Best Female Athlete ESPY Award

Last updated

Best Female Athlete ESPY Award
Awarded forBest Female Athlete
Presented byESPN
First award2000
Currently held by Simone Biles (United States)
Website www.espn.co.uk/espys/

The Best Female Athlete ESPY Award, known alternatively as the Outstanding Female Athlete ESPY Award, has been presented annually at the ESPY Awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) since 1993 to the female voted to be, irrespective of nationality or sport contested, the best athlete in a given calendar year. Between 1993 and 2004, the award voting panel comprised variously of fans; sportswriters and broadcasters, sports executives, and retired sportspersons, termed collectively experts; and ESPN personalities, but balloting thereafter has been exclusively by fans over the Internet from amongst choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee. Through the 2001 iteration of the ESPY Awards, ceremonies were conducted in February of each year to honor achievements over the previous calendar year; awards presented thereafter are conferred in June and reflect performance from the June previous. [1]

Contents

Six athletes, American soccer player Mia Hamm, Swedish golfer Annika Sörenstam, American alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, American tennis player Serena Williams, American mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey, and American gymnast Simone Biles have won the award twice. Hamm was honored in 1998 and 2000, Sörenstam in 2005 and 2006, Vonn in 2010 and 2011, Williams in 2003 and 2013, Rousey in 2014 and 2015, and Biles in 2017 and 2025. Sörenstam, Osaka, and Monica Seles are the only honorees not to represent the United States at the time of their win. Of the winners, seven have played basketball, the most of any sport; the other sports with multiple individuals awarded are tennis, gymnastics, soccer, and swimming. The award wasn't given in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

List of winners

YearImageAthleteNation representedSportRef(s)
1993 Monica Seles 1991.jpg Monica Seles Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg  Yugoslavia Tennis [2]
1994 Julie Krone riding Halfbridled at 2003 Breeders' cup.jpg Julie Krone Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Thoroughbred horse racing [3]
1995 Bonnie Blair(crop).jpg Bonnie Blair Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Speed skating [4]
1996 Rebecca Lobo taken by Danny Karwoski.jpg Rebecca Lobo Basketball [5]
1997 Amy Van Dyken (33365854492).jpg Amy Van Dyken Swimming [6]
1998 Mia Hamm 1995 001 stl.jpg Mia Hamm Soccer [7]
1999 Chamique Holdsclaw.jpg Chamique Holdsclaw Basketball [8]
2000 Mia Hamm signing an autograph.jpg Mia Hamm (2) Soccer [9]
2001 Marion Jones Sydney 2000.JPEG Marion Jones Track and field [10]
2002 VenusWilliams (cropped).jpg Venus Williams Tennis [11]
2003 Serena Williams (19117668004) (cropped).jpg Serena Williams [12]
2004 Diana taurasi flickr.jpg Diana Taurasi Basketball [13]
2005 AnnikaSorenstamProAm2006.JPG Annika Sörenstam Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Golf [14]
2006 2008 LPGA Championship - Annika Sorenstam tee shot.jpg Annika Sörenstam (2) [14]
2007 Taryne Mowatt at the 2008 Lotus Lounge Red Carpet.jpg Taryne Mowatt Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Softball [15]
2008 Candace Parker 2012.jpg Candace Parker Basketball [16]
2009 Nastia Liukin 2009.jpg Nastia Liukin Gymnastics [17]
2010 Lindsey Vonn (Vancouver 2010)-2.jpg Lindsey Vonn Alpine skiing [18]
2011 Lindsey Vonn (2011).jpg Lindsey Vonn (2) [19]
2012 Griner dunking at 2015 All-Star game.jpg Brittney Griner Basketball [20]
2013 Serena Williams at 2013 US Open.jpg Serena Williams (2) Tennis [21]
2014 Rousey HOF 2018 (cropped).jpg Ronda Rousey Mixed martial arts [22]
2015 Ronda Rousey (2) [23]
2016 BreannaStewart foulshot.jpg Breanna Stewart Basketball [24]
2017 Simone Biles na Rio 2016 cropped.jpg Simone Biles Gymnastics [25]
2018 Chloe Kim (February, 2017).png Chloe Kim Snowboarding [26]
2019 USWNT group photo (42878126761) (cropped).jpg Alex Morgan Soccer [27]
2020 Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 NaomiOsaka-smile-2020 (cropped).png Naomi Osaka Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Tennis [28]
2022 Katie Ledecky Olympics 2016.jpg Katie Ledecky Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Swimming [29]
2023 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) 2019.jpg Mikaela Shiffrin Alpine skiing [30]
2024 A'ja Wilson (53756794398) (cropped).jpg A'ja Wilson Basketball [31]
2025 Simone Biles National Team 2024.jpg Simone Biles (2) Gymnastics [32]

Statistics

Winners by sport contested
Sport contestedWinners (awards)Winners (individuals)
Basketball 77
Tennis 54
Association football 32
Gymnastics 32
Swimming 22
Alpine skiing 32
Golf 21
Mixed martial arts 21
Track and field 11
Softball 11
Speed skating 11
Thoroughbred horse racing 11
Snowboarding 11
Winners by nation represented
NationWinners (awards)Winners (individuals)
Flag of the United States.svg United States 2823
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 21
Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg  Yugoslavia 11
Flag of Japan.svg Japan 11

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Because of the rescheduling of the ESPY Awards ceremony, the award presented in 2002 was given in consideration of performance betwixt February 2001 and June 2002.
  2. ↑ Bodenheimer, George (28 May 2015). Every Town Is a Sports Town: Business Leadership at ESPN, from the Mailroom to the Boardroom. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN   978-1455586097. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  3. ↑ Boyer Sagert, Kelly; Overman, Steven J. (13 February 2012). Icons of Women's Sport. Greenwood Press. p. 335. ISBN   978-0313385483. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "Young, Blair earn top ESPY awards". Deseret News. 14 February 1995. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "Ripken, Lobo cart off two ESPYs each". Deseret News. 13 February 1996. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  6. ↑ "ESPY Award Winners". Las Vegas Sun. 11 February 1997. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  7. ↑ Boyer Sagert, Kelly; Overman, Steven J. (13 February 2012). Icons of Women's Sport. Greenwood Press. p. 235. ISBN   978-0313385483. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "Awards: McGwire top ESPY winner". Kitsap Sun. 16 February 1999. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "And the ESPY goes to ... Jordan". Deseret News. 15 February 2000. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  10. ↑ "ESPY winners". Las Vegas Sun. 13 February 2001. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  11. ↑ "Woods Wins Three ESPYs". Los Angeles Times. 11 July 2002. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  12. ↑ "Armstrong, Serena Williams earn athlete of the year honors". Deseret News. 17 July 2003. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Armstrong wins ESPY Award". The Hindu . 16 July 2004. Retrieved 31 October 2017.[ dead link ]
  14. 1 2 "Annika Sorenstam". LPGA. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  15. ↑ Harris, Beth (12 July 2007). "Chargers' Tomlinson Wins 4 ESPY Awards". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  16. ↑ "Tiger, NY Giants, Parker Big Winners at ESPYs". The Washington Post. 17 July 2008. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  17. ↑ "Phelps a big winner at ESPY Awards". ABC. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  18. ↑ Harris, Beth (14 July 2010). "Brees, Vonn take home top ESPYs". Deseret News. Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  19. ↑ Tourtellotte, Bob (14 July 2011). "Mavericks, Nowitzki shine at Espy Awards". Reuters. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  20. ↑ "Miami Heat, LeBron James score big at the ESPYs". Reuters. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  21. ↑ Grant, Ethan (18 July 2013). "ESPY 2013 Winners: Robin Roberts, LeBron James and Athletes Who Stole the Show". Bleacher Report.
  22. ↑ Zucker, Joseph (17 July 2014). "ESPY 2014 Winners: Awards Results, Recap, Top Moments and Twitter Reaction". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 1 May 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  23. ↑ Nathan, Alec (16 July 2015). "ESPY Awards 2015 Results: Analyzing LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Other Winners". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  24. ↑ Evans, Jayda (13 July 2016). "Storm rookie Breanna Stewart wins ESPY, demands equality for pro female athletes". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  25. ↑ Felt, Hunter (13 July 2017). "ESPY Awards 2017: Simone Biles and Russell Westbrook win Best Athletes – as it happened". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  26. ↑ Willis, Kelcie. "2018 ESPY Awards: Winners list". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  27. ↑ "All the winners from the 2019 ESPY Awards". USA Today .
  28. ↑ "2021 ESPYS award winners". ESPN.com. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  29. ↑ "ESPY Awards 2022: Katie Ledecky Wins Best Female Athlete Award - GlamStyled". 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  30. ↑ "Mikaela Shiffrin is second skier to win ESPY for best athlete". NBC Sports . 13 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  31. ↑ "2024 ESPYS: Here is the list of winners". ESPN.com. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  32. ↑ "Full list of every ESPYS 2025 Award winner". ESPN . 16 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.

References

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