The 9 Biggest Female Athletes to Watch at the Summer Olympics

With the Summer Olympics in full swing, there are many eyes on the Olympians who are competing this year. Fans of the Olympics might be wondering who the biggest female athletes to watch in the Summer Olympics are.

The Summer and Winter Olympics have alternated every two years since 1994. Before the 1990s, the Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same year but the International Olympic Committee ultimately decided the logistics and cost made it difficult to continue this tradition.

Especially when it comes to female athletes, it’s incredible to watch their athletic careers and see them compete in the Olympics. Women participating in the Olympics is not new but even when women started competing, they didn’t have as many events as the male athletes. The first modern Olympic event to feature female athletes was the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. However, out of the 997 athletes, only 22 were women.

Over the years, the number of Olympic events for women has continued to increase as well as the number of female athletes competing. In the first Winter Olympic event, the only female athletes were figure skaters. Today, there’s a women’s event for nearly every Olympic sport. (After this article, check out the Athletes with the Most Medals Ever From the Summer Olympics.)

To create a list of the biggest female athletes to watch during this year’s Summer Olympics, 24/7 Tempo consulted several sources such as Olympics.com and NBC Sports. Here are 9 female Olympians to look out for this summer.

Simone Biles

Team: United States
Sport: Gymnastics

There's no doubt Simone Biles, often known as the GOAT, is one of the female athletes to look out for at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She first competed in the Olympics at the Rio 2016 games and took home four gold medals and one bronze medal.

Despite her enormous talent, Biles struggled at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with the twisties, a mental block that can happen to gymnasts. Biles took some time off after the 2020 Olympics but she's returning to the Olympics this year ready to reach for the gold. Overall, Biles has won more medals than any other professional gymnast.

Sha'carri Richardson

Team: United States
Sport: Athletics

Athlete Sha'carri Richardson is making her Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics this month. Originally from Dallas, TX, Richardson was first discovered in high school for her speed, which led to her competing in the AAU Junior Olympics.

In the competitions she has competed in so far, she's broken two world records for her speed in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprint. With her remarkable talent and unique style, Richardson is one of the female athletes to watch this year at the Summer Olympics.

Clarisse Agbegnenou

Team: France
Sport: Judo

Clarisse Agbegnenou first competed in the Olympics during the Rio 2016 games. During her first Olympic event, she brought home the silver medal in the Half-Middleweight event. When Agbegnenou returned during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, she won two gold medals in the Mixed Team and Women's -63kg events.

This impressive athlete has been involved in judo since she was nine years old but has been beating the odds since she was born. Agbegnenou was born two months premature and had to fight for her life, even ending up in a coma. Her story goes to show that anything is possible.

Sun Yingsha

Team: People's Republic of China
Sport: Table Tennis

Sun Yingsha's first Olympic event was the Tokyo 2020 Games where she took home a silver medal in the Women's Singles Table Tennis event and a gold medal in the Women's Team event.

A member of the People's Republic of China team has won the Women's Singles event for table tennis every year and Yingsha may win the gold medal this time around. If she ends up winning at each event, she will be the first to win three gold medals for table tennis at one Olympic Event.

Rayssa Leal

Team: Brazil
Sport: Skateboarding

Rayssa Leal impressed the world at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics when she competed for the first time. Not only is she a talented skateboarder but when she competed at the 2020 Games, Leal was only 13 years old.

Leal is returning to compete again in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and is one of the female athletes to look out for. In 2020, Leal brought home the silver medal in the Women's Street Event, making her one of the youngest Olympic medalists of all time.

Rebeca Andrade

Team: Brazil
Sport: Gymnastics

Rebeca Andrade is an Olympic gymnast who hasn't let any obstacles hold her back. Even though she has suffered several ACL injuries, she still continued to push herself in the World Championship.

Andrade competed in the Olympics for the first time during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games but won her first gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She ended up winning the silver medal in the Women's All-Around and the gold medal in the Women's Vault Event. Andrade is expected to be Simone Biles' biggest competition at the Paris 2024 Games.

Ariarne Titmus

Team: Australia
Sport: Swimming

Ariarne Titmus is an Australian swimmer who made her first Olympic appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. During her debut, she took home a bronze medal in the Women's 4×200 meter Freestyle Relay as well as two gold medals in the Women's 200 meter Freestyle and the Women's 400 meter Freestyle Event.

One of her competitors, Katie Ledecky, was undefeated in the Women's 400-meter Freestyle Event at the World Championships until Titmus took the gold. Titmus ended up beating Ledecky again at the Olympics in the Women's 400-meter Freestyle.

Anna Hall

Team: United States
Sport: Athletics

Anna Hall has overcome a lot to make the Olympic Track and Field team. Only six months before she qualified for the team, Hall had major knee surgery, but that didn't stop her from winning the heptathlon to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.

In Paris this month, Hall will make her Olympic debut. At the 2021 Olympic Trials, Hall broke her foot and had to go through an extensive recovery period. Now she's one of the female athletes to watch at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Team: United States
Sport: Athletics

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is no stranger to winning gold after bringing home two gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. McLaughlin-Levrone won gold during the Women's 4×400-meter Relay and the Women's 400-meter Hurdles.

McLaughlin-Levrone competed in the Rio 2016 Olympics when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest track and field Olympian in over 40 years. Even though she didn't win a medal at her first Olympic Event, her potential was evident, especially after her wins at the 2020 Olympics. (Next, don't miss The 9 Youngest Olympic Gold Medalists in History.)