Global Pioneers of Female Sports
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The achievements of globally praised athletes like Serena Williams' extraordinary tennis skills and Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky’s unrivaled swimming ability amass millions of onlookers on social media. The average person is accustomed to the globalization of sports, but this level of public approval was unheard of only a few decades ago. As we look upon today’s most outstanding female athletes for inspiration, we must reflect on the pioneers who made women’s sports possible.
Born in 1868, Hélène de Pourtalès was interested in sailing boats from her upbringing, yachting in Switzerland. She entered the 1900 Paris Olympics in a sailing team as one of 22 women granted permission to compete, compared to 975 men. Among the strong female athletes changing gender standards around sports, Hélène de Pourtalès made history as the first female gold medalist in the Olympics for her excellence in the 1 to 2-ton sailing, later securing a silver medal in the event’s following race.
Denied access to sports amid Georgia’s segregation laws, Alice Coachman spent hours in the fields by herself to practice her high jump and relay racing ability. Years later, Coachman received training from her high school coach, who helped her grow her ability and recognition in local and national competitions for athletic talent. Eventually, she was scouted by the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, giving her a gateway into obtaining national acclaim as she garnered encouragement to participate in the Olympics. Despite a back injury, Coachman entered the London 1948 Olympic Games and earned a gold medal in the high jump event. This historic moment broke the American record for the high jump and marked the first Black woman to receive an Olympic gold medal.
Billie Jean King’s tennis career remains unparalleled to this day, accumulating 39 Grand Slam titles while simultaneously advocating for wage equality for women in sports and founding the Women’s Tennis Association. In 1973, King participated in the famous ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match against Bobby Riggs, a middle-aged man who publicly claimed he could beat even the best woman in tennis. Ninety million viewers watched as King beat Riggs in straight sets and won a prize of $100,000, proving to the world that women’s sports matter. Outside of her tennis career, King was an activist for LGBTQ+ rights, as one of the first female athletes to come out as a lesbian, and as a director for the Elton John AIDS Organization.
In 2024, female athletes can take pride in their athletic achievements for a global audience, made possible by the legacies of strong women. Recognizing the reforms these women brought to the world of sports highlights the thriving female athletes of today and how they will become role models for the generation of ambitious young girls after them.
