Who is your UK sportswoman of the 21st Century?

As part of the BBC’s celebration of women’s sport this summer, BBC 5 Live Breakfast is asking you to vote for your UK sportswoman of the 21st Century.

From Olympic and Paralympic champions to legends on the pitch, a shortlist of exceptional athletes has been drawn up to celebrate the women who have made the biggest impact in UK sport since 2000.

A panel of expert judges considered a raft of names across more than 50 different sports. Now, we want you to decide which athlete deserves the title of UK sportswoman of the 21st Century.

Below you can read about all of the contenders, and vote for your top three.

The vote opens at 06:00 BST on Monday, 25 August and closes at 10:00 BST on Friday, 29 August.

Won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016 – becoming the first female boxer to claim, then retain, the title. Undefeated as a professional, she won the WBO flyweight title in 2019. A vocal advocate for equality and LGBTQ+ representation, she was appointed an OBE in 2016 for services to boxing.

Claimed double Olympic gold in 2008, two bronze medals in 2012 and is a former 800m freestyle world record holder. She founded a UK-wide swim programme for children, advocates for youth-sport access and awareness of body-image issues in elite sport. In 2009 she was appointed an OBE.

Among England’s most capped-forwards and was part of the World Cup-winning team of 2014. She advocates for pay equity, challenges gender stereotypes and has founded a leadership academy to empower young girls through sport. Was appointed an MBE in 2012 for services to rugby.

A five-time Champions League winner, 2020 Fifa Player of the Year and pivotal in England’s European Championship successes in 2022 and 2025. Has spoken out about online abuse faced by female athletes, her ADHD, and the urgent need for more research into injuries in women’s sport. Was appointed an MBE in 2023.

England’s all-time leading run-scorer in women’s one-day internationals. Captained England to World Cup and the World Twenty20 victory in 2009. Won the Ashes three times as captain. Off the field, she has championed professional contracts and mentored to young players. In 2009, she was made an MBE for services to cricket.

Won heptathlon gold at the 2012 London Olympics and silver at Rio 2016, and is a European and three-time world champion. Shortly after her retirement in 2016, she was made a dame for her services to athletics and sports. She now advocates for women’s health in sport.

Britain’s most decorated female Olympic rower – winning silver medals in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2016 and gold in 2012, as well as eight World Championship medals and four world titles. She now chairs UK Sport, became the British Olympic Association first female chair in 2025 and was recently awarded a peerage.

Won 11 Paralympic golds – and 16 medals in total – across five Games from 1992 to 2004, and set multiple world records. Now a peer in the House of Lords, she champions disability rights, accessible facilities, equal opportunities, and greater funding for female and disabled athletes.

Won Olympic gold in the 800m and 1500m at Athens 2004, and bronze at Sydney 2000. Also a Commonwealth Games gold medallist and won three World Championship outdoor medals. She now advocates for mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, and young people via her charity, and was made a dame in 2005.

Won five Olympic golds, seven world titles, and 14 European golds – making her Britain’s most decorated female cyclist. Beyond sport, she champions maternity support, childcare, equal prize money, and increased investment in women’s cycling. She was also appointed a CBE in 2017.

In 2005, she set the solo non-stop circumnavigation world record (71 days) at the first attempt. Later that year, aged 28, she became the youngest woman in modern history to be made a dame. She now champions the environment, inclusion, and women’s leadership globally.

Great Britain and England’s most-capped player, she captained GB to Olympic hockey gold in 2016 after bronze four years earlier. Champions LGBTQ+ inclusion, representation of women in coaching and leadership, mentoring, and promotes athlete wellbeing. In 2017 she was appointed an OBE for services to hockey.

Won two golds at Beijing 2008 as a 13-year-old and added two more at London 2012 and one at Rio 2016. Also an eight-time world champion who holds numerous world records in her classification. She advocates for inclusive facilities, fair coverage, and mental health support. Was appointed an OBE in 2013.

Britain’s most decorated Paralympian – winning 30 medals across swimming and cycling in nine Paralympics between 1992 and 2024. She also has 38 world titles and has had success in non-disabled events too. Was made a dame in 2012 for services to Para-cycling and is a visiting professor at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Centre for Excellence for Women in Sport.

The first British athlete to win the Ironman World Championship, which she has done four times. Unbeaten in full-distance races and a former world record holder. Promotes women in sport, wellbeing, inclusive fitness, and helped launch the women’s Tour de France. In 2016 she was appointed an OBE.

The shortlisted sportswomen were selected from a longlist of more than 180 athletes from more than 50 different sports. The criteria for inclusion on this longlist was both outstanding achievement within their sport and making a significant contribution to women’s sport.

The individual must also have participated in their sport as a player/athlete from the year 2000 onwards.

From the longlist, a panel of judges shortlisted the 15 women above.

The panellists included BBC 5 live broadcasters Eleanor Oldroyd, Jeanette Kwakye and Sonja McLaughlan, BBC Sport’s women’s sport reporter Jo Currie, Stephanie Hilborne (CEO Women in Sport), Paula Dunn (head coach GB Para-athletics), Montell Douglas (former GB sprinter and Gladiator), JJ Chalmers (broadcaster and Invictus games medallist), Riya Mannu (Birmingham City WFC) and Penny Briscoe (director of sport, Paralympics GB).