As it is international women’s day, I’m going to take you through who I believe are the biggest names in British women’s sport.
Johanna Konta:
Tennis is sport where we seem to be hit and miss. We will have a good run and then slip up, but Johanna Konta has been on a roll. Her results in Grand Slams have been improving especially last year when she made it to the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time. It was also the first time British women had reached that stage for 33 years, which in itself is an achievement. She was also ranked inside the top ten in the WTA world rankings.
Since her rise, Konta has struggled with form being knocked out of Grand Slams in the early stages. However, her form in the WTA tour games is better. This has affected her ranking meaning that she is now outside the top ten players. In order to try and get back into the top ten, Konta is playing three warm-up events before Wimbledon this year so that she is as prepared as she can be. Hopefully this can help her rise back up the rankings.
Laura Kenny:
Track cycling is a very demanding sport. Laura Kenny it one of Britain’s brightest Olympic stars, capturing the hearts of the nation as she collected two gold medals in the 2012 London Olympics and also in Rio 2016. British cycling has always been strong, but Kenny’s inclusion has bolstered GB’s medal credentials.
Since the Rio Olympics two years ago, Kenny has since given birth to a son, Albie, in August. Just six months later, she returned to the track alongside her husband, Jason Kenny, when they traveled to the Netherlands to compete in the World Championships. Laura herself helped her team win a silver medal in the team pursuit event. Not a bad return to the sport.
Claudia Fragapane:
This gymnast really came to the nation’s attention when she won four gold medals during the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow. She won the all-round, floor and vault individual events and won the team event with Team England. Since then she has been a ever present member of Team GB through the years, representing at the European Championships, World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Claudia has been very successful at these events helping GB to World and European medals in the team events. Though GB didn’t win a medal at the Olympics in Rio, it was a very good effort from the women and Claudia was heavily involved in all of it. She was also chosen to be part of Team England at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia. However, when Fragapane was training she tore her Achilles tendon ruling her out of the games.
Fara Williams:
England’s most capped player Fara Williams has had a rough life. When she started her footballing career, she was homeless. Then she was offered a coaching role at the FA to help her earn more money and get off the streets.
Williams has played for Chelsea, Charlton, Everton, Liverpool and Arsenal in the top division of the Super League. She is currently playing for Reading women. Her international career started in 2001 aged 17 against Portugal. During her time as an international player, she has racked up 167 caps, 40 coming from the bench.
She has played in four European Championships and in three Wold Cups. At the last World Cup in 2015, Williams and England made it to the semi-finals which was a phenomenal achievement.
Lizzy Yarnold:
Not many athletes competing at the Winter Olympics can retain their title. This means that Lizzie Yarnold is in a very select group of Athletes who have achieved this. Skeleton looks like a scary winter sport. Flying down a slope of sledge on your front, head first. Terrifying. Just the fact anyone would take part in this sport is scary, but I guess its not for the faint of heart.
She is the most successful British Winter Olympian of all time and is also the most successful Skeleton athlete from any nation.
Lizzy Yarnold originally started out as a heptathlete having watched Denise Lewis in the 2000 Syndey Olympics. in 2008, Yarnold took part in the Girls4Gold scheme which identified skeleton being a good fit for her.
From then she raced and won eight medals between 2013 and 2018. She was also awarded a MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to sport.
Sarah Storey:
She is possibly one of the most versatile Paralympians of all time. Her range if events is incredible and the amount of medals she has won has made her one of the most successful British Paralympians.
She started her career as a swimmer representing GB at the Paralympic Games in 1992. She won two golds, three silvers and one bronze in that games alone. For the next three Paralympics, she continued to swim before changing to cycling in 2005. In all she won 16 medals in swimming.
In her first Paralympic Games as a cyclist, she won gold in the individual pursuit in a time that would have been in the top eight of the able-bodied race. At London 2012 and Rio 2016 she won two golds on the road in the time trial and the road race. Overall she has won five cycling medals, all of them gold.
Anya Shurbsole:
Women’s cricket has grown so much recently and this is due to winning big events such as a World Cup. Last year, England’s women beat India to win the World Cup on home soil. Player of the Match on this occasion was Anya Shurbsole. She changed the game, taking six wickets when India looked as if they would stroll to victory. Her performance in this game was rewarded as she was given an MBE for services to sport.
She started playing cricket at a very young age and played through the age groups at Somerset. At the mere age of 12, she made her first team debut for Somerset opening the bowling. Since then, she has featured Somerset in all competitions earning her international recognition.
Since she first played for England, she has become a regular in the side becoming an important player for England.
