You Pick BestYouPickBest

The 16 Greatest Female Athletes of All Time

by YPB Team

Twelve sports, one list, and no honest way to compare a serve with a floor routine. Pick the resume you would actually defend.

  1. Serena Williams — ranked #11
    Serena Williams
    Won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any player in the Open era.
  2. Simone Biles — ranked #22
    Simone Biles
    The most decorated gymnast in history, with 11 Olympic and 30 world championship medals.
  3. Babe Didrikson Zaharias — ranked #33
    Babe Didrikson Zaharias
    Olympic track champion who then won 10 major golf titles and co-founded the LPGA.
  4. Steffi Graf — ranked #44
    Steffi Graf
    The only tennis player to win all four majors and Olympic gold in one calendar year.
  5. Martina Navratilova — ranked #55
    Martina Navratilova
    Won 59 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
  6. Jackie Joyner-Kersee — ranked #66
    Jackie Joyner-Kersee
    Heptathlon world record holder and winner of six Olympic medals across four Games.
  7. Nadia Comaneci — ranked #77
    Nadia Comaneci
    Scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics at the 1976 Montreal Games.
  8. Wilma Rudolph — ranked #88
    Wilma Rudolph
    Overcame childhood polio to win three sprint golds at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
  9. Florence Griffith-Joyner — ranked #99
    Florence Griffith-Joyner
    Still holds the world records in the 100m and 200m set in 1988.
  10. Katie Ledecky — ranked #1010
    Katie Ledecky
    Distance swimmer with more individual Olympic golds than any woman in the sport.
  11. Larisa Latynina — ranked #1111
    Larisa Latynina
    Soviet gymnast whose 18 Olympic medals stood as the all-time record for 48 years.
  12. Billie Jean King — ranked #1212
    Billie Jean King
    Won 39 Grand Slam titles and beat Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes.
  13. Mia Hamm — ranked #1313
    Mia Hamm
    Two-time World Cup winner who was the face of American soccer for a generation.
  14. Marta — ranked #1414
    Marta
    Brazilian forward and the all-time leading scorer at the FIFA Women's World Cup.
  15. Allyson Felix — ranked #1515
    Allyson Felix
    The most decorated American track and field athlete in Olympic history.
  16. Annika Sorenstam — ranked #1616
    Annika Sorenstam
    Won 72 LPGA titles and 10 majors before retiring at the top of the game.
sports664women100Olympics27Athletes44all time328

Comments

Babe Didrikson Zaharias won Olympic track golds in 1932 and then ten major golf titles, on a list of sixteen careers in twelve sports: https://youpick.best/articles/simone-biles-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team·Aug 21·

Sixteen careers, five sports, no shared unit of measurement. Tennis has to argue against track, gymnastics and golf: https://youpick.best/articles/billie-jean-king-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team·Aug 25·
Make your own rankingAny question with 2–50 answers. AI fills in options and pictures in a minute.Create →Add rankings to your siteEmbed any ranking. Your readers vote right on your page.How it works →