Top 5 Female Athletes of All Time

During the early 1980's, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi was a world-renowned figure for her numerous awards for excelling in her sport. From 1992-2002, Yamaguchi achieved several awards and titles. These awards and titles included Yamaguchi's win in the 92' Olympics and World Championships, Skater of the Year by American Skating World Magazine, and considered 1 of the "25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating" by the International Figure Skating Magazine. Yamaguchi was inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and the USOC Olympic Hall of Fame from 1998-2005. She has also received recognition for her chartiy work with the Always Dream Foundation. This charity funds and supports children charities in the San Francisco Bay area, which was founded by Yamaguchi.

Track and Field athlete star Jackie Joyner-Kersee was known for being the first successful American woman to win gold medals in the heptathlon for the long jump. During the 1984 Olympics, Kersee won a Silver Medal while winning more medals in the late 80's to early 90's. Sports Illustrated for Women named Kersee the "Athlete of the 20th Century", while ESPN named her one of the "50 Greatest Athletes". After retiring, kersee was also known for contributing to the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation to encourage underprivileged youth in her hometown to play sports.

Another great athlete of all time is tennis player Lindsay Davenport. Born in 1976, this pro athlete has been ranked among her peers as one of the greatest tennis players to date. In previous years, Davenport has won 3 Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic Gold medal in the Singles tournament. She was the top-ranked player in 98', 01', 04', and 05'. Adding to her success on the court, Davenport also received recognition as being ranked as the 29th best player in the past 40 years. In 2002, she became part of the Women's Tennis Association's Player Council. Just two years later, Davenport would become the women's ambassador for tennis award by the International Tennis Writer's Association. After achieving much success on the tennis court, Davenport would soon go into a brief retirement as she celebrated in the births of her two children. Recently, it was announced Davenport would return on the courts to play in 2009.

At the age of 16, track and field star Wilma Rudolph was the youngest to be part of the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. She would gain much recognition and respect from peers after achieving the award for the Olympic Bronze medal for the 4 x 100, relay race. Just four years later, Rudolph would achieve 3 gold medals during the Olympic games in Rome,which included the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m relay race. During her great success on the track, Rudolph would go on to win the James E. Sullivan Award for being the top amateur athlete in the United States. In 1994, Rudolph passed away of brain cancer. Even though she is gone, she will always be remembered for her great skills and determination to achieve great success on the track.

Venus Williams, the youngest on the list, is known for her amazing skills on the tennis court. Whether playing her sister or playing various matches across the world, Williams always manages to come out on top. During the year of 2000, Williams earned several awards and many victories. Williams first amazed fans of the popular sport when she won the Wimbledon and the US Open in 2000. In the same year, Williams would go on to win a gold medal in the single's competition at the Olympics held in Sydney, Australia. In 2008, Williams would win her 5th Wimbledon victory placing her as the #3 Tennis Player, according to Biography.com.

Sources: http://www.biography.com
http://www.jackiejoyner-kerseefoundation.org
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