Women in Sports: Who Said It?

Question: “Erase the word ‘failure’ from your vocabulary. No case is ever truly closed, and no challenge is ever over.”

Answer: Mary Lou Retton was the first American woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in gymnastics.

Question: “I think exercise tests us in so many ways, our skills, our hearts, our ability to bounce back after setbacks. This is the inner beauty of sports and competition, and it can serve us all well as adult athletes.”

Answer: Peggy Fleming was an American figure skater who dominated world-level women’s competition from 1964 through 1968. She won the first of five consecutive U.S. women’s championships in 1964.

Question: “You can always say, ‘I wish I had landed that triple flip better, or I wish I didn’t fall.’ They’re not regrets, just mistakes.”

Answer: Michelle Kwan was an American figure skater who was one of the most decorated athletes in the sport. Combining artistry and elegance with athleticism, she won more than 40 championships, including a record-tying nine U.S. titles (1996 and 1998–2005).

Question: “No matter what the competition is, I try to find a goal that day and better that goal.”

Answer: Bonnie Blair was an American speed skater who dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze.

Question: “I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.”

Answer: Nadia Comăneci of Romania was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic event (1976).

Question: “To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them.”

Answer: Picabo Street was an American Alpine skier who was one of the most successful downhill skiers of the 1990s.

Question: “When anyone tells me I can't do anything, I'm just not listening any more.”

Answer: Florence Griffith Joyner was an American sprinter who set world records in the 100 metres (10.49 seconds) and 200 metres (21.34 seconds) that have stood since 1988.

Question: “Take those chances and you can achieve greatness, whereas if you go conservative, you’ll never know. I truly believe what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Even if you fail, learning and moving on is sometimes the best thing.”

Answer: American race car driver Danica Patrick was the first woman to win an IndyCar championship event.

Question: “When you fall, get right back up. Just keep going, keep pushing it.”

Answer: Lindsey Vonn was an American Alpine skier who won four women’s World Cup overall championships (2008–10 and 2012) and became the all-time leader in women’s World Cup race victories.

Question: “We can push ourselves further. We always have more to give.”

Answer: At the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Simone Biles became the first female American gymnast to win four gold medals at a single Olympics.

Question: “Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them.”

Answer: Mia Hamm was an American football (soccer) player who became the first international star of the women’s game.

Question: “This ability to conquer oneself is no doubt the most precious of all things sports bestows.”

Answer: Olga Korbut was a Soviet gymnast who won three gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

Question: “I’m very task-oriented. The idea of constantly pursuing something with purpose helps me to stay focused.”

Answer: Tessa Virtue and her partner Scott Moir were Canadian ice dancers who became the first North Americans to win the Olympic gold medal in ice dancing when they triumphed at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Question: “The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”

Answer: Sprinter Wilma Rudolph was the first American woman to win three track-and-field gold medals in a single Olympics (1960).

Question: “Champions keep playing until they get it right.”

Answer: Tennis star Billie Jean King was the first woman athlete to win more than $100,000 in one season (1971).

Question: “Overpower. Overtake. Overcome.”

Answer: Serena Williams revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful style of play and won more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other woman or man during the open era.

Question: “No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.”

Answer: Althea Gibson was an American tennis player who dominated women’s competition in the late 1950s. She was the first Black player to win the French Open (1956), Wimbledon (1957–58), and U.S. Open (1957–58) singles championships.

Question: “You can’t always be the best. You have to remember that everyone makes mistakes sometimes.”

Answer: Aly Raisman won a gold medal in the women’s floor exercise at the 2012 Olympics in London.