NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women's
Sports Foundation (WSF)—the leading authority on the participation
of women and girls in athletics — celebrated barrier-breaking
achievements in women's sports tonight at its 39th
Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards gala at Cipriani Wall
Street in New York City
co-presented by espnW, Gatorade and NBC Sports Group.
The WSF's coveted 2018 Sportswoman of the Year award was
presented to two-time Paralympic gold medalist Oksana Masters (Paralympic Nordic Skiing) in the
individual sport category; Olympic gold U.S. Women's National Ice
Hockey Team goaltender Maddie Rooney
(Ice Hockey) in the team sport category. The award is presented to
athletes who have exhibited supreme athletic performance over the
past year. Past winners include Serena
Williams (Tennis), Simone
Biles (Gymnastics), Maya
Moore (Basketball) and Katie
Ledecky (Swimming).
Two-time Olympic track & field middle-distance champion in
the 800m, Caster Semenya, was honored
with the Wilma Rudolph Courage
Award. In 2009, an 18-year-old Caster won her first International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championship gold
medal in the 800m, which came with
newfound notoriety and increased scrutiny. Forced into the
spotlight, Caster found herself the focal point of criticism from
some in the athletic community; suddenly the spokesperson for a
fight that she never asked to be a part of, she embraced the role
with dignity and courage. Through it all, Caster has remained an
uncompromising, dominant force and has spent the majority of her
career as a courageous champion and adversary both on and off the
track.
The Billie Jean King Leadership Award, an honor that recognizes
an individual or group who has demonstrated outstanding leadership
and made significant contributions to the advancement of women
through achievements in sport and the workplace, was awarded to
Gail K. Boudreaux, President and CEO
of Anthem, Inc., and no. 5 on Fortune's Most Powerful Women list
(2018). A multisport athlete, Gail was named Ivy League Player of the Year three-times while
a member of the women's basketball team at Dartmouth College and was inducted into the New
England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. Now, as captain of a
leading health benefits provider, Gail translates lessons learned
on the court to coach more than 50,000 employees.
"More than 40 years ago we founded an organization to recognize
the accomplishments, the breakthroughs, and the fearless female
athletes creating change across the world. Tonight, we have the
privilege of honoring some of those important individuals and
teams who continue to speak out for equity and equality,
challenge the status quo and compete to their fullest potential,"
said WSF Founder Billie Jean King.
"This year consisted of groundbreaking accomplishments by female
athletes, but it also highlighted the many hurdles that we've yet
to overcome. Those very hurdles underscore the continuous need for
organizations such as the Women's Sports Foundation."
NBC Sports' Olympic correspondent Mary
Carillo, and ESPN commentator and three-time Olympic soccer
champion Julie Foudy emceed the
event. The evening opened with the Grand March of Athletes, where
more than 60 World Champions, Olympians and Paralympians
representing an array of sports, abilities and backgrounds were
honored for their achievements.
Grete Eliassen, WSF President and
six-time Winter X Games freeskiing medalist, took the stage along
with WSF President-elect and three-time Olympic medalist bobsledder
Elana Meyers Taylor.
Eliassen shared with the attendees that proceeds from the event
will benefit the Women's Sports Foundation's programs to strengthen
and expand access and opportunities for all girls and women in all
sports. She also thanked the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and
the room of supporters who made gifts to support the Billie Jean
King Lead Her Forward Fund honoring Billie Jean King's 75th Birthday.
"The power sports can bring to influence young girls is
tremendous, a fact the Women's Sports Foundation has always known
and has been dedicated to protecting and supporting for over 40
years," said Grete Eliassen,
President of the Women's Sports Foundation. "I am honored and
beyond thrilled to join the strong, empowered network of female
athletes, coaches and business leaders that are working tirelessly
to ensure millions of girls and women have the opportunity to reach
their full potential."
Award recipients at the Women's Sports Foundation's 39th
Annual Salute to Women in Sports:
Individual Sportswoman of the Year: Oksana Masters, Paralympic Nordic Skiing,
USA
Oksana Masters is one of the most recognized
female Paralympic athletes and her journey in life and in sports is
truly inspirational. Her life began in an orphanage in Ukraine, and through determination, passion
and hard work, Masters achieved her dream of earning Paralympic
gold in PyeongChang.
Masters is a multi-sport athlete, competing in biathlon,
cross-country skiing and cycling. She competed in four Paralympic
Games since 2012 – both Summer and Winter Games – winning a total
of eight medals. Her dominance over the last 12 months in biathlon
and cross-country skiing has earned her the honor of being named
this year's Individual Sportswoman of the Year, becoming the second
para athlete Sportswoman of the Year winner since the inception of
the award in 1980.
Team Sportswoman of the Year: Maddie
Rooney, Ice Hockey, USA
Maddie
Rooney, the U.S. Women's National Ice Hockey Team goaltender
made the pressure-filled final save, stopping Canada's Meghan
Agosta to give the U.S. the Winter Olympic win they have
coveted for two long decades. This victory by the U.S. broke
Canada's streak of four straight
Olympic gold medals in women's hockey. This moment of brilliance
was a lifetime in the making.
As a member of the No. 1-ranked U.S. Women's National Ice Hockey
Team, Rooney earned three wins in three starts at the 2017 Four
Nations Cup. The Minnesota-born goalie
made 18 saves in the championship game against Canada, giving Team USA its third straight title. Rooney's
dominant performance gave the United
States the momentum it needed going into the 2018 Olympic
Winter Games in PyeongChang.
Wilma Rudolph Courage Award:
Caster Semenya, Track & Field, South
Africa
Caster Semenya is an uncompromising, dominant
force. Semenya, a South African middle-distance runner and two-time
Olympic gold medalist, has spent her career as a courageous
champion both on and off the track.
In 2009, an 18-year-old Caster won her first International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championship gold
medal in the 800m, which brought
notoriety and criticism. Despite public scrutiny and unfounded
discrimination from the IAAF, Caster maintained her composure and
persevered. She won her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in
Rio in 2016 and followed that performance with a gold and a bronze
at the 2017 World Championships. Recently, Caster filed a legal
challenge to newly announced IAAF policies in the Court of
Arbitration for Sport. Her willingness to use her voice to advocate
for the dignity of all athletes shows undeniable courage.
Billie Jean King Leadership Award: Gail K. Boudreaux
Gail K. Boudreaux is an American businesswoman,
philanthropist and a proven leader with more than three decades of
expertise in the healthcare industry. Currently the President and
CEO of Anthem, Inc., Gail has also been named one of Fortune's 50
Most Powerful Women in American Business.
Gail earned a BA with honors from Dartmouth
College and an MBA with distinction in Finance and Health
Care Administration from Columbia Business
School. While at Dartmouth, she
played on the women's basketball team. She was named Ivy League Player of the Year three times and
became a two-time Academic All-American and third-team
All-American. She became Dartmouth's
all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 1,933 points and 1,635
rebounds and led the team to three Ivy
League titles.
About The Women's Sports Foundation
The Women's Sports
Foundation is a powerful voice, catalyst and convener dedicated to
ensuring all girls have equal access to sports and physical
activity and the tremendous life-long benefits they provide.
Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974,
we seek to strengthen and expand opportunities for all girls and
women to participate in all sports at all levels through research,
advocacy, community impact and a wide variety of collaborative
partnerships. The Women's Sports Foundation has relationships with
more than 1,000 of the world's elite female athletes and has
positively shaped the lives of more than 3 million youth, high
school and collegiate student-athletes. To learn more about the
Women's Sports Foundation, please
visit www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.
Connect with the Women's Sports Foundation:
#WSFAnnualSalute
Facebook – @WomensSportsFoundation
Twitter – @WomensSportsFdn
Instagram – @WomensSportsFoundation
Media Contact:
Kasandra Carr
Women's Sports Foundation
KCarr@womenssportsfoundation.org
571.274.0439
Photos available upon request
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SOURCE Women's Sports Foundation