Popular Female Athletes Walking The Red Carpet
Athletes are known for their endurance and stamina, their physical strength, and competitive drive. But these popular female athletes are known not only for their incredible skills in sports but also for their beauty and charm. Having earned fame, especially in the world of Hollywood, these female sports stars display their stunning looks and unique personality while walking the red carpet. They have served as an inspiration to the younger women through their platform of different sports; hence, they are frequently invited to many events and programs. Credits to their perfect figures, these athletes could also become excellent supermodels!
Ellen Hoog (field hockey)
The famous field hockey player, Ellen Hoog, was born in Overveen, Netherlands. She began her prosperous run in the sport at a very young age and became a crucial part of the Dutch National Team in 2004. Ellen became a member of the prestigious Amsterdamsche Hockey & Bandy Club as well. Her investment in the sport paid off when she brought home a couple of gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Ellen became the first-ever player to decide a major championship match following a penalty shootout.
The same thing happened in 2016 when her team managed to get the second spot in the world of field hockey after she took the winning shot. Even though they only got silver that year at the Olympics, 2016 is a memorable year for Hoog since she’s the one who took the game-winning shot in their game against Germany.
Danica Patrick (racing)
Danica Patrick started kart racing as a child then slowly moved toward more proper race cars. Since then, her parents knew that she has the potential to be a great racer so they did the best that they could to give her the support that she needs. They supported her all the way. Her father was her crew chief, and her mother kept statistics on her sport. Danica was dubbed as the most successful woman in the world of American open-wheel racing.
It was her win in the 2008 Indy Japan300, however, that garnered her as the only woman winning in an IndyCar Series race. She is also the first to clinch a pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series. Aside from her accomplishments in racing, Danica also has business investments in putting up her brand of wine called Somnium. Her parents must be proud of her achievements over the years.
Alex Morgan (soccer)
The American football forward Alex Morgan plays for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League. Credits to her outstanding skills in the sport, she was dubbed as one of the greatest American forwards of all time. Alex earned an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics and also played in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where the United States won their third World Cup.
Reports say that in the same year, in addition to her victory, she also landed many major endorsements, so she was hailed as the top-paid American women’s soccer player by Time magazine.
Alex has been the co-captain of the National Women’s Soccer League since 2018, alongside Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd. This amazing athlete took a lot of ‘firsts’ in her career as she is also the first soccer player in the women’s division to ever appear on the cover of FIFA video games in 2015.
Gabby Douglas (gymnastics)
The artistic gymnast Gabby Douglas started training in the sport when she was six years old. That was when her sister convinced their mother to enroll them in a gymnastics class. Gabby became part of history as the first African-American who became the individual all-around champion in the Olympics. She also received credit as the first U.S. gymnast to hold a gold medal in both team and individual competitions in the Olympics.
To be specific, Gabby is the 2012 Olympic all-around champion and the 2015 World all-around silver medalist.
Her accomplishments instantly made her a public figure who many young athletes aspire to be. Her life story became a successful movie in 2014 which was entitled The Gabby Douglas Story. This was quickly followed by a reality television series Douglas Family Gold. She also wrote the book entitled Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith. The book expressed her love for her craft and what it takes to be an Olympic gold medalist.
ALLISON STOKKE (POLE VAULT)
The track and field athlete Allison Stokke grew up in a sporty family. Allison may have tried gymnastics to follow her older brother, but she fell in love with pole vaulting during her time at the Newport Harbor High School. She had a championship record of 3.81 meters that gave her the United States title in 2004. Allison later became one of the country’s best young vaulters. Her exceptional skills earned her an athletic scholarship to study a degree in sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Allison dated professional golfer Rickie Fowler in 2017, and the couple got married in 2019. Today, she continues to be popular through the sport and as a fitness model for Nike and Athleta, among others. Her other career as a sports model broke out after images of her competing early in 2007 stormed the internet after a notable feature in a sports blog. Since then, photographers have attended her competitions, which made her the perfect advocate for the sport.
HEATHER WATSON (TENNIS)
Tennis player Heather Watson started playing the sport at age seven and trained with tennis coach Nick Bollettieri at the age of 12. Heather began competing on the International Tennis Federation Women’s Circuit in 2009 with a ranking of number 588. She continued to improve in the sport and won the mixed doubles title at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships with Henri Kontinen. She’s also the first British woman to win a WTA singles title since 1988.
Her camp gave a lot of credit to her “amazing footwork,” according to her long-time coach that eventually helped her reached new heights. At the age of 28, she has already won nine titles in the course of her career. Of course, it includes the above-mentioned mixed doubles title from 2016 that made her the first British woman again to win a Wimbledon title (1987) and a Grand Slam title (1991) since Jo Durie. At one point in her career, she has also achieved being No. 3 in the world on the ITF Junior Circuit.
SALLY FITZGIBBONS (SURFING)
Australia-born Sally Fitzgibbons won her first surfing competition, ASP Pro Junior Open, when she was just 14 years old. She also won the Icon All-Girls Open Event Lennox Head when she was 16. Fitzgibbons then made another colossal push in her career and became the youngest surfer to win an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Pro Junior (Under 21s) event. In her junior years, she has also set records by winning Australasian Pro Junior Series in 2007 and 2008.
Aside from her remarkable achievements in the field of surfing, Fitzgibbons is also blessed with great talents in other sports such as touch football and soccer. It is not so surprising, therefore, that she’s also the third cousin of the former goalkeeper of Socceroos, Mark Bosnich. She was also a former runner winning middle distance in the national championships. However, her investment in surfing can’t be matched after earning the number one slot at the Rio Pro last year.
ALANA BLANCHARD (SURFING)
Professional surfer Alana Blanchard joined the ASP World Tour and won first place in shortboard at the T&C Women’s Pipeline Championships in 2005. She has also won numerous championships, including The Rip Curl Girls Festival Junior Pro in Spain, the Volcom Pufferfish Surf Series in Pinetrees in Kauai, and The Roxy Pro Trials in Haleiwa, Hawaii. As a surfer, Alana knew first hand the degree of difficulty they need to face when riding the wave.
In fact, she witnessed Bethany Hamilton suffered grave injuries because of the sport she loves. But Blanchard never wavered and continued to paddle and trained for competitions. As early as nine years old, she has already set herself to compete. Now, through the Alana Blanchard Foundation, she made it her goal to raise and support aspiring women surfers. At present, she is engaged to Australian pro surfer Jack Freestone with whom she shares a son who was born in December 2017.
CHELSEA PEZZOLA (GOLF)
Chelsea Pezzola is a professional golf player who trained in the Missing Link Golf Academy. She was introduced to the sport by her stepfather when she was just five years old. She won her first title at age 14 and has earned the Most Valuable Player title in regional golfing championships in 2006. Chelsea played for the Michigan Wolverines during her college years at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology while studying a degree in Business of Sport.
She has also become an Instagram sensation for posting her amazing golf videos and stunning selfies. As a woman who’s successful in a field where men dominated the sport, Pezzola’s biggest goal is to promote women’s golf. Since it holds great importance in her life, she wishes other women to be given the same opportunity and experience. Besides playing golf and posing for her selfies, she is also featured in sports-related shows and covers magazines not only of sports but in fashion as well.
LOLO JONES (HURDLES)
Lolo Jones is known for her remarkable achievements in the world sports, specifically in the field of hurdles and the winter sport of bobsledding. She specializes in the 60-meter and 100-meter hurdles. Throughout her collegiate athletic career, she grabbed three NCAA titles and 11 All-American honors for LSU. With that, she earned an athletic scholarship that saved her the hustle of getting a student loan while doing her studies.
The odds were in her favor during the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she won the 100-meter hurdles, but she finished seventh in the rankings after she tripped in one of the hurdles in the last leg of the race.
Jones redeemed herself in the 2008 World Athletics Final, where she brought home the gold medal and defeating the Olympic champ. As hard evidence of her 60-meter hurdle mastery, Jones won indoor national titles in 2007 through 2009 and gold medals at the World Indoor Championship in 2008 and 2010 in the same category.
NANCY LOPEZ (GOLF)
Nancy Lopez is a retired professional golfer who was a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LGPA) Tour in 1977. In her entire sports career, she won a total of 45 LPGA Tour events and 3 LPGA major championships. Nancy started playing golf at a young age and slowly build her skills and rose her way to the top of the rankings. Thanks to her extraordinary talent, she easily grabbed her very first win at the New Mexico Women’s Amateur when she was just 12.
Lopez managed to land her name to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987 thanks to her achievements and unparalleled skills. After her retirement, she placed a significant investment in a business and established her company, Nancy Lopez Golf, which produces women’s clubs and golf accessories. As a record holder, Lopez is undeniably one of the greats in women’s golf. She has proven herself to be the sport’s best woman player in the late 1970s through the 1980s.
THE BELLA TWINS (WRESTLING)
Nicole and Brianna Garcia, popularly known as The Bella Twins, were born in San Diego, California, and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. In pursuit of their dream to become actresses and models, they hired for a moving company to Los Angeles and began their T.V. appearance on the show, Meet My Folks. They were also contestants in the “International Body Doubles Twins Search” in 2006. In the same year, they joined the WWE Diva Search but failed to get the top spot in the competition.
A year later, they signed a contract with WWE as a professional wrestling tag team, which led to the creation of the Bella Twins. Since then, they have become Divas Champions, with Nicole winning the title twice – making her the longest-reigning holder of the title. In the 2015 list of Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Female 50, Nicole also ranked No.1. Today, both twins are retired and announced early this year that they will be inducted into the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame class.
ANGELA RUCH (RACING)
Angela Ruch may have come from a family of car racing drivers, but she made a name for herself with her own effort. In 2010, Angela and her sister, Amber, were given the credits to be the first twins to compete in the NASCAR series. That day, Angela ranked 26th while driving the No. 6 Dodge. Angela and Amber comprises the third generation of the Cope family to join the world of racing, taking after their uncle Derrike Wayne Cope, an award-winning racer and a team owner.
As a child, she started with Go-Kart racing and has won several races. At age 15, she progressed to racing with late-model race cars. Angela now competes part-time in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. She currently holds the second-highest female record placed at 8th on her first lead lap finish at the Daytona Truck Series. Indeed, quite a splendid way to end her NASCAR career!
LISA LESLIE (BASKETBALL)
Lisa Leslie is a former professional basketball and a legend among legends who played for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player and holds a record of being a four-time Olympic gold medal winner. She is also known as the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. Lisa graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in communications and has finished her master’s degree in business administration.
She was drafted number-seven in the 1997 inaugural WNBA draft and has long since won WNBA All-Star selections eight times and led WNBA championships two times. She is, without a doubt, a valuable team player for her team, Los Angeles Sparks. Now a retired basketball player, she currently takes leadership as the Head Coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league and credits as a studio sports analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on Fox Sports.
MCKAYLA MARONEY (GYMNASTICS)
The famous artistic gymnast, McKayla Maroney, started training in the sport when she was nine years old. According to her, it was her childhood dream to join the Olympics, and she did just that in the latter part of her career. She even brought home a couple of gold chips that marked her legacy in the sport. McKayla was part of the Fierce Five that competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Following her retirement in the competitive scene in 2016, she and her former teammate revealed a huge controversy regarding their team’s doctor.
They hired a team of competent lawyers and filed a lawsuit against the medical practitioner who is now serving his prison sentence. To add to her achievements, although totally outside the sport, Maroney, along with other female victims, was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2018 for boldly coming forward despite their ordeal. She also managed to move past the controversy and go on to conquer another field. On March 7, 2020, Maroney launched her music career and released her first official single, Wake Up Call.
QUEEN HARRISON (TRACK AND FIELD)
This photo displays the beauty that is Queen Harrison, who is famous in the field of sports as a hurdler and sprinter. Queen started competing in track and field events when she attended Hermitage High School. She went on to college at Virginia Tech, where she further honed her skills. Queen was given credit as the first woman to win both the 100m and 400m hurdle titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In 2013 she made it to the ranks as the 16th best performer on the Track and Field all-time list at her personal best, 12.43.
Her notable competition was at the 2015 Pan American Games, where she won the gold medal. She is married to fellow track and field athlete Will Claye, since 2018. Though not much has been going on since then, the 32-year-old athlete currently sits as a meet director for Virginia’s Best Track and Field Classic – a meet only started in 2017.
KATIE LEDECKY (SWIMMER)
Katie Ledecky started swimming at the age of six. She was influenced by her mother, who swam for the University of New Mexico. Now a competitive swimmer, Katie has garnered five Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold medals. She holds the record for earning the most championship medals in the female swimmer history. In the 2016 Olympic Games, she swept off a total of 34 medals, 28 of which are gold, 5 silvers, and 1 bronze.
Due to her outstanding feats, she was given credit as the Swimming World’s Female Swimmer of the Year for a whopping five times, and 2017 Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Katie was offered by Stanford University an athletic scholarship and joined the Stanford Cardinal women’s swimming team. To top her achievements, she also holds the world record in the women’s 400, 800, and the long course, 1,500-meter freestyle. Furthermore, she also seals the world record as the fastest female swimmer in 500, 1,000, and 1,650-yard freestyle events.
LERYN FRANCO (JAVELIN)
Leryn Franco first played football before playing javelin throw. As displayed in her records, her personal best was 57.77 m at the 2012 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics. It then became a new national record. Leryn competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics for javelin throw. Aside from her sports career, she also entered the world of show business and modeling. She starred as the younger Eliza Lynch in the 2013 Irish film Eliza Lynch: Queen of Paraguay.
For her performance in the film, she was praised for having captured and portrayed beautifully the spirit of the character. Blessed with remarkable beauty and filled with personality, Franco tried her luck in a beauty pageant and grabbed the top spot in Miss Universo Paraguay. Franco not only has the looks and the skills, but she also has the brain as well. In fact, she has a degree in business administration.
ALLISON BAVER (SPEED SKATING)
Allison Baver may hold a master’s degree in business administration, but she is also a master in short track speed skating. She began training with the U.S. winter sports Olympic team and has ranked third overall in the World Rankings in the 2005-2006 season. Allison ranked seventh place in the 2006 Winter Olympics under the category of Women’s 500-meter competition and won her first U.S. National Championship in 2007.
Despite her multiple-fractures in 2009 when she collided with teammate Katherine Reutter, she continued to train for the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver. Though there were many hurdles for her, their team still won the bronze medal. Since then, Allison established the Off the Ice Foundation in the year 2010, which educates schools and communities on skating sports. Baver is currently the vice president of the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association, a four-year term office she was elected into in 2016.
ASHLEY WAGNER (FIGURE SKATING)
Ashley Wagner started skating when she was just five years old. She was inspired by figure skater Tara Lipinski when she watched her on the television coverage of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan. It was during that time that she dreamed of competing for the Olympics. Ashley is a three-time U.S. national champion, a 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, and a 2016 World silver medalist. In 2010, she suffered a violent whole-body muscle spasm and sought physical therapy.
After her recovery, she went back to participate in several competitions. It was August 2019 when she announced her retirement from the sport, but with proper investment planning, she’ll not have to face any financial difficulties anytime soon.
Despite her retirement from the sport, Wagner participated as the commentator for the 2020 European Figure Skating Championships held in Graz, Austria. With her looks, she’ll definitely have a place on TV, or she may opt to revisit her modeling athlete career through paid-endorsements. The Boston resident retired athlete has a lot of options for her next career.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ (TENNIS)
Slovak tennis player Daniela Hantuchová won her first WTA tournament in 2002 and defeated Martina Hingis. She also landed in the top ten in the power rankings that year thanks to unparalleled performance in the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and U.S. Open. Known for her long legs, she can cover long distances in a short span, which is a big help in her speed. She was given credit as the “Queen of 3-setters”, having played 263 three-set matches and won 181 of them.
Daniela also became world No. 5 in the doubles ranking. In 2017, she announced her retirement from the sport. Since then, she can be seen very active as the sport’s commentator and pundit, in a much bigger and prestigious platform such as in US Open and Wimbledon meets. She is also a Fox Sports commentator and currently produces a web series for Tennis Channel and hosts podcasts related to entertainment and sports. Here’s the enchanting Daniela, flaunting her slim figure on the red carpet.
SLOANE STEPHENS (TENNIS)
The professional tennis player Sloane Stephens is currently ranked in the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 25. Sloane won a total of six WTA singles and garnered a couple of accolades along the way. She reached the peak of her career when she ranked No. 3 in the world after competing in the 2018 Wimbledon, and she was also the 2017 U.S. Open champion. Sloane came from a family of athletes, with her parents having a collegiate swimming and professional American football background.
However, her stepfather, who was a competitive recreational tennis player, was her inspiration for playing the sport. Originally from California, their family hired a moving company to Florida, where she began to train at a tennis academy under coach Nick Saviano. In the 2013 Australian Open, when Stephens was only 19 years old, she rose to prominence in the sport where the semi-final run highlighted Serena Williams No. 3 and her at No.11.
CLAIR BIDEZ (SNOWBOARD)
Clair Bidez holds a degree in Master of Science in Geography from the University of Utah and now works as a research analyst. Aside from that, she’s an acclaimed snowboarder with a world-class talent. She started competing in the sport when she was just ten years old and was greatly influenced by her brother. At age 16, she won 5th place at the U.S. Open at Stratton Mountain and was later offered to join the U.S. Snowboarding team.
Clair became the Halfpipe Junior World Champion and won 4th place in halfpipe competition at the Winter X Games XX.
However, in 2009, in the Grand Prix’s final round at Copper Mountain, Clair met an accident and broke her heels. The year after, she was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition as a potential Olympian. Though she made it through every Olympic qualifier, in the end, her ongoing ankle injury became the end of her professional snowboarding athlete career.
HOPE SOLO (SOCCER)
Hope Solo is a famous goalkeeper known for playing for the United States women’s national soccer team from 2000 until 2016. She started playing the sport at a young age, and she gives a huge credit to her father for teaching her the sport. Hope is a World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. She debuted her professional career by playing for the Philadelphia Charge in the Women’s United Soccer Association. Her most recent team was the Seattle Reign F.C. in the National Women’s Soccer League.
She currently holds the record for most career clean sheets in the United States. In 2007, she became the starting goalkeeper for FIFA Women’s World Cup. Because of her outstanding performance, she led the national team to the semifinals by only missing two goals and with her three consecutive shutouts. Due to her remarkable skills in soccer, she is considered to be one of the top female goalkeepers in the world.
CHLOE KIM (SNOWBOARDER)
Chloe Kim began snowboarding at age four and started competing at age six as one of Team Mountain High’s youngest members. She joined the U.S. Snowboarding Team in 2013. Her talent and hard work have resulted in her being hailed as the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics – and she was just 17 years old at that time. She is also a four-time X Games gold medalist and currently holds the record of being the halfpipe champion in World, Youth Olympic, Olympic, and X Games.
In fact, she is the first of all athletes in the sport to win all four titles of the major event. No wonder Chloe was named the 2018 Best Female Olympian by the ESPY Awards and was also included in Time magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in the same year. Her future is looking good, and if this continues, she’ll gain enough fame and fortune where she probably wouldn’t have to worry about going into bankruptcy.
TARAH GIEGER (MOTOCROSS RACER)
Tarah Gieger is a professional motocross racer who has been in the industry since her childhood days. She began riding motorcycles when she was at a young age of 10 and practiced in the mountains of Puerto Rico, where people gather to ride motorcycles. Initially, her family resided in Florida and pursued a service of a moving company back to Puerto Rico, where she built up her skills.
It was in 2003 when she debuted her motocross racing career professionally and won prestigious titles in the following years.
One of these is the Loretta Lynn AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship titles in 2004, 2006, and 2007. She also became the first woman to win the X Games XIV supercross the year after. Then in 2009, she took a hiatus after she was struck with a wrist injury. Tarah bounced back strong, and in 2010, it led her to win a silver medal at the women’s supercross in X Games. She was the first female racer ever to compete in the Motocross des Nations back in 2017.
BREANNA STEWART (BASKETBALL)
Basketball star Breanna Stewart currently plays for the Seattle Storm of the Women’s National Basketball Association. She started playing the sport at an early age, and she started training when she was in fifth grade. Because of her height of six feet four inches, she was always eyed by basketball coaches to be the rebounder and a significant force on the offensive side of her team. Breanna was the youngest in the under-19 U.S. National Team but led the team in points. She was later named the USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year in 2011.
In the 2016 WNBA Draft, she was the first overall pick and also named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in the same year. Her most recent award is the 2019 EuroLeague Women Regular Season MVP. Sports Illustrated also named her as one of their Sportspeople of the Year back in 2020, and recently, she also signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Nike. With her success on the hardwood, she’ll have more than enough investment money to increase her real estate portfolio and delve into business ventures.
JESSIE GRAFF (MARTIAL ARTIST)
Jessie Graff is a professional stunt woman who is nicknamed as “Tumbleweed.” She is a woman of exceptional talents. She is a Taekwondo black belter, a pole vaulter, and a competitive gymnast. The list goes on, and she also trained in six other disciplines of martial arts, including Kung Fu. She gained prominence when she joined the show American Ninja Warrior in 2016. In her stint in the T.V. competition, she became the first woman to complete Stage 1 of the show’s Las Vegas Finals obstacle course.
The year after, she successfully finished Stage 2 in Las Vegas as part of the USA vs. The World competition and was the only woman to get through the course. Finally, in the Sasuke/Ninja Warrior franchise, she was the only woman to represent the United States and finish Stage 2 of the international course. Jessie started as a stunt woman in 2007 and has since appeared in films such as Bridesmaids, Sons of Anarchy, Knight and Day, and John Carter. She also put up a couple of business investments in establishing her own athletic clothing line.
TORI BOWIE (TRACK AND FIELD)
Track and field athlete Tori Bowie is a three-time Olympic medalist and has a personal record of 6.95 meters for the long jump. She was offered an athletic scholarship from the University of Southern Mississippi, which saved her a couple of bucks for her student loans. Up until today, she’s still considered as one of the best in the collegiate scene and most of her records still stand today.
We recently saw her competed with the best in the World Championships, where she brought home a couple of gold medals in 2017 and in 2019 that was held in Doha, Qatar. Bowie primarily competes in the 100 and 200-meter run. In fact, she championed the 2017 World Championships 100-meter event. For her long-jump performances, back in 2014, she finished as runner up in the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and represented the country in the IAAF World Indoor Championships.
JENNIE FINCH (SOFTBALL)
Jennie Lynn Finch began playing softball at the age of five and pitching at the age of eight with the help of her father as her first pitching coach. The beautiful athlete graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in communication sciences. During that time, Jennie played for the Arizona Wildcats and the U.S. national softball team, which eventually made her an Olympic medalist. She won gold and silver medals in the Olympics in 2004 and 2008, respectively.
Jennie has been vocal about her Christian faith and has turned down several offers to appear in Playboy magazine. After her 2008 pitch in the Olympics, Time magazine considered her the most famous softball player in all the sport’s history. However, in 2010, Finch decided to retire from playing softball to focus on her growing family. Though she’s retired, she worked with ESPN as a color commentator for National Pro Fastpitch and college games.
PAIGE SPIRANAC (GOLF)
This beautiful woman can be easily mistaken as a Hollywood star, and she is no other than the professional golfer, Paige Spiranac. Paige earned an athletic scholarship from the University of Arizona and transferred to San Diego State during her sophomore year. There, she won the All-Mountain West Conference honors during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons. She later made her debut as a professional golfer in 2015, and a monthly column in Golf Magazine gave credit to her achievements.
Being bullied in her youth due to a hair condition, she became the ambassador for Cybersmile, a non-profit organization that provides global support against cyber-bullying.
Aside from her advocacy, Spiranac remains to be an active social media personality as well. She created her social media accounts for her initial purpose of posting trick-shot videos. However, it has now become a sought-after account with two million followers by 2018. In 2020, Spiranac started her podcast she calls Playing-A-Round with Paige Renee, and her premiere episode’s title is Teeing Off, released last February.
CANDACE PARKER (BASKETBALL)
Candace Parker may be the younger sister of former NBA basketball player Anthony Parker, but she made a name for herself in the basketball scene. She started to play basketball at a young age since her family loved the sport so much and were big fans of the Chicago Bulls. Her father coached her and helped her learn the game. Candace began playing in school until she played for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
She was named the WNBA All-Star Game MVP in 2013 and was WNBA Most Valuable Player twice in 2008 and 2013. No wonder she was the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft in 2008! In that year, she also won the Rookie of the Year award. Other than that, she has been selected six-times all-WNBA and five times as an all-star. She also won’t face any debt because of her excellent money management skills.
MEGAN RAPINOE (SOCCER)
Megan Rapinoe is a professional soccer player who is now the captain of the Reign Football Club in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She plays for the team primarily as a winger and earns the title of Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019. Megan scored three goals, which led to a gold medal win for the U.S. during the 2012 London Olympics. This led her to be the first player to ever score a goal directly from a corner at the Olympics.
The year before that, at the 2011 FIFA Women’s Club Cup, she scored an equalizer goal at the game’s 122nd minute. The last-minute goal, which eventually led to a win for the Americans, was awarded ESPN’s 2011 ESPY Award for Best Play of the Year. Internationally, Rapinoe is known for her activism and crafty style of play. Megan is an advocate for the LGBT community and had a business investment in putting up a gender-neutral lifestyle brand.
NASTIA LIUKIN (GYMNASTICS)
Nastia Liukin is an artistic gymnast who rose to prominence after winning the 2008 Olympic all-around championship. She holds the record of being a five-time Olympic medalist for gymnastics. Liukin is also the 2005 world champion on the uneven bars. She also became the world champion on the balance beam within the same year and again in 2007. Nastia enrolled at Southern Methodist University with hopes of earning a degree in international business but withdrew from school in 2008 to pursue gymnastics. In 2012, she retired from the sport.
In her entire career, she represented the United States at one Olympic Game and three World Championships.
She was also a key member of the country’s senior team. After her 2008 Olympics performance, she may have thought of taking a break for a while but decided she isn’t done with gymnastics yet. In 2011, she announced her comeback for the next 2012 Olympics. However, even after qualifying for several trials, she failed to make it through the finals without falling. Anyhow, after her athletics career, it seems like she’s heading straight to acting and entertainment.
ANASTASIA ASHLEY (SURFING)
Born in San Clemente, California, Anastasia Ashley started to surf at a young age of five before her family hired a moving company to Hawaii. As a young surfer, she started competing a year later, where she won her first-ever surfing contest. Anastasia then got her first major national title at the age of sixteen. With her winning streak and her growing name in the world of surfing, she was named the Triple Crown Rookie of the Year in 2003 and cash-in the 2010 Pipeline Women’s Pro.
Anastasia is a vegetarian and was included in PETA’s vegetarian ad campaign in 2006. Outside surfing, it seems like she’s also earning big as a model. In 2014, she was featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, cementing her as sports eye-candy to many. In the same year, she jumpstarted her accessories line, collaborating with OK1984, and came up with the brand name Gypsy Jet Set.
GINA CARANO (MMA)
Gina Carano is a former mixed martial artist who later became a T.V. personality and fitness model. She was fascinated with Muay Thai before competing for MMA. Carano was hailed the “face of women’s MMA” and ranked 5th on the list of the “Top 10 Influential Women” of 2008. Her competitive record includes seven wins, one loss which can be described as an achievement of its own. As an MMA, she was featured in ESPN The Magazine and Maxim.
Because of her growing list of features in magazines, she gained much popularity as a woman in the field. After getting enough money, probably thanks to the smart investments she did in the past, she retired from the sport and shifts career as an actress and television personality. Outside the ring, Carano appeared in American Gladiators as Crush. She also debuted her film acting career in the 2009 film Blood and Bone and followed by Haywire, Fast and Furious 6 and Deadpool.
EUGENIE BOUCHARD (TENNIS)
The Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard was born to Michel Bouchard, an investment banker, and Julie Leclair. At a young age of five, she already started her journey towards a great tennis career and just after a few years, already made her way as one of the members of Tennis Canada’s National Training Centre. In 2012, she won the Wimbledon girls’ title, and a year later, she was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.
In 2014, she made huge headlines by setting up an excellent performance in the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, finishing second in the tournament and received the WTA Most Improved Player award. Bouchard reached career-high ranking No.5, making her the first Canadian tennis player in the top 5 singles ranks. She was even dubbed as the “chosen one” by her family because of this remarkable feat. Her favorite tennis player is Roger Federer, whom she already met in 2012, which was easily a highlight of her life.
MARIA SHARAPOVA (TENNIS)
Maria Sharapova is one of the most beautiful faces we’ve seen in the world of sports. Maria is an Olympic medalist, having earned a silver medal in women’s singles at the 2012 Summer Olympics. As a professional tennis player, Sharapova gained international fame because of her tennis prowess and her matching pleasant personality, especially her dedication towards charity works. She established the Maria Sharapova Foundation, which is committed to helping children around the world achieve their dreams.
An autobiography entitled Unstoppable: My Life So Far was written with her name credit. Despite playing tennis under the banner of Russia, Sharapova lived in the United States since 1994. From 2001 through 2020, she has contended in every WTA tour competition and ranked No. 1 in the world in the women’s match on five separate occasions. Out of ten women who held a career in Grand Slam, she is the only Russian.
BARBARA BLANK (WRESTLING)
Barbara Blank is a woman of many talents. She is a respected actress, a model, and a T.V. personality. However, her claim to fame was her professional wrestling career under the ring name Kelly Kelly. She began her wrestling career in 2006 when she signed into a contract with WWE after training in Ohio Valley Wrestling. Barbara was named as the winner of the WWE Divas Championship in 2011 but left the organization in 2012. Since then, she only appeared there occasionally.
She later pursued an acting career and starred in the reality television show, WAGS, so she can live free from any kind of loan. Since Blank has a background in gymnastics and cheerleading, she worked as a Venus Swimwear and Hawaiian Tropic model. Despite leaving the sport in 2012, she still made it to Raw Reunion in 2019 and pinned Gerald Brisco, making her the first woman wrestler to win the title.
URSZULA RADWANSKA (TENNIS)
Urszula Radwanska is a Polish professional tennis player. She is the younger sister of Agnieszka Radwańska, who is also a former tennis pro. As a junior player, she won the 2007 Wimbledon girls’ singles title and topped it, ranking No. 1 in the world. Urszula became known when she won one doubles title on the WTA Tour. She then reached her career-high singles ranking of No. 29 in October 2012. She enjoyed massive success in her career.
Unfortunately, in 2016, she had an ankle injury, forcing her to pull out from the Australian Open in a match against Anastacia Pavlyuchenkova. Though she tried again in the ITF Circuit in the same year, she was defeated by Dominika Cibulkova when she reached the quarterfinal at the Stockton Challenger tournament. She finally ended her season ranking No. 524. Urszula also made a business investment in the U.R. brand of luxury handbags.
BECKY LYNCH (WRESTLING)
Who would’ve thought that this gorgeous lady right here can throw a punch? Well, she actually can! This woman is a professional wrestler who was born as Rebecca Quin but goes by her ring name Becky Lynch. Becky currently holds the WWE Raw Women’s Championship for more than a year. We all need to give her credit as the active longest championship streak for a women’s title. She started in the field in 2002 in Ireland, and initially teamed with her brother.
She rose to fame and eventually widened her passion for the sport in North America and into the rest of Europe. She was supposed to perform on the Raw brand this year but has been on maternity leave since May 2020. Outside WWE, she also competes in the independent circuit for various promotions. She competed in the Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling, and also, in June 2005, she became the inaugural SuperGirls Champion.
MIESHA TATE (MMA)
American mixed martial artist Miesha Tate is a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Miesha joined amateur wrestling while attending Franklin Pierce High School and was later fascinated with Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She started her MMA career in 2007 at the one-night HOOKnSHOOT Women’s Grand Prix. After fighting and winning small events, she joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2013. All of her investments and hard work paid off when she got the Female Fighter of the Year by World MMA Awards in 2011.
Her professional record breakdown as of writing is 18 wins and seven losses. Outside MMA, she also models in numerous publications and blogs, including sports magazines such as ESPN The Magazine and Fitness Gurls. She also pursued an acting career and featured in the film Fight Valley. Of course, for her main craft, she was noted for her fighting style and the key reason why there should also be a women’s division in the UFC.
LAILA ALI (BOXING)
Being a direct blood relative of the legendary boxing champion Muhammad Ali is no easy feat. However, Laila Ali made it look so easy and ended up creating a legend herself at the same boxing ring as her father. She is the eighth child of her father’s nine children, and prior to her retirement from the sport in 2007, her boxing record includes 24 wins and no loss. She also holds numerous boxing titles, including WIBA, IWBF, WBC, and IBA female super middleweight title.
Laila earned her business degree at California’s Santa Monica College and, soon after, established her own nail salon before she entered boxing. Her career in the sport started only when she was 18 years old after watching Christy Martin on a match. Finally, in an interview with Diane Sawyer in Good Morning America, she publicly announced her plan to join the sport. Her professional boxing career spanned from the year 1999 through 2007.
SILJE NORENDAL (SNOWBOARDING)
This beauty is no other than the Norwegian snowboarder, Silje Norendal. Silje competes in different snowboard disciplines such as slopestyle, boardercross, and halfpipe. She is under the Norwegian sports club, Kongsberg Idrettforening. In 2013, she won gold in the women’s slopestyle in Winter X Games Europe in Tignes. In 2014 and 2015, she won the women’s slopestyle in Winter X Games held in Aspen, Colorado. Silje held the fourth place in the slopestyle semifinals of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.
Silje also competes in Big Air, which means that she also competes in the video game for the sport. She is now engaged to hockey player, Alexander Bonsaksen since 2018, and we wish them a lifetime of love. We bet they will get that precisely since both of them have excellent money management skills. Looking like a fashion model in this photo, we hope she also considers this career path!
ALY RAISMAN (GYMNASTICS)
Aly Raisman is a two-time Olympian gymnast and considered to be one of the most successful athletes in the field of gymnastics. Her mother, who also happened to be a former gymnast, might be the sole influencer for Aly to pursue a career in the sport. The Magnificent Seven also moved her and to become one of the best in the world and served as her inspiration. She’s also part of the group that filed a case, along with their lawyers, that brought to justice about the abuse that happened in the USA Gymnastics team.
Aside from that, Aly became the team captain for the two consecutive years in women’s Olympic gymnastics team and manage to bring home the bacon. She might have spent the majority of her life in training but certainly all of those hard ships were worth it and is one of the reasons why she is the most well-known teenager athlete in the sports industry.
CAMILA GIORGI (TENNIS)
The Italian-born Camila Giorgi does not only made an impact on the carpet, but she rocks the world of tennis as well. Camila first showed interest in artistic gymnastics, but since she assisted in her brother’s tennis training, she also learned to love the sport. She was first trained by her father and was later discovered by tennis coach, Nick Bollettieri, who offered her seven months of training. Camila competed for her first International Tennis Federation title in 2009.
Her remarkable wins include the 2013 U.S. Open, 2014 Aegon International, and 2014 BNP Paribas Open. The earnings she got might be more than enough to get her nowhere near the bankruptcy limit for the next couple of years.
But today, Camila Giorgi is preparing herself for future competitions that she will soon participate in. At 29 years old, it’s undeniable that she is unstoppable and could attend more tournaments in the years to come.
RONDA ROUSEY (MMA)
Ronda Rousey is the first American woman to win a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics. A huge credit for her talent and passion, she went on to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. Rousey joined UFC and became the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion and still holds the record for most UFC title defenses by a woman. She is the first female mixed martial artist to be instated into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Aside from the sport, she was also offered acting credits and has appeared in the top-grossing films Furious 7 and The Expendables 3. Ronda Rousey is beauty and grit in one! Indisputably, she also has a future in pursuing the acting industry if ever she gets tired in sports. Ronda is not just physically strong but is extremely talented as well.
LINDSEY VONN (SKIING)
Lindsey Vonn made a name for herself as a former World Cup alpine ski racer. She’s also a famed member of the U.S. national team. Throughout her career, she managed to grab four World Cup overall championships. That makes her one of two elite female athletes that grab the prestigious accolade. From then on, she showed a higher level of competitiveness and continues to rack up medals along the way. Last August, the world congratulated her for the news of her engagement with P.K. Subban.
There is still no news whether she would want to continue her journey or decide to take a rest in engaging in any competition. But regardless which career path she would choose, we are sure they will live happily together and won’t face any issue paying the mortgage in the future. However, we genuinely hope that she would continue because losing her in the skiing sports is a big loss.
SIMONE BILES (GYMNASTICS)
American artistic gymnast Simone Biles is a member of the gold-medal-winning team called “Final Five” at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She is a five-time World floor exercise champion, three-time World balance beam champion, and a two-time World vault champion. Overall, Simone Biles acquired a total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals since she decided to walk this path.
Just a few years ago, she made headlines when she forfeited NCAA eligibility and moved towards the professional stage.
In 2018, Simone enrolled at the University of People to pursue a degree in business administration. She also became the university’s brand ambassador. Certainly, at the age of 23, she already managed to have numerous awards and achievements. Therefore, it will be not impossible for her to try new things. Whether she wants to pursue the business world, entertainment, or continue to be a professional gymnast, with her skills and determination, she would surely succeed.
CARMEN JORDA (RACING)
She may be the daughter of motor racing driver Jose Miguel Jorda, but Carmen Jorda also excels in the field just like her father, who introduced her to the sport at a young age. Born in Spain, she started kart racing as a child then proceeded to compete for the Master Junior Formula as a teenager. She later tried her luck in the Spanish Formula 3 as an adult. Carmen is also credited as the eleventh woman in history to be part of the Formula 1 team as the development driver for the Lotus and Renault Sport teams.
She might not have won any international awards yet, but her presence and all her experiences alone are worth more than any golds or trophies. Eventually, when the perfect time comes, her success will even expand further. Today at 32 years old, there is still no update about her future tournaments, but we hope that we see her again next year, when everything goes back to normal.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (TENNIS)
Here’s a photo of the gorgeous Caroline Wozniacki – she looks like a supermodel, right? Well, Caroline is a professional tennis player who has earned a total of 30 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles titles. After a few years since starting her professional career, she finished on top of the rankings in 2010 and 2011. In fact, she was hailed the first woman from the Scandinavian peninsula to hold the top-ranking position in the world of tennis. She gives credit for her success in her tennis career to her husband, the former NBA Champion, David Lee.
Caroline won her first Grand Slam title at the 2018 Australian Open. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in the same year, but she was still able to play through the 2018 U.S. Open. Based on her past records and enormous achievements, her future is already prepared. It is safe to assume that Caroline managed to invest some of her money so that she would live a comfortable life, even after retirement.
ANNA KOURNIKOVA (TENNIS)
Anna Kournikova is a worldwide icon known for her athletic prowess in the sport of tennis. She rose to prominence for her skills in playing doubles with Martina Hingis as her partner. The athlete also won the Grand Slam titles in Australia (1999 and 2002). Anna retired from the sport at age 21 due to a medical condition involving her spine. Good thing, her insurance policy got her back, and she managed to recover from her situation after just a few short breaks.
Her fame continued as she dated and married the famous singer, Enrique Iglesias. It was even reported that the couple put up a real estate investment worth $20 million on a private island in Miami, where she and her two kids can enjoy all the time in the world filled with luxury and style. Although there are no recent updates as to whether she would continue to play tennis, we certainly hope to see her on the court once again.