In celebration of International Women’s Day and what was an incredibly dominant 2022 for Australian female athletes both home and away, Gerard Whateley has compiled his Top 3 Australian female sporting heroes.
The Top 3 was selected on SEN’s Whateley on Wednesday morning.
1. Sam Kerr
Unsurprisingly, Matilda’s captain Sam Kerr has topped the list as Australia’s best female athlete.
Kerr, Australia’s all-time leading goal scorer (62 goals), further rewrote history books by becoming Australia’s first woman to win the Golden Boot in three leagues.
Plus, with Australia a co-host of the upcoming FIFA Women’s Soccer World Cup, the national adoration for Kerr is only expected to proliferate.
Read Gerard’s editorial below:
WHY SAM KERR IS AUSTRALIA’S BEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL FEMALE ATHLETE
2. Ariarne Titmus
Swimming superstar Ariarne Titmus ranked second behind Kerr for her deeds in the pool over the last few years.
“I went Ariarne Titmus at two, even though Emma McKeon has set that new mark for Olympic medals,” said Whateley.
“I think Titmus is the better swimmer with the signature moment the victory over Katie Ledecky at the recent Olympics.”
Notably, Titmus captivated the nation at the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics (in 2021) with a gutsy performance in the 400m freestyle which saw her chase down defending champion Katie Ledecky to claim gold.
3. Meg Lanning
Aussie women’s cricket captain Meg Lanning was third after leading the team to unprecedented success in recent times.
“I felt like three had to be one of our cricketers, notwithstanding (surfer) Steph Gilmore and (golfer) Minjee Lee,” Whateley explained.
“We have three icons - Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry - but the two best players in the team right now are Beth Mooney and Ash Gardner.
“I did end up defaulting to Meg Lanning, who remains captain, leader and is accumulating this incredible record and driving them through.”
This incredible record was recently elevated by the T20 World Cup triumph in South Africa, with the powerhouse side, led by Lanning, once again refusing to admit defeat.
The myriad of obvious omissions including surfing superstar Tyler Wright, AFLW legend Daisy Pearce and basketball champion Lauren Jackson speaks to the undeniable influence of females in the Australian sporting landscape.
Additionally, it sets the stage for what is set to be another incredible year in Australian female sport.