Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, at a White House ceremony this afternoon.  The Team USA standout is the most decorated women’s swimmer in the sport’s history. In addition to her seven Olympic golds, she’s also won a total of 16 gold medals at the World Championships, the most of any swimmer regardless of gender.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports) The esteemed award recognizes those who have “made exemplary contributions to the pros ..read more

The Phoenix Mercury center spoke with Robin Roberts about her 10-month incarceration, reflecting on her poor living conditions and shaky mental state ahead of her May 7th memoir. “The mattress had a huge blood stain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper,” Griner told the ABC News anchor in last night’s 20/20 special. “That was the moment where I just felt less than a human.”  She also detailed some of her lowest moments during that time, saying with tears in her eyes that she went so far as to consider taking her own life on more than one occasion. However, the thought of Russian official ..read more

Longtime USWNT fixture Carli Lloyd took to Instagram Wednesday morning to announce that she’s pregnant with her first child.  “Baby Hollins coming in October 2024!” she wrote. The caption framed a collaged image of baby clothes, an ultrasound photo, and syringes indicating what she described as a “rollercoaster” fertility journey. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports) In a Women’s Health story published in tandem with Lloyd’s post, the Fox Sports analyst and correspondent opened up about her struggles with infertility and the lengthy IVF ..read more

On Tuesday, FIFPRO announced the launch of Project ACL, a three-year research initiative designed to address a steep uptick in ACL injuries across women’s professional football. Project ACL is a joint venture between FIFPRO, England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Nike, and Leeds Beckett University. While the central case study will focus on England’s top-flight Women’s Super League, the findings will be distributed around the world. ACL tears are between two- and six-times more likely to occur in women footballers than men, according to The Guardian. And with both domestic and ..read more

With recent transfers Talia von Oelhoffen and Kiki Iriafen joining first-team All-American JuJu Watkins and the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class at USC next season, the Trojans look to transition from an up-and-coming squad to a legitimate title contender.  Former Oregon State graduate student von Oelhoffen is the latest collegiate talent to commit to the program, announcing her transfer Monday via ESPN. She follows ex-Stanford leading-scorer Iriafen in the jump to the pair’s one-time Pac-12 rival. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports) The ..read more

The United States and Mexico have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, per a Monday afternoon release from U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation. According to the statement, they will instead focus on developing a “more equitable” bid for the 2031 tournament, with the ultimate goal of “eliminating investment disparities” between the men’s and women’s tournaments. The federations went on to cite the upcoming 2026 Men’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico as an opportunity to build support for local infrastructure, improve audience engagement, and scale u ..read more

Former Stanford leading-scorer Kiki Iriafen is set to join star rising sophomore JuJu Watkins at USC next year, reported ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday.  The 6-foot-3 forward is coming off a breakout season with the Cardinal, where the then-junior led Stanford to the Sweet 16 with an average of 19.4 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Walking away with the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player award and a spot on the All-Pac-12 team, Iriafen entered the portal at the close of last season and was subsequently ranked second on ESPN’s 2024-2025 transfer ranking list. View this po ..read more

Legendary WNBA superstar Candace Parker announced her retirement from professional basketball on Sunday, effective immediately. “I promised I’d never cheat the game & that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it’s time. My HEART & body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.” The Las Vegas Aces forward was in the midst of rehabbing a right ankle injury and a left foot fracture after missing part of the 2023 season. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Just Women’s Spor ..read more

USWNT stalwart Alex Morgan will miss at least one week of NWSL action after suffering a left ankle knock in her last club appearance, Wave manager Casey Stoney said on Thursday. Morgan was helped off the field after rolling her ankle in the later stages of the Wave’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride last weekend, despite the San Diego side being out of available substitutes. “She’s got an ankle injury and she’s out for this weekend, and then it’ll be week by week from there,” Stoney said, confirming that Morgan’s been ruled out for Saturday’s showdown with NWSL newcomer Bay FC. View this post o ..read more

This week, legendary Brazilian superstar Marta announced that she’ll retire from the national team at the end of 2024. In an interview with CNN Esportes published Thursday, the iconic footballer confirmed that she would be hanging up her boots regardless of whether or not she ends up making Brazil’s 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics.  “If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” she said. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards ..read more