THE 8th of March every year marks International Women’s Day, which is a day that highlights inequalities in our society whilst also celebrating women.
In 2023, women’s sport hit an all time high on viewership numbers with 46.7 million viewing 1+ minutes of it on TV.
This makes 2024’s rendition of International Women’s day the perfect time to appreciate and talk about some of the icons currently performing at the top levels of women’s sport.
Aitana Bonmatí
Aitana Bonmatí is one of Spanish football’s best players and their fourth Ballon d’Or winner joining Alfredo Di Stéfano, Luis Suárez and her Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas.
The current best women’s football player in the world won her Ballon d’Or at 25 and also won the FIFA Best award in the same year.
She helped her national side win the World Cup in 2023 in which she was awarded the Golden Ball for the best player at the tournament, after her dominant midfield displays.
Her Spanish side beat England in the final of the World Cup, leading to our next entry on this list, the woman who won the golden glove but represented the Lionesses at that tournament.
Mary Earps
Mary Earps is the number one female goalkeeper in the world right now and currently plays for Manchester United.
Last year she won both the WSL and World Cup Golden Gloves and as a result helped England on their journey to the women’s World Cup final.
The Sports Personality of the Year award was also awarded to her in 2023 so it was a busy year for the shot stopper.
She was successful in Euro 2022 in England as the Lionesses won it and she was also placed in the team of the tournament after some outstanding performances.
She celebrated turning 31 yesterday and she will go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time being the only keeper to lift a major international trophy for England since Gordon Banks.
Simone Biles
Simone Biles’ list of honors is endless as she has 29 gold medals in various Gymnastics championships and she is widely considered to be one of the greatest gymnasts of all time.
Four of her Gold medals came in the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro in 2016 where she won the team, all around, vault and floor categories.
At the world championships in 2023, she was the only gymnast to qualify for all of the individual event finals and also helped the US to earn their seventh consecutive team gold medal.
Biles isn’t just one of the best gymnasts in the world, but she is one of the best athletes in the world as not many have resumes quite like hers.
The Texas born artistic gymnast is one of the most complete athletes of all time as she is extremely strong in all areas of her sport.
Fallon Sherrock
Fallon Sherrock MBE is one of the best players to ever step foot on the Ally Pally stage, becoming the first woman to beat a man at the PDC World Darts Championships.
Her achievements in the 2019/20 world championships helped her earn the status of MBE (member of the order of the British Empire) in 2023.
She earned the MBE for her services to the sport of darts receiving it from the Prince of Wales.
In 2023, she also became the first woman to hit a televised perfect leg of darts in the World Grand Prix at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
Rebecca Welch
Rebecca Welch isn’t an athlete, but regardless has made a huge impact on football as a whole.
She is a referee, who this year became the first woman to referee a mens Premier League match between Fulham and Burnley.
She has been a FIFA listed referee since 2015 and has taken charge of the 2017 and 2020 women’s FA cup finals.
She has led the way for female officiating in sport and just today, it has been announced that she will be inducted into the National Football Museum’s hall of fame.
These are just five of the many women that are at the top of their sports at the moment and they just keep getting better.
