These Are the First Women to Win Olympic Medals in Each Sport

Women have been competing in the Olympic Games since 1990 when 22 women competed in the newly added women’s tennis, sailing, croquet, equestrian and golf categories. The first woman to ever win a gold medal at the Olympics was Hélène de Pourtalès, who was a Swiss sailor on the boat Lérina, which won the gold medal in the first race of the 1-2 ton class. Since then, U.S. women have won gold medals in 33 sports. In 2016, the U.S. Olympic team was made up of 294 women and 264 men, and American women have won gold medals in 33 sports. We take a look back at some of the trailing-blazing American women who won the first gold medal for the U.S. in each sport.

Alpine Skiing: Gretchen Fraser (1948)

Gretchen Fraser displays the two medals she won in Olympic skiing events. One medal was for placing 2nd in the alpine combined downhill, and the other was the 1st prize in the special Woman’s slalom. Fraser became the first American ever to win an individual skiing championship in the history of the Olympic games.

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Basketball (1984)

The US Olympic women’s basketball team celebrates their victory over Korea and their gold medal by carrying their coach. (Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

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Beach Volleyball: Misty May and Kerri Walsh (2004)

Team USA’s Misty May leaps into the arms of her partner Kerri Walsh after defeating the other Team USA of Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs for the rights to advance to the Gold Medal game at the Faliro Costal Zone Olympic Complex Monday 8/23 at the Athens 2004 Olympics. They went on to win the gold medal in beach volleyball in 2004, 2008, and 2012. (Photo by Kirk Mckoy/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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Bobsled: Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers (2002)

USA’s 2 brakewoman Vonetta Flowers and pilot Jill Bakken push off at the start of the race on their way to the gold medal (Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty Images)

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Boxing: Claressa Shields (2012)

Claressa Shields of the USA celebrates defeating Nadezda Torlopova of Russia to win gold during the women’s boxing Middleweight final of the 2012 London Olympic Games at the ExCel Arena August 9, 2012, in London. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/GettyImages)

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Diving: Aileen Riggin (1920)

At only 14-years-old, Aileen Riggin traveled to Antwerp for the 1920 Olympic Games and competed in the Olympic debut of women’s 3-meter springboard. Not only did she lead an American podium sweep in the event but she became the youngest American to ever win Olympic gold. She went on to compete at the Paris 1924 Olympic Games and became the only woman to win medals in both diving and swimming, earning silver in the 3-meter springboard and bronze in the 100-meter backstroke.

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Fencing: Mariel Zagunis (2004)

Mariel Zagunis of the United States defeats Xue Tan of China for the gold medal in the Women’s Individual Sabre Finals Gold Medal Match during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in Helliniko Fencing Hall in Athens, Greece, August 17, 2004. She wasn’t even supposed to be on the team, but was added when another fencer dropped out. She has since become the most decorated athlete in U.S. fencing history by defending her Olympic title in 2008 and winning five world championships. She won bronze medals in the 2008 and 2016 Olympics. (Allen Kee/Getty Images)

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Figure Skating: Tenley Albright (1956)

Tenley Albright won the Olympic silver medal in 1952 after only six years of skating. She went on to win five consecutive national championships from 1952-56 and won two world titles in 1953 and 1955. Despite an ankle injury, she went on to win gold at the 1956 Olympic Winter Games.

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Gymnastics: Mary Lou Retton (1984)

Before 1984 no male or female from the U.S. had ever won Olympic gold in gymnastics. But Retton took gold in the individual all-around after earning a perfect 10 on vault. She went on to win four additional medals and was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997. (ABC via Getty Images)

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Long Track Speedskating: Dianne Holum (1972)

Dianne Holum competed at the Grenoble 1968 Olympic Winter Games as a 16-year-old. There, she won silver in the 500-meter and bronze in the 1,000-meter. She went back to the Games in Sapporo in 1972 and claimed gold in the 1,500-meter, setting an Olympic record in the process, before earning another silver in the 3,000-meter. That same year, she won the 1,000-meter at the world sprint championships and earned silver overall. She later became a coach, and coached Eric Heiden, who would go on to win five Olympic gold medals of his own. (Getty Images)

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Rowing: Coxed Eight (1984)

In 1984, on the first day of rowing finals at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, Romanian crews won five straight women’s events. But then the U.S. women’s eight came from behind in the final race of the day and defeated the Romanians by a second. They secured the first Olympic gold medal for women’s rowers. It was the only one they got for 20 years, until the women’s eight crews won golds in 2008. 2012, and 2016. (Getty Images)

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