Cathy Freeman during the 400m race at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Cathy Freeman 2000 Olympics by Ian is licensed under the CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed.

As a woman, I love hearing about the accomplishments of my fellow gals. We as women have come such a long way and have so much to show for it. With March being International Women’s Month, I saw it fitting to write an article about all the amazing accomplishments and odds defied by women in modern sports.

1. Women in Paris

In 1900, a group of 22 women made history by becoming the first in history to compete in the Olympic games. Up until then, the Olympics was a male-dominated function. However, for the first time in Olympic history, these phenomenal women showed up and showed out.

1. Medals for days

On May 22, 1900, a woman named Helene de Pourtales became the first woman to win an Olympic medal. She was a part of her Swiss-American team, who also won the first of two 1-2 ton class regattas that would later take place in the 1900 Paris games.

1. Golden hour

The 1900 Paris games was a huge accomplishment for women. Namely, Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain became the first individual female Olympian and champion in history to win gold at the games, resulting from her tennis match prior. 

1. Alice Coachman

Alice Coachman was the first black woman in history to win gold at the Olympics. Growing up, she did not have the same training resources as her white counterparts, as she lived in the segregated southern US state of Georgia. So, to build her stamina, Alice trained barefoot on dirt roads and made herself jump high crossbar from rope and sticks. She won the US national title 10 times in a row- which is still a record to this day.

1. Running the race

Until 1984, women’s marathons were not an Olympic event. However, once they appeared at the Olympics, Joan Benoit Samuelson of the US, just 17 days after knee surgery, showed up and showed out, becoming the first ever female Olympic marathon champion.

1. A perfect 10

In the 1976 Montreal Olympic games, Romania’s Nadia Comaneci stunned the world with her uneven bars routine that was nearly perfect. The judges awarded Comaneci with a score of a perfect 10- an unbeatable score. Comaneci went on to repeat her perfect score five more times during the Olympic games, scoring gold medals three times in the all-around uneven bars and balance beams.

1. Individual gold medal

In the 1992 Olympic games, Cathy Freeman made history. She became the first Aboriginal Australian to compete at an Olympic games. However, in the 2000 Sydney games, she became the first ever Aboriginal Australian to win individual Olympic gold, making history twice within a span of eight years.