5 More women athletes who inspire!

5 More women athletes who inspire!

Pushing yourself beyond what you think is possible means believing that you can achieve your goals. It means having the strength of character, motivation and determination to succeed. How you think is as important as what you do when it comes to women changing their lifestyles and keeping fit. If you want to make a difference in your life then what you need is some inspiration from other women who are breaking new ground in the world of athletic ability and sporting success.

There are so many exciting achievements in the world of female sporting stars. What their success reveals is the power of striving for a goal and believing in yourself. Behind every story of these womens’ sporting accomplishments is a tale of support, confidence and commitment. Who wouldn’t feel inspired?

Lisa Leslie

At 6′ 5″ Lisa Leslie was destined to play basketball but the now-retired WNBS pro has definitely slam dunked it for women in the US and beyond to show-off their on-court skills. She is the first player to score 6,000 points and is a pioneer in her sport who now co-owns her former team, the Los Angeles Sparks. Lisa has won Olympic gold four times and been honored with the WNBA Most Valued Player accolade three times. The first woman to dunk a ball in a WNBA game, Lisa is now a pro sports commentator and mentors young people in the sport through the Lisa Leslie Basketball & Leadership Academy.

Alicia Coutts

Once Australian Alicia gets in the water there’s no stopping her. The multi-medal winning swimmer scooped five medals at the 2012 Olympics in London and five medals at the 2013 World Championships. At the 2013 Olympics she picked up a gold for the 4x100m freestyle relay as the team set a new Olympic record. In recent years Alicia has won 21 medals for Australia in major championships.Her first swimming competition was at the age of seven, on the day her father passed away. She won the race in memory of her him and has swam onwards, winning five golds at the 2010 Commonwealth Games..

Dara Torres

At 40, just over a year after giving birth to her first child, US swimmer Dara Torres won the 100m freestyle at the US Nationals, taking home gold. Since then she’s swam away with three silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she became the oldest swimmer on the US Olympic team ever. Dara has an impressive career, with 12 Olympic gold medals, and is the only swimmer from the US to compete in five Olympic Games. She has inspired many athletes to not let age stand in the way of success. Her memoir, Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams At Any Stage in Your Life, became one of the top books for the year and her second book is a New York Times Bestseller.

Larisa Latynina

Although a long-time retired, Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina will go down in Olympic history. Her record for individual event Olympic medals has been unsurpassed for 50 years, with 14 awards, including six gold medals, five silver, and three bronze. Larisa competed during the 50s and 60s and was a trailblazer in gymnastics and an inspiration for many women who followed in her footsteps. She has a total of 18 Olympic wins which has only just been overtaken by US swimmer Michael Phelps who has 22.

Norma Bastidas

In 2013 Canadian athlete Norma Bastidas is making history by recently becoming a Guinness World Record holder for the longest triathlon. Not only that but as she shows what the determination of the human spirit can achieve, she also doubled the world’s longest triathlon record whilst raising awareness about human trafficking. Norma swam 95 miles in March 2014 in the Caribbean, before crossing the US-Mexico on her 735 mile run, with a 2932 mile cycling feat accomplished too. What inspires even more, is that Norma was herself a victim of a kidnapping for slavery. Before setting this outstanding record Norma climbed the world’s seven highest peaks, across seven continents. Once again her efforts were charitable as she raised funds for research into a cure for genetic blindness.