The Rio 2016 Olympics is just round the corner and over the next three weeks, over 10,000 athletes from 206 countries will compete for 4,924 medals across 42 sports. From golf to boxing, a huge amount of talent will be on offer at Rio De Janeiro for the biggest sporting spectacle in the world.
Here’s a look at the top 5 women athletes to look out for at the Rio 2016 Olympics -
Serena Williams (United States of America)
With 36 Grand Slam titles and 4 Olympic gold medals, Serena Williams has proven herself in both singles and doubles divisions. In the Rio 2016 Olympics, she will be looking to become the first women’s singles player to defend her Olympic gold medal. She will also be among the favourites in the doubles, an event she has won three times with her sister Venus Williams.
Marta (Brazil)
The 30-year old forward is unarguably one of the best women footballers of all time and she is often compared to Brazilian legend Pele for her brilliance. The 5-time World Cup winner helped Brazil to silver medals in Athens and Beijing, but like her men colleagues, she has never won an Olympic gold medal and this time, she will be looking to change that statistic in her own country.
{{/usCountry}}The 30-year old forward is unarguably one of the best women footballers of all time and she is often compared to Brazilian legend Pele for her brilliance. The 5-time World Cup winner helped Brazil to silver medals in Athens and Beijing, but like her men colleagues, she has never won an Olympic gold medal and this time, she will be looking to change that statistic in her own country.
{{/usCountry}}Katie Ledecky (United States of America)
The 19-year-old swimming sensation Katie Ledecky has been in terrific form since her gold medal win in the 800m in the 2012 London Olympics. In the four years, the teenager has set 11 world records and won every major international race she has competed in. She currently holds world records in the 400m, 800m, and 1,500m freestyle and will be looking to complete a hat-trick of freestyle gold medals.
Saori Yoshida (Japan)
The 33-year old is the most decorated athlete in freestyle wrestling and she has been unbeaten since women’s wrestling was included to the Olympics in Athens in 2004. With three consecutive Olympic gold medals and 13 world championship titles to her name, Yoshida will be a force to be reckoned with.
Tori Bowie (United States of America)
The ‘Usain Bolt of women’s sprinting’ has the chance to become the first woman to claim gold in the 100 and 200 meters since Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Olympics. Bowie started her career with long jump, but she decided to concentrate completely on her sprinting career. The 25-year old won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympic Games and this time, she will be favourite to win the 100m sprint.