All-Time Greatest Female Track and Field Athletes
The sport of track and field has a long and storied history. In fact, most of the events involved in track and field (running, jumping and throwing) can be traced back to the prehistoric era. Foot racing is one of the oldest sports that humans have engaged in for fun and competition. Jumping competitions and throwing competitions be traced back to Ancient Greece, and perhaps even to earlier civilizations. As far as we know, track and field events were some of the earliest competitions that humans engaged in.
It is no wonder then, that they still continue to be popular today. The Summer Olympics still put high emphasis on track and field, and athletes in the sport reach superstar status even today. One of the most notable examples being Usain Bolt. Track and field also isn’t far behind when it comes to betting. In fact, some great sportsbooks offer a wide coverage of track and field events, Tips for using Bet365 bet slip and get frequent traffic from fans of the sport.
In this article, we would like to place special emphasis on a few of the best female track and field athletes to have ever ran on the stage.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Mildred Zaharias exceled, not just in track and field, but in various sports. She shined in baseball, basketball, and golf, however, today, she is mostly remembered for her achievements in the sphere of track and field. And what achievements they were. Babe began her athletic career representing her company in the 1932 AAU Championships. There she won 5 out of the 8 events she competed in, and tied for first place in a sixth.
That same year, she went to compete at the Summer Olympics, where she won two gold medals (and one silver) in the track and field events. After this, she turned to golf, where she stood above her competition, and won several of the most prestigious awards. It’s understandable that she is still regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century given her accomplishments.
Wang Junxia
The current world record holder, with 3000 meters, Wang Junxia is certainly an athlete to remember. She started her career in the early 1990s, and it didn’t take her long to break the record that made her famous today. In 1993, she broke the Asian record of 3000 meters in 8:27.68 during the Chinese National Championship.
As far as her standing in the international scene, she has won two Olympic medals, one gold and one silver (1996), the gold medal at the 1993 World Championship and the 1994 Asian games. She is surely one of China’s most notable athletes.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Though retired now, Jackie is still widely considered one of America’s greatest athletes. She is regarded as one of the finest heptathlon competitors of all time along with the best long jumpers ever. Her career is decorated with six Olympic medals, three of which are gold, one silver, and two bronze. She has been ranked as the greatest female athlete of all-time by Sports Illustrated for Women magazine. Her achievements are made all the more impressive when we consider that Ms. Joyner Kersee suffers from asthma.
