Celebrating international success: 20 Kiwi female athletes to watch

As International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world, Bonnie Jansen narrows down the best 20 Kiwi female athletes who shone on international stages in the past 12 months and the ones to keep an eye on this year.Michaela Brake - Sevens/Rugby LeagueMichaela Brake is everything we love about the Black Ferns sevens team – breaking tackles and scoring tries.In the side’s first match of the Vancouver Sevens in February, the 29-year-old broke the record for most tries ever scored in the women’s series, scoring her 257th in a 58-7 win over Ireland.In doing so, she broke teammate Portia Woodman-Wickliffe’s all-time record for the elite circuit.After helping New Zealand to another Olympic sevens gold medal in Paris, Brake announced that she’s set for an ultimate code-swap coup – kitting up for the Warriors in the NRL-W.The move means more entertaining oval-ball action for the fans, and an opportunity for Brake to prove her talent extends beyond the sevens pitch.Michaela Brake set records tumbling in Vancouver. Photo / NZRDame Lisa Carrington – Canoe RacingDame Lisa Carrington was naturally one of the first names I added to this list. How could she not be? The canoeing powerhouse swept her three events in Paris last year with wins in the K-1 500m, K-2 500m and K-4 500m.It brought her gold medal count to eight, surpassing the record of American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles.But the nine-time Olympic medallist isn’t done yet, recently hinting at mounting a campaign for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.“And we’re back. Let’s go. #LA28,” Carrington captioned a post on social media in January.Ellesse Andrews – Cycling, trackEllesse Andrews led the cycling team to help the sport become New Zealand’s most decorated at Paris – collecting three medals in her three events.The powerful 24-year-old seamlessly claimed gold in her specialist event, the keirin, then went on to win gold in the individual sprint and silver in the team sprint – earning her place as a finalist for the Halberg Sportswomen of the Year award.In February, Andrews set a world record on the final day of the UCI Oceania Track Cycling Championships in Brisbane.With her endurance background, the sprint star from the Paris Olympics clocked 1:04.697 in a qualifying time trial event that increased this year to 1000m, equal to the men’s.Racing at an average speed of 56km/h, this broke the first world record over the new distance for women of 1:07.287, set by Belgium rider Marith Vanhove recently at the Zolder Velodrome.Sophie Devine – CricketIn New Zealand, not enough is made of just how good Sophie Devine is. Since debuting for the White Ferns as a bowler all the way back in 2006, Devine has transformed herself into a world-class all-rounder, and one of the most destructive players in cricket.As captain last year, Devine led New Zealand’s charge to the Twenty20 World Cup in the UAE and ended a 24-year wait for silverware for the women’s side.Away from cricket, Devine has also used her platform to be open about mental health, and been a significant contributor to an issue that affects so many in silence.Sophie Devine. Photo / PhotosportCourtney Duncan – MotocrossThere’s a case to be made that Courtney Duncan might be New Zealand’s most dominant athlete. Now 29, Duncan has been competing in the WMX Motocross World Championship for close to a decade and has won four titles to show for it. In 2024, she switched teams from British Kawasaki-backed BIKE IT Dixon Racing to join Dutch outfit F&H Racing and finished fifth. But now having gone a year without a race win, it’s surely a matter of time before Duncan rediscovers her winning touch in 2025.Erika Fairweather – SwimmingIn a sport where Kiwis have typically been under-represented, Dunedin’s Erika Fairweather became New Zealand’s first world swimming champion in 2024.She dominated the freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships, claiming gold in the 400m, silver in the 200m and bronze in the 800m.At 20 years of age, Fairweather competed at her second Olympic Games in Paris and became the first Kiwi to reach four swimming finals at the pinnacle event. While Fairweather was one short of the podium, she can hardly be disappointed given the talent she lost to – Ariarne Titmus, Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky.Anna Grimaldi – Para AthleticsThree-time Olympian Anna Grimaldi unleashed an electrifying performance to earn the first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games for New Zealand.Grimaldi won the women’s 200m T47 final in a stunning Oceania record time of 24.72 seconds. She could have broken the world record but appeared to ease up late due to a comfortable lead.The 27-year-old Dunedin-based athlete later enjoyed a scintillating run to grab a brilliant bronze in the women’s 100m T47 final, recording another Oceania record time of 12.20s. It backed up her fourth-place finish in the long jump T47.Her 2024 success led to her winning the Para Athlete/Para Team of the Year award at the Halberg Awards in February.Anna Grimaldi claimed two medals at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. Photo / OIS, Adrian Dennis.CJ Bott – FootballCJ Bott has been a stalwart in the Football Ferns since her debut in 2014 and the linchpin of the squad. The 29-year-old defender is as rock-solid as she is attacking-minded. Playing in the English Women’s Super League for Leicester City FC, she has also represented Aotearoa at three Fifa World Cups and two Olympic Games.The Wellington-born footballer’s efforts for club and country in 2024 earned her recognition as one of the world’s best footballers, being nominated for Fifa’s Best XI awards.Zoe Hobbs - AthleticsThe 100 metres is arguably the feature discipline of the biggest sports event on the planet. This also helps make it one of the Olympics’ most globally competitive fields.She might not have been in the medals, but the top 15 in the world at the Paris 2024 Games makes Zoe Hobbs pretty damn impressive.The Taranaki product also finished just one spot off the podium in the 60m at last year’s World Indoor Championships. Hobbs is still only 27, too, meaning the first woman from Oceania to break the 11-second barrier may well have even more to come.Amelia Kerr – CricketThe best women’s cricketer on the planet. It’s not often that tag applies to a Kiwi, but Amelia Kerr earned it with her exploits in 2024.Already the most important player in the White Ferns, Kerr is now arguably the best all-rounder in the women’s game, with her top-order batting and wicket-taking spin making her a luxury with bat or ball.What’s more, at 24 years old, the best is still to come, and could even throw New Zealand captaincy into the mix to further highlight just how much of a star Kerr is.Lydia Ko – GolfThe best female golfer of her generation who just keeps winning. After claiming gold at last year’s Paris Olympics to complete the medal set, which may never be matched in golf, Ko won her third career major at the British Open and has eyes on the remaining two major trophies (US Open, PGA Championship) that don’t feature her name.In year 14 on the LPGA, Ko already has a victory under her belt, recently winning the HSBC Women’s World Championship.Liv Mackay - SailingLiv Mackay has undoubtedly established herself as one of the best Kiwi athletes, thanks to her remarkable achievements and relentless dedication to the sport of sailing.As a strategist with the Black Foils in SailGP, Mackay played a crucial role in 2024, securing five event wins and achieving the top seed from the regular season before finishing third in the grand final.Mackay has proven her ability to adapt across various formats, working as co-helm for Team New Zealand in the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona, where the team reached the semifinals. She also served as the skipper of the Live Ocean Racing team in the ETF26 Series.Mea Motu - BoxingDespite Mea Motu losing her world title in January, the Northland boxer has proven courage and commitment can get you anywhere.The mother of five and domestic abuse survivor travelled to Nottingham with her team from Peach Boxing to challenge IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine super bantamweight champion Ellie Scotney in a unification bout in 2024.Despite falling to a unanimous decision in the first loss of her 21-fight professional career and later being hospitalised with pneumonia and deep vein thrombosis, Motu still remains high in the ranks.With the 4 major boxing organisations, she’s still ranked No 3 with the IBF, No 6 with the WBO, No 7 with the WBA.Far North world boxing champion Mea Motu. Photo / PhotosportJorja Miller - SevensAt 20 years of age, Miller was the second-youngest recipient of New Zealand Rugby’s Player of the Year award in its 30-year history (behind Jonah Lomu). It was another piece of history in 2024 for the Timaru native, after becoming New Zealand’s youngest female gold medallist at the Paris Olympics.With the 2025 Sevens World Series already in progress, the pressing question now is whether Miller will switch codes. There’s speculation she might transition to union and join the Black Ferns as they prepare to defend their Rugby World Cup title in England this August.Alice Robinson - SkiingRobinson is one of the best giant slalom skiers in the world.She claimed a silver medal in the women’s giant slalom at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships in Saalbach last month, continuing a comeback on the international stage.Robinson was a breakout star of the FIS World Cup in the 2019-20 season, winning the opening giant slalom of the campaign in Austria, at the age of 17. She backed it up with another victory four months later.She underwent a bit of a barren spell on the slopes but has bounced back of late with five podium finishes last season before a victory in January, her first since 2021.Lulu Sun - TennisThe country’s highest-ranked tennis player only switched national allegiances in 2024. But the New Zealand flag never suited anyone more than when she marched onto the Wimbledon quarterfinals.Following the triumph, Lulu Sun was named the WTA’s newcomer of the year after a breakout campaign. She was ranked outside the top 200 in January 2024 before soaring to No.40 by the year’s end.She kicked off her incredible campaign by making her Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open before enjoying more success at the majors with her first Top 10 win over No.8 Zheng Qinwen as part of the quarter-final run at Wimbledon as a qualifier.Sun made history as the first New Zealand woman to reach the quarter-final stage in the Open Era.Lulu Sun. Photo / AFPZoi Sadowski-Synnott - SnowboardingThe first Kiwi to win multiple medals at the Winter Olympics, Sadowski-Synnott will look to add to her haul and legacy next year.She has the complete set of Olympic medals following gold (Slopestyle) and silver (Big air) in Beijing in 2022 and will be a strong contender to make it a golden double at the next Winter Olympics in Milan in under 12 months.In January, after returning from injury, the 24-year-old became the first woman to land a backside triple cork 1440 on her way to winning the slopestyle event at the X-Games.Katelyn Vahaakolo - RugbyVahaakolo had a stand-out year for her franchise and national teams in 2024.She played in six of their seven tests last year, scoring five tries. After starting four tests on the left wing, Vahaakolo provided some spark off the bench against Wales and England in the WXV 1 tournament.She also helped the Blues women to a stunning victory over the Chiefs Mānawa in the Super Rugby Aupiki final.The 23-year-old was named World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year for 2023, joining her All Blacks counterpart Mark Tele’a who picked up the award in the men’s category.The young star has positioned herself as a crucial player in the Black Ferns’ strategy to defend their Rugby World Cup title this August.Katelyn Vahaakolo. Photo / Getty ImagesMaddi Wesche - AthleticsDame Valerie Adams' storied legacy in shot put remained unbroken at the Paris Games, as Maddi Wesche showcased the ongoing strength of Kiwi athletes in the discipline.The 25-year-old Wesche earned a silver medal in the electrifying women’s shot put final, achieving a personal best with a throw of 19.86m.Throughout much of the competition, Wesche maintained the lead. However, in a dramatic final-round turn, Germany’s Yemisi Ogunleye made an impressive throw, surpassing Wesche and seizing the gold from the determined Kiwi competitor.Grace Nweke - NetballGrace Nweke – is netball’s complete package. She’s described by her New South Wales Swifts teammates as an “absolute weapon”.The 23-year-old started out in the ANZ Premiership with Auckland’s Northern Mystics, as a schoolgirl in 2019. She was a 1.93m player - that’s 6 foot 4 inches - who jumped.Each season she’s returned with improved body strength, movement and accuracy. She’s been integral to the Mystics premiership victories in 2021, 23 and 24. And no New Zealander will forget the impact her injury had on the Silver Ferns’ fortunes at the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town. Without Nweke, for the first time they missed the podium.Against all odds, New Zealand lifted the 2024 Constellation Cup against Australia for just the third time in 14 attempts. They took the cup 3-1, making the world champion Diamonds – at times – look like amateurs. That was due in no small part to Nweke.Fast forward six years and she’s walked away from New Zealand netball to Sydney where she’ll take the court from the first week of April. She’ll be lost to the Silver Ferns this season, but her contract is just for a year, and whatever happens in 2025 will determine which path her career follows.- Additional reporting from Jenny Woods.Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast, and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.