History of women in sports - Los Angeles Times
Barrier Breakers Trailblazers Record holders

Game Changers for

Women in Sports

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Barrier Breakers

Olympics

1900

Women compete in the Olympics — in golf, tennis, croquet and sailing — for the first time.

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Swimming

1915

Women’s swimming is recognized by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) as a sport.

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Track

1922

AAU adds track and field events for women. Four years later, six teams compete in organization’s inaugural women’s basketball tournament.

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Gymnastics

1928

Women make their debuts in gymnastics and track and field at the Summer Games in Amsterdam.

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Baseball

1943

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League is founded by Philip K. Wrigley.

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College

1972

Title IX a law preventing sex discrimination in education programs or activities (i.e., sports) that receive federal funding, is enacted.

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olympics

1976

Women compete in crew and basketball for the first time in the Summer Olympics.

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College

1982

The NCAA sanctions its first national championship tournaments for women in several sports, including basketball, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and tennis.

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Soccer

1991

Mia Hamm plays in the first Women’s World Cup tournament, helping the U.S. win the championship.

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Basketball

1996

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is founded.

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Olympics

1996

Softball and women’s soccer debut at the Summer Games in Atlanta.

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Olympics

1998

The U.S. wins gold in Nagano in women’s ice hockey as it and women’s curling debut as Olympic medal sports.

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Tennis

2007

Wimbledon announces that women will receive the same prize money as men.

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Olympics

2012

For the first time in Olympic history, the U.S. sends more women than men to participate in the Summer Games in London.

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Hockey

2017

The women’s national hockey team says it will boycott world championships unless U.S.A. Hockey increases their wages. Two weeks later, they reach a deal with the sport’s governing body.

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trailblazers

Swimming

1926

Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim the English Channel, completing the feat nearly two hours faster than the men’s best time.

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Tennis

1956

Althea Gibson becomes the first African American to win a Grand Slam event title with a victory in the French Championships (known now as the French Open).

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Track

1960

Wilma Rudolph wins three Olympic gold medals (in the 100- and 200-meter events and the 4 x 100-meter relay) at the 1960 Summer Games, becoming the first American woman to win three golds at one Olympics.

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Track

1967

Kathrine Switzer becomes the first woman to officially run in the all-male Boston Marathon. She uses an initial to register and finishes — despite an official who tries to rip off her bib number.

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Tennis

1973

Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in tennis’ “Battle of the Sexes” before 90-million TV viewers.

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Hiking

1975

Japan’s Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to summit Mt. Everest.

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Racing

1976

Shirley Muldowney becomes the first woman to win a National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel event. In 1980, she becomes the first driver to win two NHRA points titles.

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Racing

1977

Race-car driver Janet Guthrie becomes the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 as well as the Daytona 500.

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Golf

1978

Nancy Lopez is the only female golfer to win rookie of the year, player of the year and the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average in the same season.

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Olympics

1984

Joan Benoit, at the Los Angeles Summer Games, wins the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon.

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Baseball

1984

Victoria Roche becomes the first girl to play in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

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Horse Racing

1993

Jockey Julie Krone becomes the first woman to win a Triple Crown horse race — the Belmont Stakes.

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Basketball

1997

The NBA hires two female referees, Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer, the first to work regular-season games in a major men’s pro sports league.

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Soccer

1999

The U.S. national soccer team wins the Women’s World Cup on a penalty kick by Brandi Chastain followed by an epic celebration.

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Golf

2002

Michelle Wie, 12, becomes the youngest golfer ever to qualify for an LPGA tournament.

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Racing

2008

Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to win an Indycar race, the Japan Indy 300.

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MMA

2012

Ronda Rousey is first female fighter to be signed by the UFC; the bantamweight champion sets a record for winning the most UFC title defenses — six — before losing in 2015.

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Olympics

2012

Gabby Douglas becomes the first African American to win Olympic gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics finals.

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Basketball

2014

Becky Hammon becomes the first woman to serve as a full-time assistant coach in the NBA, working for the San Antonio Spurs.

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Football

2015

Sarah Thomas becomes the first full-time female official in NFL history.

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Olympics

2016

Ibtihaj Muhammad becomes the first U.S. Olympic athlete to compete in a hijab. She wins a bronze medal in the team saber event.

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Skating

2019

Alysa Liu, 13, becomes the youngest U.S. figure skating champion, stealing the show with two triple axels. In January of this year, she successfully defends her national championship title, again landing two triple Axels. She also landed the first quadruple jump by a woman in U.S. nationals history.

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Football

2020

Katie Sowers, the offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers, will be the first female coach — and first openly gay coach — to participate in the Super Bowl.

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Record Holders

Track

1932

American Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins two gold medals and one silver in track and field events at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She later wins 41 events in a golf career that lasts until 1955.

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Basketball

1974

Pat Summitt becomes coach of the University of Tennessee’s Lady Vols basketball team and collects 1,098 wins — a women’s college basketball record — before retiring in 2012.

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Olympics

1976

Nadia Comaneci, a 14-year-old Romanian, becomes the first gymnast to receive a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastics event. She went on to earn seven perfect scores at the Montreal Games.

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Olympics

1988

Jackie Joyner-Kersee wins gold medals in the heptathlon and the long jump at the Summer Games in Seoul (she’d won a silver medal in the heptathlon in 1984).

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Skating

2001

Michelle Kwan, 20, the three-time world champion, wins her fourth straight U.S. figure skating championship and fifth overall.

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Golf

2001

Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam, 30, makes women’s golf history by shooting a 59 during an LPGA event. She wins eight times that season on the LPGA tour.

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Tennis

2003

Tennis’ Serena Williams wins four straight Grand Slam event finals — the French Open, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open — defeating her sister, Venus, in the finals of all four.

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Skiing

2008

Lindsey Vonn sets a U.S. record winning 10 World Cup downhill ski races. She wins the overall World Cup title that year — and the following two years.

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Olympics

2012

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings win their third Olympic gold medal in the last game of their 11-year team career.

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Olympics

2012

Serena Williams wins gold at the Summer Games in London in singles, and she and her sister team up for the gold in doubles.

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Olympics

2012

Katie Ledecky wins her first Olympic gold medal—in the 800-meter freestyle.

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Olympics

2016

Katie Ledecky wins four gold and one silver medal in the Summer Games in Rio. She’s won a total of 34 medals (28 golds) in major competitions worldwide.

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Skiing

2019

Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. becomes the first skier to claim 17 World Cup wins in a single season.

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Gymnastics

2019

Simone Biles, the AP female athlete of the year, becomes the most decorated American gymnast with a combined 30 Olympic and world championships.

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