic gold medals throughout her career. She retired from the sport in 2019. She has also posed in magazines like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition as well as Maxim.

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Lindsey Vonn

Lindsey Vonn

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Ana Ivanović

Ana Ivanović is a former professional tennis champion who ranked as No. 1 in 2008 and has had an illustrious career winning singles titles. After retiring from the sport in 2016, she has posed in many magazines like Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and Bella.

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Ana Ivanović

Ana Ivanović

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Katarina Witt

Katarina Witt is a former professional ice skater who has had a truly impressive career. She won two Olympic gold medals for East Germany and has also won four world championships. After her retirement, she pursued a professional acting career and has starred in several TV shows and films in Germany.

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Katarina Witt

Katarina Witt

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Gabrielle Reece

Gabrielle Reece is a volleyball player who played for Florida State University on a scholarship. She later pursued a professional volleyball career while also pursuing sports modeling professionally. As if that weren’t enough, Reece has also pursued acting, appearing in shows like North Shore and 8 Simple Rules.

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Gabrielle Reece

Gabrielle Reece

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Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick is perhaps one of the best known race car drivers in the world. She won the IndyCar Japan 300 Series in 2008, becoming the first woman to do so. In addition to her impressive racing career, Patrick has also modeled, having posed for magazines like Sports Illustrated, ESPN: The Magazine, TV Guide, and FHM.

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Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick

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Kerri Walsh

Kerri Walsh is one of the most iconic beach volleyball professionals in the history of the sport. She is a three time Olympic gold medalist and a one time bronze medalist. She has appeared in ESPN‘s The Body Issue magazine.

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Kerri Walsh

Kerri Walsh

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Jennie Finch

Jennie Finch is a former professional softball player who was a collegiate All-American and also an Olympic medalist. She also became a two time pro-All Star. She is so impressive that it’s no wonder that she was named “the most famous softball player in history” by Time magazine.

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Jennie Finch

Jennie Finch

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Anna Kournikova

Anna Kournikova’s name has become synonymous with professional tennis. The Russian beauty has also been named as one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. She won many Grand Slam titles and WTA Championships, but sadly her career ended after experiencing serious back and spinal issues.

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Anna Kournikova

Anna Kournikova

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Amanda Beard

Amanda Beard is a professional swimmer who is a seven time Olympic medalist, having won two gold, four silver, and one bronze. She also was the American Swimmer of the Year Award twice. In addition to her impressive swim career, Beard has also posed for several magazines including FHM, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and Playboy.

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Amanda Beard

Amanda Beard

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Trish Stratus

Trish Status is a professional wrestler, TV personality, fitness model, and actress. After pursuing a professional modeling career, she was noticed by the World Wrestling Foundation (WWF) and signed a contract with them. In addition to her wrestling career, she has posed for several magazine covers and also owned her own yoga studio.

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Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus

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Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova is a former professional tennis player who was truly a star in the sport. She has been ranked No. 1 five times by the WTA and won a silver medal in the London 2021 Summer Olympics. She officially retired in February 2020. She has also posed to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and appeared in ads for Nike, Prince, Canon, and Cole Haan.

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Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova

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Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey is a professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who is often called by hr nickname “Rowdy.” She won two Olympic medals while at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2018, she began her professional wrestling career with the WWE. She is also an actress, a model, and author.

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Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey

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Serena Williams

Serena Williams is one of the most iconic athletes of our time, starting her professional career in 1995. Her career is one of the most impressive of all time, and she has amassed countless accolades throughout the years and is often regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time. She has appeared in many ads and endorsements including for Nike, Gatorade, Delta Ai Lines, Aston Martin, Pepsi, Beats by Dre, IBM, and many more.

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Serena Williams

Serena Williams

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Aly Raisman

Aly Raisman captured our hearts as captain of the “Fierce Five” members of the US women’s Olympic gymnastic team in the 2012 Olympics. She later returned in 2016 as part of the “Final Five.” Both teams won their respective competitions, and she won the all-around and floor exercise silver medals that year. Now retired,  she has starred on Dancing With the Stars and also in Maroon 5’s music video for “Girls Like You.”

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Aly Raisman

Aly Raisman

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Lolo Jones

Lolo Jones is a hurdler and bobsledder who first made headlines for winning three NCAA titles and 11 All-American honors while at Louisiana State. She later won a gold medal at the 2013 World Championships for bobsledding. She also appeared in many reality TV shows like Celebrity Big Brother, The Challenge, and Dancing with the Stars.

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Lolo Jones

Lolo Jones

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Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie is a professional golfer who started playing golf while she was just 10 years old. She became the youngest person to quality for an amateur USGA championship and also the youngest person to qualify for a LPGA Tour. She went professional in 2005, just before her 16th birthday. She won the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

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Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie

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Eugenie Bouchard

Eugenie Bouchard, commonly known as Genie, is a professional tennis player who in 2014 became the first Canadian born tennis player to represent Canada in a Grand Slam singles tournament. She has had endorsement deals with Nike, Coca-Cola, New Balance, and Babolat.

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Eugenie Bouchard

Eugenie Bouchard

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Miesha Tate

Miesha Tate is a mixed martial artist and pundit as well as former UFC champion. She has appeared in the film Fight Valley and has posed for magazine covers including ESPN Body Issue and Fitness Gurls in which she was deemed “the most beautiful woman in the MMA.”

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Miesha Tate

Miesha Tate

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Skylar Diggins

Skylar Diggins is a professional basketball player who plays for WNBA team Phoenix Mercury. She has been named a WNBA All-Star four times and also the 2014 WBNA Most Improved Player. She has endorsement deals with Nike, Roc Nation Sports, and Bodyarmor SuperDrink.

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Skylar Diggins

Skylar Diggins

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Hilary Knight

Hilary Knight is a professional ice hockey player and Olympic champion. She plays for the Professional Women’s Hockey Player’s Association and also the US National Women’s Ice Hockey Team. She is involved with the Always #LikeAGirl campaign which strives to show that women are strong and confident no matter what.

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Hilary Knight

Hilary Knight

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Torah Bright

Torah Bright is a professional snowboarder and is also the most successful Australian Winter Olympian. She has endorsement deals with Rhythm Snowsports, which is based in his home town of Cooma, as well as Roxy. She even has her own line with Roxy called the “Bright Series.” Her other sponsors include Boost Mobile and Subway.

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Torah Bright

Torah Bright

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Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch is an Irish WWE wrestler signed with the Raw brand, though she has been on maternity leave since May 2020. She is one of the best paid WWE stars and was named as the 6th on the Top Female Athletes Worldwide in 2019 by Twitter. She has also appeared in a few films and TV episodes.

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Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch

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Candace Parker

Candace Parker is a professional basketball player who was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. She currently plays for the Chicago Sky WNBA team and has won two WNBA champtionships and MPV Awards. In 2007, she was named as one of People magazine’s 100 World’s Most Beautiful People list.

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Candace Parker

Candace Parker

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Nastia Liukin

Nastia Liukin is a former artistic gymnast who is the 2008 Olympic All-Around champion as well as five time Olympic medalist. She has won numerous medals and accolades until she retired in 2012. She also founded the Nastia Liukin Cup in 2010, which is an annual gymnastics competition for both junior and senior competitors.

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Nastia Liukin

Nastia Liukin

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Hope Solo

Hope Solo is a former professional soccer goalkeeper who was a member of the United States women’s national soccer team from 2000 until 2016. She became a two time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion. She is often regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all time. She has appeared in ESPN The Body Issue and starred on Dancing With The Stars. 

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Hope Solo

Hope Solo

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Gina Carano

Gina Carano started out her career in Muay Thai where she quickly became the face of the women’s MMA. She later switched to martial arts. After retiring, she turned to acting. She has appeared in ESPN: The Magazine as well as Maxim. She also starred in Disney+’s The Mandalorian. 

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Gina Carano

Gina Carano

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Anastasia Ashley

Anastasia Ashley started surfing when she was just 5 years old. A year later, she won a surfing competition while using a battered surf board she found in the trash. A year after that, she found a sponsor who replaced her surf board with a new one. She has appeared in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and Maxim magazine and was featured in an episode of Hell’s Kitchen where she taught competitors how to surf.

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Anastasia Ashley

Anastasia Ashley

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Simone Biles

Simone Biles is one of the most successful gymnasts of all time. She is the second most decorated American gymnast and third most decorated gymnast in the world. She was a member of the “Final Five” on the US Women’s gymnastics team at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. She has endorsement deals with Nike, Octagon, Kellogg’s, Proctor & Gamble, United Airlines, and The Hershey Company.

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Simone Biles

Simone Biles

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Sloane Stephens

Sloane Stephens is a professional tennis player who rose to international prominence after she defeated Serena Williams at the 2013 Australia Open. She has won numerous awards including the WTA Comeback Player of the Year. She has had endorsement deals with Under Armour, Nike, and American Express.

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Sloane Stephens

Sloane Stephens

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Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka is Japanese-Haitian professional tennis player who has been ranked No. 1 by the WTA. She became the first Asian tennis player to hold the highest tennis singles rating. She has several endorsement deals like Nissan and Shiseido. She is also the co-owner of the North Carolina Courage National Women’s Soccer League team.

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Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka

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Lisa Leslie

Lisa Leslie is a former professional basketball player who now is the head coach for the Triplets in the BIG3 basketball league. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015 for her incredible career. She was also inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame that year. She is also a fashion model who was signed to Wilhelmina modeling agency and has appeared in Vogue.

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Lisa Leslie

Lisa Leslie

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Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm is a former professional soccer player who is a two times FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and two time Olympic gold medalist. She is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. She played for the US women’s national soccer team from 1987 until 2004. Her endorsement deals include deals with Gatorade, Nike, Pepsi, Nabisco, Dreyer’s Ice Cream, Fleet Bank, Powerbar, and many more.

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Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm

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Gabby Douglas

Gabby Douglas is an artistic gymnast who was a member of the gold winning teams in both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. She became the first African American gymnast to be the Olympic individual all-around champion. She has her own reality TV show called Douglas Family Gold and has written a book about her life.

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Gabby Douglas

Gabby Douglas

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P.V. Sindhu

P.V. Sindhu is an Indian professional badminton player who started out at 17 years old. She rose to prominence when she was 20 years old when she was ranked at the top of the BWF World Rankings in 2012. She has won several Super Series titles. Her endorsement deals include deals with Gatorade, JBL, and Panasonic.

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P.V. Sindhu

P.V. Sindhu

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Maya Moore

Maya Moore is a professional basketball player who plays for the Minnesota Lynx WNBA team, who selected her as the first overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft. She was named as the first Performer of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 2017. In 2019, she took a hiatus from basketball to focus on reforming the American justice system. She has been named as one of Time’s most 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

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Maya Moore

Maya Moore

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Claressa Shields

Claressa Shields is a professional boxer who holds several world championships. She won gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and is one of just eight boxers ever to hold all four major world boxing titles. She is an ambassador for Up2Us Sports, a non-profit organization that helps underserved youth. She is also an ambassador for gender equality in sports, especially in boxing.

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Claressa Shields

Claressa Shields

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