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Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee is a retired American track and field athlete, ranked among the all-time greats in the heptathlon as well as long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals in those two events at four different Olympic Games. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time. She served on the board of directors for USA Track & Field (U.S.A.T.F.), the national governing body of the sport.
Sheena Lawrick is a Canadian softball infielder. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Lawrick was a Division I NCAA student athlete at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 2002 to 2005. She was a part of the Canada women's national softball team that finished fifth at the 2004 Summer Olympics and fourth at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Softball was on the Olympic program from 1996 to 2008. It was introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was removed from the program for 2012 and 2016, but was added for a one-off appearance, along with baseball, for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The United States women's national softball team is the national softball team of the United States. It is governed by USA Softball and takes part in international softball competitions. The US team has been successful in international play, taking the gold medal in three straight Olympics and seven straight World championships. At the 2004 Olympics, the Americans held their opponents to only one run scored in 7 games. The lone run came in a 5–1 victory over the Australian team. However, the team then won the silver medals at the 2008 and 2020 Summer Olympics, both times narrowly losing to Japan.
Fastpitch softball, or simply fastpitch, is a form of softball played by both women and men. While the teams are most often segregated by sex, coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. Considered the most competitive form of softball, fastpitch is the format played at the Olympic Games. Softball was on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) program in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2020. It will not be a part of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Yukiko Ueno is a Japanese, medal-winning Olympian, professional right-handed softball pitcher for Bic Camera Takasaki Bee Queen and the Japanese national team, who holds a bronze and two gold medals from the 2004, 2008 and 2020 Summer Olympics, respectively. She became the first pitcher ever to throw a perfect game at the Olympics, against China in Athens. With a fastball that tops out at 128 km/h (80 mph), she is widely recognized as the fastest pitcher in women's softball, although her signature pitch is her change-up, which is often cited as the best in the world.
Canada's Senior Women's National Softball Team represents Canada in international softball. They are overseen by Softball Canada, the governing body of softball in Canada.
Danielle Elaine Lawrie is a Canadian, former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, professional All-Star softball pitcher and current sports commentator. Lawrie played college softball at Washington, in which she was part of the 2009 Women's College World Series championship team and was named Most Outstanding Player. Lawrie currently plays for the Canada women's national softball team, including during the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the 2020 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal.
Victoria Gran Hayward is Canadian, former professional softball player and current assistant coach for Washington. She played college softball for Washington from 2011–14. She most recently played for the Canadian Wild in the National Pro Fastpitch. She played in the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball league and finished in third place overall in points earned. She is an outfielder and bats and throws left-handed. She has played for the Canadian Senior Women's softball team since June 2009 and helped them win a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
John "Jackie" Barrett, ONL is a Canadian powerlifter. Barrett, who has autism, has won thirteen gold medals competing for Canada in the Special Olympics World Summer Games and retired after setting three Special Olympics records at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Softball made its debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, marking its return after being absent since the 2008 Summer Olympics. The tournament consisted of six teams. Baseball/softball was one of five sports added to the program of the 2020 Summer Olympics only. The first six opening round games were played at Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium in an effort to highlight Fukushima's recovery from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, while the remaining games were played at Yokohama Stadium. Softball will not return in 2024.
Jackie Smith is a New Zealand softball player. She competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where the New Zealand team placed sixth in the women's softball tournament.
Eujenna "Jenna" Afrodite Caira is a Canadian, former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, professional softball pitcher for the Canadian Wild of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). Caira was a starting pitcher for the Syracuse Orange from 2009–12 and holds the career records in wins, shutouts and innings pitched. Additionally, she is the Big East Conference career leader in strikeouts. She has been a member of the Canada women's national softball team since June 2009 and helped them win a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
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Sandy Beasley is a Canadian softball player. She competed in the women's tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Jennifer Salling is a Canadian, former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian and professional softball player. She played college softball at Oregon and Washington, and won a national championship at Washington in 2009. She has also played professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch for the USSSA Pride, Pennsylvania Rebellion and most recently the Canadian Wild. She represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics, where she set the tournament batting average record for a single Olympic games, and won a bronze medal.
Janet Leung is a Canadian former professional softball player. She played professionally for the Canadian Wild of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). She played college softball at Brown University from 2012 to 2016 and earned All-Ivy all four years. She has been a member of Canada women's national softball team since 2017 and helped the team make history by winning Canada's first medal in the sport at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Emma Alyce Entzminger is a Canadian softball infielder with the Canada women's national softball team. Entzminger played college softball at San Jose State University in the U.S. First named to the Canada national team in 2015, Entzminger competed with the team at the 2015 Pan American Games and later the 2018 Women's Softball World Championship. Entzminger went on to win three international medals with Canada, a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games and bronze medal at the 2023 Pan American Games and a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Suzannah Lillian Brookshire-González is an American professional softball player for the Smash It Sports Vipers of the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). She played for college softball for three universities from 2017 to 2021, the San Jose State Spartans, Sacramento State Hornets and the Long Beach State 49ers. Brookeshire was a power hitter joining an elite NCAA Division I club with her career 62 home runs and 201 RBIs. She represented Team Mexico at the 2020 Summer Olympics where they placed fourth in their first appearance.
References
- ↑ "Ex-Olympian is NM County's First Female Fire Chief". Firehouse. 2021-01-06. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ↑ Olympic results Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Jackie Lance". Olympedia. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
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