Leading Ladies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Helen Wills Moody (USA)

Helen Wills Moody (1905-1998) was an American tennis player who won a total of 31 Grand Slam titles from 1922-1938. This total included 19 singles titles (8 x Wimbledon, 7 x USA and 4 x French). On top of this she won two gold medals (singles and doubles) at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games.

Billie Jean King (USA) played from 1968-1983; she won 39 Grand Slam titles including 12 singles (6 x Wimbledon, 4 x US and one each in Australia and France). Margaret Court (Australia) played from 1960-1977; she won 64 Grand Slam titles including 24 singles titles (11 x Australian Open, 3 x Wimbledon and 5 each in the USA and French Opens). Suzanne Lenglen (1899-1938) was a French tennis player who won 21 Grand Slam titles from 1914-1926. She won the Wimbledon Singles Championship 6 times.

Answer: Larisa Latynina (USSR)

Larisa Latynina (b. 1934) was a gymnast from the USSR who, from the three Olympics 1956-1960-1964, won nine gold medals, five silver and four bronze. She also won nine World Championship gold medals.

Vera Caslavska (1942-2016) was a Czechoslovak gymnast who won seven Olympic and four World Championship gold medals from 1962-1968. Nadia Comaneci is a retired Romanian artistic gymnast and was the first person to receive an "perfect score" of 10.0 at an Olympic gymnastics event. At the two Olympics of 1976 and 1980 she recorded nine perfect scores which helped her to a total of five gold medals. Agnes Keleti (b. 1921) is a former Hungarian-Israeli gymnast who won a total of five gold medals at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics.

Answer: Michelle Payne

Michelle Payne created history in Melbourne as a 30 year old female jockey when she rode Prince of Penzance to victory in the Melbourne Cup in 2015. Prince of Penzance was a 100/1 outsider and, by the way, Michelle wore green, white and purple, the colours of the suffragette movement.

Julie Krone became the first female jockey to ride the winner of a Triple Crown race in the USA being the Belmont Stakes in 1993 on Colonial Affair. Anna Lee Aldred (1921-2006) was the first female in the USA to receive a jockey license in 1939. Robyn Smith was the first female to win a stakes race in the USA. She appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" on September 30, 1972 and in 1980 she married actor, Fred Astaire.

Answer: Gertrude Ederle (USA)

Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003) was an American swimmer who won a gold medal in the 4 x 100m frestyle relay at the 1924 Paris Olympics. However, it was her achievement on 6th August 1926 that is best remembered; when she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

Dawn Fraser is a former Australian swimmer who became the first Olympic swimmer to achieve gold in the same event at three consecutive Olympics. She won gold in the 100m freestyle in Melbourne (1956), Rome (1960) and Tokyo (1964). Ethelda Bleibtrey (1902-1978) was the first American female to win an Olympic swimming gold medal. She actually won three gold medals at the 1920 Antwerp games. Claudia Kolb is a former American swimmer who was the first female awarded "World Swimmer of the Year" (1966). She also won two gold medals at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. During her career she set 23 world records.

Answer: Irena Szewinska (POL)

Irena Szewinska(1946-2018) was a Polish sprinter and was the first female or male to hold world records at those three distances. She broke the world records for 100m (1968) and 200m (1965, 1968 and 1974) and broke the 400m world mark in 1974. She also won three Olympic gold medals over three Olympic (1964, 1968 and 1976).

Allyson Felix is an American athlete and has won six Olympic gold medals at three Olympic games (2008, 2012 and 2018). Five of those gold medals have been in relay teams of 4 x 100m and 4x 400m. She has never broken an individual World record. Betty Cuthbert (1938-2017) was an Australian athlete who won Olympic gold medals at 100m, 200m, 400m and 4 x 100m. She is the only athlete, male or female to have won Olympic gold at 100m, 200m and 400m. She broke numerous world records but the only metric world record she broke was 200m, the others were in the old yards measurement. Fanny Blankers-Keon (1918-2004) was a Dutch athlete who won four gold medals at the 1948 London Olympics (100m, 200m, 4 x 100m and 80m hurdles). Although a multiple gold medalist, Fanny only broke the world record for 100m in 1943 and 1948.

Answer: Marit Bjørgen (NOR)

Marit Bjørgen is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. She competed in five Winter Olympics for a total of fifteen medals. Her total medal count in Olympics and World Championships is 41 medals (26 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze).

Ireen Wüst is a Dutch speed skater who has achieved eleven Winter Olympic medals (5 gold, 5 silver and one bronze). Lyubov Yegorova is a former Russia cross- country skier. She won six Olympic gold medals and three gold in the World Championships. Her total medal count at these events is 15 medals. Claudia Pechstein is a former German speed skater. She won five Olympic gold medals and six at the World Championship. Her total medal count at these events is 50 (an amazing achievement).

Answer: Lisa Leslie (USA)

Lisa Leslie is a retired professional basketball player who had a distinguished career. Not only did she win two WNBA Championships (2001 and 2002) but also the MVP in each of the finals. She was also a member of four consecutive basketball gold medal teams from 1996-2006.

Lauren Jackson is Australian and a retired professional basketball player. She won four medals at the Olympics (three silver, one bronze), three times WNBA MVP, twice a WNBA Champion and seven times a WNBA All-Star. Sheryl Swoopes is also a retired professional basketball player who was the first player signed in the WNBA. During her career she was a triple Olympic gold medalist and a four time winning WNBA Champion. Violet Palmer is a retired American basketball referee in the WNBA and the first female to referee in the NBA.

Answer: Grete Waitz (NOR)

Grete Waitz (1953-2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner. She schieved this amazing feat in 1983. During her career she won the New York City Marathon nine times, the London Marathon twice and was five times winner of the World Cross Country Championships. She was the first female to run the marathon in under 2hrs 30 ms, a feat she achieved in 1979. Her only medal count at the Olympics was silver in the marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Ingrid Kristiansen is a former Norwegian athlete who simultaneously held the world records for 5,000m, 10,000m, half-marathon and marathon. She won the London Marathon 4 times and also won the New York City, Chicago and Boston marathons. Rosa Mota is a former Portuguese athlete who won the Olympic marathon at Seoul in 1988. She also has won the Boston, London, Chicago, Los Angeles and Osaka marathons. Joan Benoit is a former American athlete who won the marathon gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She has also won the Boston and Chicago marathons.

Answer: Patty Berg (USA)

Patty Berg (1918-2006) was an American professional golfer with a career spanning 40 years. She won 15 majors. She also won 60 times on the ladies tour.

Annika Sorenstam is a retired Swedish golfer and considered by many as the greatest female golfer of all-time. Annika won 10 majors with 72 wins on the LPGA Tour. Mickey Wright is a former professional golfer who won 13 majors with 82 wins on the LPGA Tour. Babe Didrikson Zaharais (1911-1956) was an all round athlete winning two Olympic gold medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Beside this she won 10 majors and had 41 wins on the LPGA Tour.

Answer: Irina Rodnina (USSR)

Irina Rodnina is a former Russian pairs figure skater who with her partners dominated pair skating in the 70s. She won the Pairs World Championships for 10 consecutive years (1969-1978) and three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the same discipline 1972, 1976 and 1980.

Sonja Henie (1912-1969) was a Norwegian singles figure skater who also won 10 consecutive Singles World Championships (1927-1936) and three consecutive Olympic singles gold medals (1928, 1932 and 1936). Peggy Fleming is a former American singles figure skater who was an Olympic gold medalist in 1968 and three time consecutive Singles World Champion in 1966-1968. Katarina Witt is a former East German singles figure skater who was a two time Olympic gold medalist (1984-1988) and a four time Singles World Champion.