-
First Woman to Win Olympic Gold Medal
Charlotte Cooper was born September 22, 1870, in England. She was a tennis player for most of her life. She was the first woman to ever win the tennis singles in the summer olympics in Paris in 1900. This years was actually the first year where women were allowed to participate in the olympics. Ms. Cooper stayed very active well into her 50s. -
Women Banned from 800M Events
Woman were allowed to compete in the summer olympics for the first time in 1928. Woman sports advocates suffered a major setback during this time. After the 800 meter run, several woman collasped after completing the race , because they were exhausted. Although all the women completed the race, male officials thought the 800 meter was too much for the women; therefore, women were not allowed to run races over 200 meters until 1960 -
Video of Women in Sports History
-
Kathryn Johnston and the King's Dairy
Kathryn Jonhston was the first girl to play in the little leages baseball. Kathryn was only twelve at the time. Because there were not any rules against girls playing little league baseball, Johnston was able to try out for the little leagues. She cut her hair short and called herself Tubby to disguise herself as a boy. Tubby became a part of the King's Dairy team as a first baseman. Two weeks later, Kathryn told the truth about her gender; however, her coach allowed her to stay on the team. -
Title IX
Title IX is a portion of the Education Amendments of 1972. It states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. After the amendment was passed, many women were allowed to play sports; however, there was a limitation placed on the things they played and the types of uniforms they wore. -
Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan Conflict
On Jaunuary 6, 1994, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked while training for the U.S. figure skating championships. Her injury was so severe that she had to drop out of the competition, leaving Tonya Harding to win the championship. Soon after the competition, there were rumors cirrculating that Tonya had something to do with the attack. It was later announced that Tonya's husband Jeff Gillooly and bodyguard hired a man to attack Kerrigan to prevent her from competing. -
Kerri Strug's 1996 Olympics
At the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, Kerri Strug was her teams' last hope. Strug sparined her ankle after her first vault which ended with a handspring and twisting dismount, as she slipped during her landing and fell. Limping off the floor, no one knew if she would be able to attempt her second vault. With a sprained ankle, Kerri attempted the vaulst a second time, performing perfectly and ending with a score of 9.712, putting her in first place. Strug was carried up to receive her gold medal. -
Establishment of the WNBA
On April 24, 1997 the WNBA was established. The first season started in June 1997. WNBA games were sscheduled in the summer because it was believed that it would not be viewed during regular NBA or NCAA games. The fist WNBA teams were the New York Liberty, Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers Houston Comets, Phoenix Mercury, Los Angelos Sparks, Utah Starzz, and the Sacramento Monarchs.Since the first WNBA season the number of teams have doubled from eight to sixteen. -
Marion Jones Wins it All
Marion Jones was the first woman to win five medals in track events in the same olympic games. She won the 100 and 200 meter events. She also earned gold as a part of the 4x400 meter relay team. She took home two more bronze medals in the long jump and the 4x100 meter relay. Marion finished the year ranked at number one in the world in the the 100 and 200 meter events. -
Marion Jones Stripped of Medals
After breaking the record and becoming the first woman to win five medals in track events in the same olympic games, and being declared the fastest woman alive, there were accusations that Marion Jones had been taking drugs to enhance her performance during the 2000 olympics. Marion denied all accusations until October 5, 2007. Marion Made a statement stating that she had indeed taken steriods. Jones was stripped of her medals and sentenced to six months in jail for lying under oath. -
First Woman to Win Indy 300
Danica Patrick was the first woman to win the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Montegi in Montegi, Japan. Danica finished 5.8594 seconds before Helio Castroneves, who was the former winner, on the 1.5 mile oval track. Patrick was as low as eighth placeon the 189th lap and still placed first as her competitors were forced to take a pit stop for fuel on the final laps. Patrick, however, made her final pit stop on lap 48. In an interview, Danica stated that the cause of her win was a fuel strategy.
