Football frenzy (1999)
It was called the most famous sports bra in the world. Brandi Chastain scored the game-winning penalty for the United States to win the Fifa Women’s World Cup on home soil in 1999, but she became more famous for her celebration. Chastain took her shirt off and dropped to her knees, pumping her fists in triumph in front of 90,000 fans and a television audience of 40million. The photo went global and was called a pivotal moment for women’s sport. A bronze statue of the celebration now sits outside the Rosebowl to commemorate the moment.
Cathy Freeman races towards her 400m gold at the Sydney Olympics. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Cathy Freeman (2000)
If there is one athlete people remember from the Sydney Olympics, it is Cathy Freeman. The proud Aboriginal woman, in her full-length green and yellow suit, blasted her way around the track to be crowned the 400m champion on home soil. Freeman was just 16 when she became the first Indigenous Australian to win Commonwealth Games gold in 1990. She won four Commonwealth Games golds and two world titles.
Netting it (1998)
A new era of domestic netball began in New Zealand with the Coca-Cola Cup in 1998, and the South was at the forefront. The Otago Rebels dazzled with 22 straight victories, and won the inaugural competition, while the Southern Sting were the most successful team with seven titles. The league dissolved after 2007 to make way for the transtasman ANZ Championship, which ran from 2008 to 2016. Australia and New Zealand split for domestic netball again, leading New Zealand to the ANZ Premiership.
Lisa Carrington celebrates another gold at the Paris Olympics. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
GOAT in the boat (2009)
What else is there to say about New Zealand’s greatest Olympian? Kayaker Lisa Carrington signalled she could be something special when she won bronze at the world cup in 2009 in the K2 1000m and backed it up with a gold the following year. Since then, Carrington has become a phenomenon in the boat to become New Zealand’s greatest Olympian. Carrington’s tally reached nine golds and a bronze across four Games after Paris, and she became the first Kiwi woman to win three golds at a single Olympics. The three-time Halberg supreme award winner really has put the sport on the map.
Shot, Val (2006)
There was no stopping Valerie Adams when she was at her best. After the New Zealand thrower won world youth and junior titles in 2001 and 2002, she won silver at the Commonwealth Games at 17 in 2002 and broke the 20-year-old Commonwealth Games record with her throw of 19.66m to win gold in 2006. She went on to be a double Olympic champion — upgraded to gold in London after Nadzeya Astapchuk was stripped of the title for doping — a three-time Commonwealth Games champion, a four-time world champion and a four-time world indoor champion. She broke countless national and international records across her 22-year career. The three-time Halberg supreme award winner, who was named world athlete of the year in 2014, became the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission chairwoman in 2023.
Sister act (1999)
Serena and Venus Williams were quickly on another level when they entered professional tennis. Serena went on to win 23 grand slam singles titles, a record in the Open era, as well as 14 in doubles. Venus won seven grand slam singles titles and 14 in doubles. They also won five Olympic gold medals between them.
Hole in one (2015)
At 17, New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko became the youngest player to be ranked No 1 in professional golf. She won an LPGA Tour event at 15, and has since racked up 22 LPGA Tour wins. She won gold at the Paris Olympics, a victory that qualified her for the LPGA Hall of Fame — the youngest inductee at 27.
Hometown heroes (2000)
The White Ferns delivered an early Christmas present when they won the ODI World Cup on December 23, 2000 at Lincoln. The Kiwi women were again crowned world champions at the T20 World Cup earlier this year. Dunedin White Fern Suzie Bates became just the second woman to play 300 internationals and is the all time leading scorer — man or woman — in T20 internationals.
On track (2004)
Sarah Ulmer cycled to the top to win New Zealand’s first Olympic cycling gold in Athens, and set a world record, in the individual pursuit. Earlier that year she won the world championships. She also won two Commonwealth Games golds and a silver, and was named the world junior champion in 1994. She paved the way for Alison Shanks and Ellesse Andrews.
Violet Palmer referees an NBA game during the 2013 season. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Game changers (1996)
Picking up the whistle is a thankless task, but women are used to that. In 1997, Violet Palmer officiated her first NBA game, and she became the first woman to referee an NBA playoff game in 2006. She officiated 919 NBA games before retiring in 2016. Sarah Thomas was the first fulltime female official in the NFL and became the first woman to officiate in the Super Bowl in 2021. Kiwi Kim Cotton became the first female umpire to stand in a men’s T20 cricket international in Dunedin last year, and Hollie Davidson was the first woman to referee a men’s Six Nations clash in 2022 and refereed the Springboks test earlier this year.
Silver Ferns (2019)
Every thing was against the Silver Ferns ahead of the 2019 Netball World Cup. Having finished fourth at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, nobody gave them a chance to regain the pinnacle trophy. But a little bit of magic from the "fossils" and a sharp game plan resulted in the New Zealand’s first World Cup victory in 17 years. The 2003 World Cup victory and the Commonwealth Games gold in 2010 — in double overtime against Australia — are up there too.
Driver’s seat (2008)
Danica Patrick sped to success in 2008 when she became the first woman to win a major-league open-wheel race with her Indy Japan 300 victory. Three years earlier, the American driver stunned the crowd by leading 19 laps and securing fourth place in her first Indianapolis 500, becoming the first woman to lead laps and finish in the top five. After moving to the Nascar Cup series in 2013, Patrick became the first woman to earn a Nascar series pole position.
Gymnastics great (2016)
There is no-one quite like Simone Biles. The United States gymnast became a household name after her four Olympic golds in Rio and battled through the "twisties" in Tokyo to win silver and bronze before withdrawing. Determined to return, Biles won three golds, and a silver, at Paris this year in a redemption story. She is the most decorated gymnast, male or female, at the world championships, having won 30 medals since 2013.
Lucy Bronze celebrates winning the Euros with the Lionesses in 2022. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Roaring success (2022)
The sounds of Sweet Caroline rang out around England in the summer of 2022. The Lionesses — whose team song is the Neil Diamond classic — beat Germany 2-1 to win the Euros at home in front of a sold-out 87,192 home crowd at Wembley Stadium. It was a historic moment for not only women’s football, but English football, as the Lionesses won England’s first major title since the men won the 1966 World Cup. The Lionesses inspired young girls around England and put more eyes on the sport than ever before. Good times never seemed so good.
Queen of the slopes (2013)
Nobody skis the slopes like Mikaela Shiffrin. The American woman is considered one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time — and it is easy to see why. She is a double Olympic gold medallist, five-time overall world cup champion, four-time world slalom champion, and an eight-time slalom world cup champion. In 2014, Shiffrin became the youngest slalom gold medallist at 18 in Sochi. She is on the edge of even more greatness too, currently sitting on 99 world cup victories.
Swimming sensation (2012)
Katie Ledecky splashed on to the scene at 15 at the London Olympics and has dominated since. The United States swimmer has won won nine golds across four Olympics and an incredible 21 world championship titles, the most in history for a female swimmer. She broke countless records across the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle and is the most decorated US woman and female swimmer.
Football fanatics (2016)
Fatma Samoura was appointed as the first female Fifa secretary-general in 2016 and was named as the most powerful woman in international sport in 2018. In 2016, Kiwi Sarai Bareman was appointed Fifa’s first chief women’s football officer.
Numbers don’t lie (2023)
More eyes have been on women’s sport in the past few years than ever before. A college volleyball game between Nebraska and Omaha set a world record for the largest crowd — a whopping 92,000 — at a women’s sports event in 2023.
The Clark effect (2024)
Caitlin Clark was not even born when the WNBA was established in 1997. But there is no denying the impact the superstar point guard has had on the league in her debut season. Clark burst on to the basketball scene at college for the Iowa Hawkeyes where she finished as the NCAA Division I all time leading scorer and a two-time national player of the year. She was the first pick in the 2024 WNBA draft for the Indiana Fever — resulting in more eyes tuning in to the league, where she broke the rookie scoring record, set league records and became the first rookie to notch a triple double. She was named the rookie of the year and made the all-WNBA team. Arguably the highest-profile female athlete on the planet now.
Need for speed (2022)
Dunedin driver Emma Gilmour has always been a leading rally driver in New Zealand, but she clicked into another gear when she became McLaren’s first female driver in 2022. Gilmour raced in the Extreme E series in 2022 and 2023, and became the first female driver to reach the podium for McLaren — in any form of racing — when she finished second at the Uruguay round in 2022. She also finished third in Scotland last year.
Australian allies (2024)
You cannot fault the Australian men’s cricketers for their support of their female counterparts. Earlier this year, Australia again refused to tour Afghanistan, citing "a marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls". The Australian Cricketers’ Association also created a "fighting fund" to support Australian netballers during their CPA issues in 2023. Allies are more important than ever.
Paralympic pioneer (2008)
Sophie Pascoe won her first Paralympic gold in the pool at Beijing — and never slowed down. Pascoe is New Zealand’s most decorated Paralympian, winning 19 medals, including 11 golds, and five Commonwealth Games golds. She also has 27 world championship medals to her name, including 17 golds.
Leading voices (2007)
Raelene Castle and Kereyn Smith have been leading women in sport in New Zealand. Castle was chief executive of Netball New Zealand, chief executive of the Canterbury Bulldogs — the first female NRL boss — chief executive of Rugby Australia and is now the chief executive of Sport New Zealand. Smith spent 10 years as chief executive and secretary-general of the New Zealand Olympic Committee and was previously the New Zealand Academy of Sport (South Island) chief executive. She also served as the Commonwealth Games federation vice-president, on International Olympic Committee commissions and as the vice-president of World Netball and chairwoman of Netball New Zealand.
Giddy up (2015)
Australian jockey Michelle Payne rode into history when she became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup on Prince of Penzance in 2015. Payne has been open about horse racing being a male-dominated "chauvinistic sport", with some owners wanting to kick her off before the race — but she proved them wrong. "I just want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because women can do anything and we can beat the world," Payne said after her win.
Twinning (2004)
Georgia and Caroline Evers-Swindell won double Olympic golds in the double sculls in Athens and Beijing. It was the first successful defence of the double sculls title. They were also three-time double sculls world champions, named world female crew of the year in 2005 and became the first New Zealanders to win international rowing's highest award, the Thomas Keller Medal.
Rowdy Ronda (2012)
Ronda Rousey was unstoppable in her prime. The MMA fighter was the first female to sign with the UFC in 2012 and was the inaugural bantamweight champion. She won six title defences and at her prime in 2015, she was one of the top-paid fighters in the UFC. After retiring in 2016, Rousey joined professional wrestling, and she is the only woman in both the UFC and WWE to headline pay-per-view fights. She previously became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo when she won bronze in 2008.
Olympics (2012)
The London Olympics were the first time women could compete in every sport at the Games, including boxing.
Calling the shots (2020)
San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon became the first woman to coach in the NBA in 2020, when head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected from the game. Popovich turned to Hammon and said "you’ve got them", putting his trust in her to do the job. Jessica Campbell became the first fulltime assistant coach in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken, and San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers become the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl. At the start of 2024, there were 15 fulltime women coaches in the NFL. In 2023, the MLB had 43 women coaching, and there are five female assistants in the NBA.
Like never before (2022)
The Black Ferns captured New Zealand’s hearts when they beat England 34-31 at a sold-out Eden Park to win their sixth, and first on home soil, World Cup in 2022. It transformed the public’s perception of women’s rugby, and with Super Rugby Aupiki starting the year before, it has been a new dawn for rugby.
X factor (1996)
Skateboarding has only gained global attention after being added to the Olympics. But Brazilian Fabiola da Silva was breaking barriers long before that. She was the inline skate world champion at 18 and is the most decorated female in X-Games history, having won the competition seven times. She became the first woman to land the double backflip on a vert ramp in 2005 and is the only woman to compete against men in any X-Games. Her dominance led the aggressive skaters association to introduce the "Fabiola Rule" in 2000 to allow women to compete in the previously all-male vert competition — which she placed in the top 10 several times against men. "I just think different. If I see a guy doing it, I think it's possible for a woman to do it also. Why not?"
