Top 10 Female Athletes Who Fought Through the Pain
#10: Beth Phoenix
In 2006, Phoenix debuted on the main roster at WWE. However, barely a month afterwards, she suffered a catastrophic injury. While taking on Victoria in a singles match on “WWE Raw,” Phoenix took a slap from her that fully connected across her jaw. The hit was loud enough for Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler to comment on it. Due to Phoenix having her mouth open slightly during the strike, her lower jaw was fractured and dislocated. Despite this, she finished the match and even won. Phoenix had surgery that required a metal plate to fix. However, like her last name, she rose from the ashes. Two months later, she was back at WWE’s then-development brand, OVW, before returning to the main roster in 2007.
#9: Swapna Barman
Considering the heptathlon consists of seven events, it’s one of the most gruelling competitions around. As such heptathletes like Barman are made extremely tough. At the 2018 Asian Games, the Indian native was dealing with a myriad of injuries. Born with six toes on each foot, shoes always hurt. In addition to a bulging disc on her spine and other lower limb injuries, such as hamstring and knee issues, Barman also had an abscessed molar that required her jaw to be taped to alleviate the pain. For anyone who’s had a similar tooth issue, it’s a struggle doing anything, let alone competing in a sporting event. Yet even with all that against her, Barman did the incredible by winning the gold medal at the event!
#8: Elena Delle Donne
One of the most decorated WNBA players of all time, Delle Donne is already an icon. Yet the fact that she spent all of her career battling Lyme disease, which can cause a host of problems, is phenomenal. In 2019, while playing for the Washington Mystics, Delle Donne played a vital role in the team beating the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Finals. Afterwards, her teammate, Natasha Cloud, revealed to the media that Delle Donne had been competing in the finals with not one, not two, but three herniated discs! She had multiple surgeries to repair the damage, during which it was found that Delle Donne had spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal. Despite that, she continued playing until retirement in 2023.
#7: Kate Richardson-Walsh
Captains typically inspire and lead their team with encouragement and performance. Well, in 2012, Richardson-Walsh certainly did that and more for the British women’s field hockey team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In the first match against Japan, she took an accidental stick to the face from an opponent. This resulted in Richardson-Walsh sustaining a broken jaw. She soon underwent surgery to have a metal plate fitted, as it was expected she wouldn’t play for the rest of the tournament. However, Richardson-Walsh surprised everyone by returning for Team GB’s match against China, only missing two games. She would go on to inspire her team to take the Bronze medal!
#6: P. V. Sindhu
Badminton requires a lot of quick movements, meaning you need your lower limbs to be in top condition to be competitive. Yet that was something Sindhu didn’t possess at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Playing five games on her way to the final, during the tournament, the Indian national sustained a stress fracture in her left foot. In the gold medal match against Canada’s Michelle Li, the only sign that Sindhu was struggling was the physio tape around her ankle. Beyond that, she showed no signs of the extent of the damage as she defeated Li to claim the gold! Afterwards, Sindhu withdrew from several competitions as she recovered before storming back in 2023.
#5: Serena Williams
Often thought to be the greatest female athlete ever, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Williams is incredibly competitive. She’s made a habit of fighting through pain and injuries many times. One of her most impressive instances of this was in 2005 during the women’s singles final against Lindsay Davenport in the Australian Open. During the match, Williams had to get medical treatment due to sustaining a rib injury from lunging for the ball. She seemingly suffered an intercostal muscle strain, which can make it difficult to even breathe, let alone compete at the highest level. Yet Williams did just that by beating Davenport! The icon stated afterwards that she wasn’t going to lose – even if her arm fell off, she would win.
#4: Bethany Hamilton
Since she was a child, Hamilton had been professionally competing in surfing. And it all nearly ended in 2003 when she was barely a teenager. While surfing off the coast of Kauaʻi, Hawaii, with friends, Hamilton was attacked by a shark, resulting in her left arm being torn off. Suffering from severe blood loss, Hamilton’s friend’s father created a makeshift tourniquet. She was rushed to the hospital and into surgery, taking the place of her dad, who was meant to have a knee operation at that time. Amazingly, Hamilton survived. After that traumatic experience, most people would take a lot of time off to recover physically and mentally. Yet only a month after the attack, Hamilton began competing once again!
#3: Petra Majdič
When you want to say someone’s really tough, you compare them to Chuck Norris. After this incident, it was Majdič getting that accolade. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Slovenian star was warming up for the women's sprint cross-country skiing event when disaster struck. Majdič went off-course and crashed into a rock, causing five broken ribs and pneumothorax, a collection of air between the lungs and chest wall. Despite the agonizing pain and not knowing about the fractures yet, she continued in the competition. During the semi-final, one of the fractures pierced Majdič’s lung and collapsed it. Yet she persevered and, somehow, managed to get bronze! Majdič even attended the medal ceremony with a tube in her chest to ease the discomfort.
#2: Kerri Strug
Gymnasts are incredibly tough, and perhaps none more so than Strug. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 18-year-old was part of the fabled U.S. team, the Magnificent Seven, as they competed in the women's artistic team all-around. During the vault, Strug landed awkwardly, causing an ankle sprain and tendon damage. However, with the Russian team putting in a fantastic performance, Strug couldn’t sit out. She needed to do another vault and get a score of 9.762 to guarantee gold. Amazingly, Strug did the vault once again, in agony, and managed to get a score of 9.712. Due to Russia's gymnast not getting a high enough score, Strug’s achievement secured the team the gold and turned her into a national treasure!
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Nikki Bella
Finished Her Match After Her Tooth Was Knocked Out by a Tamina Superkick
Ellyse Perry
An Ankle Stress Fracture Didn’t Stop Her From Winning the 2013 Cricket World Cup
#1: Lucy Bronze
Fun fact: Tough is literally one of Bronze’s middle names. And after her feat during the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro, that should be no surprise. Whether the legendary England right-back was putting her body on the line, scoring goals, or firing in vital penalties, Bronze was incredible. Yet despite that, she was clearly suffering from injuries. This was evident when she needed to be subbed off during the Lionesses' win against Spain in the final. Afterwards, Bronze disclosed that she’d been secretly competing throughout the tournament with a fractured tibia, the larger shinbone. With the aid of medical staff and painkillers, Bronze showed incredible resilience to continue, let alone play well enough to win the Euro!
Have you ever fought through the pain to complete a task, even a non-sporting one? Let us know below!
