Women have been making some incredible achievements in sport over the past few months.

And although female athletes still receive much less media attention than their male counterparts, there’s no denying that 2023 has been a really exciting time for women’s sport.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is now just days away, so there’s never been a time to shine the spotlight firmly on women who are doing amazing things in sport around the world.

Here are the top 5 moments in women’s sport that have captured our attention recently.

Arisa Trew lands 720 in front of Tony Hawk
Last month, Gold-Coast teenager Arisa Trew made history by becoming the first female in history to land a ‘720’ in a skateboarding competition.

The 13-year old superstar actually landed the two full mid-air rotations at the Tony Hawk Vert Alert in Salt Lake City in front of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, who was the first person to land the trick more than three decades ago.

Trew has been skating since she was 8 and will complete at the X Games USA in California later this month. She will likely compete at the Paris 2024 Games, and people are already betting she’ll be a medal winner!

Ash Gardner lands $558,000 in India’s Women’s Premier League auction
Earlier this year, Ash Gardner landed a record payday at the inaugural Women’s Premier League auction — making history as the first Australian sold after an unprecedented bidding war.

Gardner was sold to the Gujarat Giants for $558,000 — the joint second-highest bid. At just 25, the allrounder is the reigning Weber WBBL Player of the Year and hero of Australia’s opening win of the T20 World Cup with a five-wicket knockout.

Australia head coach Shelley Nietschke spoke after the announcement, calling Gardener “such a great allrounder.”

“She delivers in three skills,” she said. “She’s been really important for us over the last 12 months to two years, and even beyond that.”

“But I think what we’re finding in recent times is that she's really coming into her game and maturing as a cricketer. So she plays a key role for us.”

Lucy Small fights sexism in surfing at Kirra Longboard Klassic
When the Kirra Longboard Klassic announced there would be just one pro division open to both men and women instead of separate divisions, surfer Lucy Small was outraged. She decided to ask the organisers of the competition to split the $5,500 prize money into two divisions. The organisers rejected her request.

Small took matters into her own hands. Along with her fellow women surfers, they entered the division and filled up 15 of the 16 participant slots – making their own “women’s division”.

Women’s surf brand Soul Gypsy helped fund the cost of the $250 entry fee.

“When you have a mixed division like that, the chances of a man winning the money is a lot higher, so it’s not really fair,” Small told her followers on IG.

A week later, the organisers agreed to have a dedicated women’s division with equal prize money, which was funded by Heaps Normal, A T M O S E A, Childe Eyewear and Soul Gypsy.

What a spectacular win for women in surfing!

Jolien Boumkwo puts country before ego at European Team Championships
Jolien Boumkwo made international headlines last month when she ran in a hurdles race at the European Team Championships in Krakow, Poland — the catch being — she’s not a runner!

The 29-year old is Belgium’s national record holder in the women’s shot put. That day, she stepped in to run after two of her hurdling colleagues were out injured.

If Belgium didn’t send a competitor to the starting line, the team would be disqualified. Boumkwo stepped in, knowing that racing, regardless of where she placed, would give her country at least two points towards the final tally of the Championships.

What a fantastic champion — a true sportsperson, putting her team before her ego. In a post-race message which she shared on her socials, Boumkwo wrote, “My team is the most important thing for me. I couldn’t let it happen to lose by one point.”

“I really enjoyed the race. There were a few doubts in my mind but now I can tell I’m glad about this new experience.

Joy Neville becomes first woman to officiate at a men’s Rugby World Cup
Former captain of Ireland’s women’s team Joy Neville was named as one of the World Cup’s television match officials — the first woman to officiate at a men’s Rugby World Cup.

Having refereed the women’s World Cup final between England and New Zealand six years ago, Neville is a trailblazer for women in refereeing and in Rugby, having been a former Ireland Women Six Nations Grand Slam winner. She was also the first woman to be appointed as a television match official for a men’s Test match in 2020.

For the men’s Rugby World Cup, which is due to take place in France later this year, Neville, 39, will watch the games on a screen with multiple camera angles to assist the match referee.