We love seeing girls in sports. While girls still play sports in lower numbers than boys, they don't do it with any less passion. In fact, that's one of the reasons it's so much fun (and so inspiring) to watch girls play, and play hard — because they do it with heart.
There are so many incredible girl athletes out there. From soccer players who are crushing it on the field to skater girls tearing it up on the ramp, there is no shortage of athletic awesomeness when it comes to rising female sports stars. But some girls crush their sports so hard they end up totally changing the game.
Here are eight incredible girls who are redefining the sports they play.
1. Sky Brown
If you know anything about skateboarding at all, then you likely know the name Sky Brown. The youngster is just 13 years old and already an Olympic medalist and an X Games gold medalist. It was actually her dream to compete in the X Games, and she's already accomplished that. Sky has actually been a professional skater since the ripe old age of 9, so there's no telling what she will do next.
2. Isabela Moreno
Isabela Moreno was just 9 when she decided she was going to be a future professional soccer player. Her coaches say she's absolutely good enough, too. She has been playing with kids older than her for years, but she actually started playing soccer when she was just 4. Isabela is embracing a special kind of training that is almost like dancing on the field! It helps her coordination and might just make her the future of the sport.
3. Caroline Marks
Caroline Marks is a surfing phenom. She was the youngest female ever to participate in World Surf League competition. She was also the youngest surfer to qualify for the women’s Championship Tour.
Caroline has won the Surfing America championship six times! And at just 17, she was named the Rookie of the Year for killer surfing style.
4. Cori Gauff
Cori "Coco" Gauff isn't just known in the tennis world. She's known all over the entire world. The tennis superstar won her first Women's Tennis Association singles title at the 2019 Linz Open at just 15 years old. With that, she became the youngest American woman to win a singles title since 1991.
Then Coco totally rocked the sport of tennis when she beat her idol, Venus Williams, at the opening round of Wimbledon in 2019. Coco has so much more to accomplish in her career, but she's already become the youngest female to win a Grand Slam qualifying match in the French Open.
5. Avery Zweig
Avery Zweig is too young to drive, but she's already a golf prodigy. By 11, she had already qualified for the US Women's Amateur, and by 12, she was a world champion. She's currently ranked No. 1 in the world in the class of 2025, and she's only 14.
6. Katie Grimes
Katie Grimes might just be the "future" of swimming. At least that's what well-known American swimmer Katie Ledecky called her.
Katie Grimes made the 2020 Olympic swimming team at age 15. In her first ever Olympic swim, the teen finished second in her 800-meter freestyle, just two seconds behind Ledecky. She's one of the youngest female swimmers making waves right now, but she still has so much further to go!
7. Hongchan Quan
Age is really just a number when it comes to athletes. If anyone has proved that lately, it's 14-year-old Hongchan Quan. The Chinese diver turned heads at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which took place in 2021) when she won a gold medal in women’s 10-meter platform. The star diver received two perfect 10s for her second and fourth dives. At just 14, there's no telling what she will do next.
8. Hend Zaza
She might not have taken home a medal for table tennis in the Tokyo Games, but Hend Zaza is still a wonder to behold! The 12-year-old was the youngest Olympian to compete in Tokyo, making her one to watch. She competed against a 39-year-old veteran player and lost.
“I was hoping for a winning match and for better play, but it’s a tough opponent so it’s a good lesson for me, especially with the first Olympics,” she told The New York Times. “I will work on it to get a better result next time, hopefully.”
Her mere presence at the Games was truly incredible. We can't wait to watch her compete again and again.
