The Top Female Athletes of All Time

During the early '90s, female skater Kristi Yamaguchi amazed fans as she continued winning various awards for her talents on the ice. In 1992, Yamaguchi first won the Winter Olympics and World Championships. From 1992-2002 Yamaguchi toured with Stars on Ice around the country. Due to her talent in skating, Yamaguchi received several recognitions for the sport. Those recognitions included "Skater of the Year", as well as being named one of the "25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating". In 1998, Yamaguchi entered into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, followed by inductions into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and the USOC Olympic Hall of Fame. She also received great respect for her contributions with her Always Dream Foundation. The foundation helped find and support children charities throughout the San Francisco Bay area.

Track and Field athlete star Jackie Joyner-Kersee was known as the first American woman in the heptathlon to win a gold medal in the Olympics in the long jump. During her tenure as a track and field star, Kersee won 6 medals in 4 consecutive Olympic games. Sports Illustrated for Women named Kersee as the "Athlete of the Century", while ESPN named her as one of the "50 Greatest Athletes". After retirement, she started her own charity, "Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation". This Foundation continues to encourage underprivileged youth in her hometown to play sports.

Born in 1976, tennis player Lindsay Davenport continues to amaze fans with her talent and hard work both on and off the court. Davenport won 3 Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in the Single's tournament. In 2005, Davenport was ranked as the 29th "Best Player in the past 40 years". Davenport was the top ranked player in 98', 01', 04', and 05'. In 2002, Davenport became a member of the Women's Tennis Association Player Council. In 2004, Davenport became the Women's Ambassador for Tennis Award by the International Tennis Writer's Association.

Track and Field star Wilma Rudolph started amazing fans at the tender age of 16. Rudolph started turning heads when she was part of the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. During the games, Rudolph won an Olympic bronze medal for the 4 x 100m relay race for the USA team. In 1960, Rudolph won 3 gold medals during the Olympic games in Rome for the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m Relay Race. Rudolph would go on to win the James E. Sullivan award for being the top amateur athlete in the United States.

Venus Williams, the youngest athlete on the list, is considered another top tennis player of all time. Whether competing against her sister Serena or competing in tournaments all over the world, Venus continues to amaze spectators of the popular sport. In 2000, she won her very first Wimbledon match and US Open. A year later, she would go on to defend her title in both matches. Later that year, she would win a gold medal in the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In 2008, Venus Williams would go on to win her 5th Wimbledon match.

Sources: http://www.jackiejoyner-kerseefoundation.org
http://www.answers.com
http://www.biography.com
http://www.kristiyamaguchi.com
http://www.wilmarudolph.net