Although Valentine’s Day has passed, I thought it’d be a great time to talk about some of my favorite female athletes. There are a lot of great female athletes who have amazing talent, great stories and impressive athleticism who do not get enough attention.

Elena Delle Donne is one of the best WNBA players in the league and is currently a shooting guard for the Washington Mystics. This 2013 Rookie of the Year and four time all star has made a presence as one of the most well known female basketball players in the league. She holds records for the most WNBA All Star votes in her rookie year, and the Mystics single game scorer with 26 points in one game.

Lindsey Vonn is one of the biggest comeback stories in recent history. After a brutal injury to her arm and leg, the decorated skier has come back for the 2018 Olympics in South Korea. Unfortunately she did not medal during the Slalom after she slipped at the very end of her run.She has said that this may be her last Olympics, and she has been among the best on Team USA for a long time.

Ronda Rousey is one of the best female fighters in recent memory, making headlines throughout her UFC career until her loss to Heidi Holm. She is a bronze medalist in the Olympics, and a silver medalist in the World Championship. She’s also a strong advocate for women’s rights, especially in the sports world. The former UFC fighter and actress has recently signed on to the WWE to become a pro-wrestler, and many have criticized her for doing so, but we can all say that in her prime she was one of the best female fighters in recent memory.

I have to include the DC native swimmer Katie Ledecky in my list. If there’s someone to replace Michael Phelps as a great DMV native Olympic swimmer, it’s Ledecky. Ledecky, in her Olympic debut in 2012, won a gold medal in the 800m freestyle, but in 2016, she was making headlines. At just 18 years old, Ledecky won five medals, four of them being gold. Combined from the World Championships, Pan American games, and the Summer Olympics, she has 19 gold medals. It will be interesting to see how she performs in the 2020 Olympic games. She’ll be just 22 years old and can only be better.