Top 10 US Female Athletes of the Year 2024 (5-1)

Top 10 US Female Athletes of the Year 2024 (5-1)

Last time, we started our countdown of the top female athletes in the United States in 2024, focusing on their remarkable performances in events like the Diamond League and the Paris Olympics. Now, it’s time to spotlight the very best.

Here’s a closer look at the top 5 female athletes of the year:

5. Anna Cockrell
Taking the number 5 spot is Anna Cockrell. Her 2024 season was a breakthrough year. She delivered her best performance at the Paris Olympics, taking home a silver medal in the 400m hurdles with a personal best of 51.87 seconds. It was a race to remember, with Cockrell proving she could handle the pressure of the sport’s biggest stage.

Her season was marked by consistency and growth. At the Golden Gala in Rome, she claimed victory with a strong time of 52.59 seconds. She followed that with solid showings at major meets, including a second-place finish at the Memorial van Damme in Brussels and another silver in Chorzów at the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. These performances underscored her ability to compete against the best in the event.

Cockrell also shined at the U.S. Trials, securing her place on Team USA with ease. Her focus and determination carried her through a packed season and culminated in her Olympic success.

At 26, Cockrell is on an upward trajectory. Her silver medal in Paris signals a bright future, and she has firmly established herself as one of the top names in the 400m hurdles. More podium finishes are likely on the horizon for this talented athlete.

4. Tara Davis-Woodhall
Tara Davis-Woodhall’s 2024 season was one for the books. The long jumper had a standout year, capped by her Olympic gold medal in Paris. Her winning jump of 7.10 meters at the Stade de France was the highlight of a season filled with big performances. It also completed an impressive double, making her both the outdoor and indoor world champion in the same year.

Davis-Woodhall showed her class throughout the year. She started strong with a win at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston and kept improving. In March, she claimed gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow with a leap of 7.07 meters. Her consistency carried into the outdoor season, where she won in Rome and dominated at the USATF New York City Grand Prix with a personal best of 7.14 meters.

At 25, Davis-Woodhall has become a model of focus and determination. Her Olympic performance solidified her as a leading name in track and field. With her athleticism and mental toughness, she’s set to achieve even more. The gold in Paris might be her biggest moment so far, but it’s clear there’s more to come.

3. Valarie Allman
Valarie Allman’s journey to becoming a two-time Olympic champion in 2024 started far from the discus ring. As a child, she competed on a dance team, practicing ballet, jazz, and tap. She didn’t pick up a discus until high school, and even then, it was more about joining the throwers’ spaghetti dinner than finding a new sport. But once she started throwing, there was no turning back.

In Paris, Allman defended her Olympic title with a winning throw of 69.50 meters. It wasn’t just another gold medal; it was the 1,200th in U.S. Olympic history. Her performance was a statement after finishing with bronze and silver in the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. This time, she was unbeatable.

Allman’s 2024 season had been leading to this moment. Earlier in the year, she set a personal best of 69.86 meters in Suzhou, cementing her place as one of the greatest of all time. She dominated every major competition, including the Diamond League. Her consistency and technical precision stood out at every event.

In Paris, she showed why she remains at the top. With another gold medal in hand, Allman looks poised to keep throwing her way into history.

2. Gabrielle Thomas
Gabrielle Thomas had an outstanding 2024 season, particularly in the 200m, where she established herself as one of the top sprinters globally. At the Paris Olympics, Thomas captured the Gold medal with a time of 21.83 seconds, cementing her status as the best in the 200m.

Leading up to the Olympics, Thomas was in top form. She won the USATF New York City Grand Prix with a 21.82-second run and also took the top spot at the London Diamond League. Her ability to bounce back from past challenges was clear throughout the season, and she kept improving when it mattered most. At the Diamond League meet in Brussels, she ran 21.75 seconds, further proving she was among the fastest sprinters in the world.

At the Paris Games, Thomas didn’t stop at just the 200m. She was part of the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams, both of which took Gold for Team USA. This made her the only athlete to win three Gold medals at the Olympics.

Her Gold medal in the 200m was the highlight of a remarkable year. It showed that her hard work and preparation had paid off, solidifying her place among the top athletes in the sport. Thomas’ success in Paris leaves no doubt that she is one of the brightest stars in track and field.

1. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had another standout year in 2024, solidifying her place as the top sprinter  in the 400m hurdles and winning the coveted female track athlete of the year at the World Athletics Awards. At the Paris Olympics, she delivered a stunning performance, breaking her own world record with a time of 50.37 seconds to win Gold. She left her biggest rival, Femke Bol, far behind, proving once again that she’s in a league of her own.

Before the Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone showed her dominance at the U.S. Trials in June, setting a new world record of 50.65 seconds. Her consistent form was evident throughout the year, as she triumphed in the 110m hurdles, 200m, and 400m, all while facing fierce competition.

At the Paris Games, just one day after celebrating her 25th birthday, she broke her own world record again, securing her second Olympic gold in the 400m hurdles. McLaughlin-Levrone also helped the U.S. team defend their 4x400m relay title, running the second leg in a relay that clocked in at 3:15.27. That time was a North American record and the second-fastest ever, just 0.10 seconds shy of the world record.