From left: Crystal Dunn, Allyson Felix, Ashleigh Johnson.Photo: Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
01of 12A’ja WilsonA’ja Wilson.Ned Dishman/NBAE via GettyBasketball superstar Wilson, 24, plays in the WNBA for the Las Vegas Aces and was a three-time SEC Player of the Year winner during her college career with the South Carolina Gamecocks. She’s even been honored with a statue on the campus. The athlete is outspoken on women’s issues and equality for women in sports and beyond. Off of the court, she’s a collector of jewelry like pearls, earrings, and necklaces, in honor of her grandmother and role model Hattie Rakes.
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A’ja Wilson
A’ja Wilson.Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty
Basketball superstar Wilson, 24, plays in the WNBA for the Las Vegas Aces and was a three-time SEC Player of the Year winner during her college career with the South Carolina Gamecocks. She’s even been honored with a statue on the campus. The athlete is outspoken on women’s issues and equality for women in sports and beyond. Off of the court, she’s a collector of jewelry like pearls, earrings, and necklaces, in honor of her grandmother and role model Hattie Rakes.
02of 12Simone BilesSimone Biles.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPCGymnast Bilesneeds no introduction — she’s won five Olympic medals already, and an impressive 19 gold medals from World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The first woman to win four straight U.S. all-around titles in over 40 years back in 2016, Biles has become the face of the sport. When she’s not making history on the beam, Biles is sharing sweet moments with her boyfriend Jonathan Owens on Instagram and hanging with her French bulldogs Lilo and Rambo.
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Simone Biles
Simone Biles.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
Gymnast Bilesneeds no introduction — she’s won five Olympic medals already, and an impressive 19 gold medals from World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The first woman to win four straight U.S. all-around titles in over 40 years back in 2016, Biles has become the face of the sport. When she’s not making history on the beam, Biles is sharing sweet moments with her boyfriend Jonathan Owens on Instagram and hanging with her French bulldogs Lilo and Rambo.
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Naya Tapper
Naya Tapper.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
04of 12Crystal DunnCourtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPCDunn, 28, has played with the U.S. Women’s National soccer team on-and-off since 2013 and helped the team win the 2019 Women’s World Cup. The soccer champion plays multiple positions for her current club, the North Carolina Courage. Dunn joined her national team teammates in pushing for pay equity,and previously told PEOPLE, “We feel like as athletes we don’t just kick a ball for a living. We’re human beings, we have feelings and we have a way that we want to live life.”
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Crystal Dunn
Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
Dunn, 28, has played with the U.S. Women’s National soccer team on-and-off since 2013 and helped the team win the 2019 Women’s World Cup. The soccer champion plays multiple positions for her current club, the North Carolina Courage. Dunn joined her national team teammates in pushing for pay equity,and previously told PEOPLE, “We feel like as athletes we don’t just kick a ball for a living. We’re human beings, we have feelings and we have a way that we want to live life.”
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Simone Manuel
Simone Manuel.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
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Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
07of 12Dalilah MuhammadDalilah Muhammad.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPCThirty-one-year-old track and field athlete Muhammad has twice set the world record in 400m hurtles, and won the gold medal for the event at the Rio Olympics back in 2016. With the win, she secured the United States' first-ever Olympic title in the event. The talented athlete spent years competing without a sponsor, even buying her own running clothes at discount retailers before breaking through at the 2013 World Athletics Championships.
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Dalilah Muhammad
Dalilah Muhammad.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
Thirty-one-year-old track and field athlete Muhammad has twice set the world record in 400m hurtles, and won the gold medal for the event at the Rio Olympics back in 2016. With the win, she secured the United States' first-ever Olympic title in the event. The talented athlete spent years competing without a sponsor, even buying her own running clothes at discount retailers before breaking through at the 2013 World Athletics Championships.
08of 12Kendra “Keni” HarrisonKendra Harrison.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPCHarrison is a hurdler who broke a 28-year-old world record in the 100m hurtles back in 2016. One of 11 children, Harrison was always a skilled athlete — playing soccer and competitive cheerleading before getting into track. Once told she was “too short” to hurdle, Harrison, 28, has continually proved the naysayers wrong.
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Kendra “Keni” Harrison
Kendra Harrison.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
Harrison is a hurdler who broke a 28-year-old world record in the 100m hurtles back in 2016. One of 11 children, Harrison was always a skilled athlete — playing soccer and competitive cheerleading before getting into track. Once told she was “too short” to hurdle, Harrison, 28, has continually proved the naysayers wrong.
09of 12Deja YoungDeja Young.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPCThe track & field Paralympic athlete, 24, is already a two-time gold medalist in the 100m and 200m events. Young was born with a brachial plexus injury that caused nerve damage and limited mobility to her right shoulder. She first started competing in high school and has been candid about struggling with her mental health and a previous suicide attempt. “What got me through was focusing on my love for athletics,“she previously toldthe International Paralympic Committee.
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Deja Young
Deja Young.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
The track & field Paralympic athlete, 24, is already a two-time gold medalist in the 100m and 200m events. Young was born with a brachial plexus injury that caused nerve damage and limited mobility to her right shoulder. She first started competing in high school and has been candid about struggling with her mental health and a previous suicide attempt. “What got me through was focusing on my love for athletics,“she previously toldthe International Paralympic Committee.
10of 12Ashleigh JohnsonAshleigh Johnson.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPCWater polo’s Johnson, 26, already has an Olympic gold medal under her belt from the 2016 Olympics. Before finding success professionally, Johnson played water polo at Princeton University. The athlete is the first African American woman to compete for the U.S. on the Olympic stage in water polo, andpreviously told PEOPLE, “It’s been a huge honor and responsibility for me to represent Black women in our sport, be an advocate for Black women in our sport and also drive to bring more people of color into our sport.”
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Ashleigh Johnson
Ashleigh Johnson.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
Water polo’s Johnson, 26, already has an Olympic gold medal under her belt from the 2016 Olympics. Before finding success professionally, Johnson played water polo at Princeton University. The athlete is the first African American woman to compete for the U.S. on the Olympic stage in water polo, andpreviously told PEOPLE, “It’s been a huge honor and responsibility for me to represent Black women in our sport, be an advocate for Black women in our sport and also drive to bring more people of color into our sport.”
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Nicky Nieves
Nicky Nieves.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
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Vashti Cunningham
Vashti Cunningham.Courtesy of NBC Olympics/USOPC
source: people.com
