Strongwoman

A strongwoman is a woman who performs feats of strength in a show or circus, or a woman who competes in strength athletics. Traditionally, strongwomen have had a special appeal, as women involved in demonstrated feats of strength were exceptions. Modern day strongwoman competitions test athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events.

Traditional strongwomen

Traditionally, strongwomen were featured as performers in a circus, or in vaudeville, music halls, or other venues, and engaged in feats of strength such as barbell lifting and human juggling.

Some famous traditional strongwomen include:

Miss Athléta (Athleta Van Huffelen) – Belgium (1865–1927)
Marie Sirois – Quebec, Canada (1865–1920)
Minerva (Josephine Blatt née Wohlford) – New Jersey, US (1869–1923)
Vulcana (Miriam Kate Williams aka Kate Roberts) – Abergavenny, Wales (1874–1946)
Miss Apollina (Elise Gillaine Herbigneaux) – Belgium (1874 – Unknown)
Charmion (Laverie Vallee née Cooper) – California, US (1875–1949)
Macarte Sisters – Great Britain Julia (1878–1958), Adelaide (1879–1908) and Cecilia (1881–1939)
Marina Lurs [ru] (Maria Loorberg) – Estonia (1881–1922)
Anette Busch – Estonia (1882–1969)
Katie Sandwina – Vienna, Austria (1884–1952)
Marie Ford – New York, US (1900 – Unknown)
Ivy Russell – Croydon, England (1907 – Unknown)
Luisita Leers (Martha Luise Krökel) – Germany (1909–1997)
Mildred Burke – Coffeyville, Kansas, US (1915–1989)
Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton – Santa Monica, California, US (1917–2006)
Joan Rhodes – London, England (1920–2010)
Reba Rakshit – Kolkata, India (1933–2010)
Jan Todd – Pennsylvania, US (born 1952)
Bev Francis – Australia (born 1955)
Charmaine Childs (aka Betty Brawn) – Australia (born 1965)
Becca Swanson – Papillion, Nebraska, US (born 1973)

Modern-day strongwomen

Jean Mills, World's Strongest Woman 2002

In recent years, the term strongwoman has come to refer to the women who compete in events such as the annual World's Strongest Woman and Arnold Strongwoman Classic competitions. Strongwomen compete in the sport of Strongman and the sport has become popular with female strength athletes over the past decade that there are several state and nationally sanctioned competitions that prepare amateur female athletes for national competitions that allow for the opportunity to compete as professionals. In all these contests, the participants compete in similar types of events that can be found in a Strongman competition. Such events include, but are not limited to:

Deadlift with various implements such as a barbell, axle, loaded frame, car, etc., all of varying weights
Squat with varying weight, often the barbell or axle is loaded with wagon or truck wheels that are larger than standard weighted plates
Atlas Stones or other natural stones
Loading Medleys
Overhead press using various implements such as an axle,^[1] circus dumbbell,^[2] log, keg, or block
Vehicle pull
Keg-tossing
Sandbag to shoulder
Conan's Wheel
Farmer's walk
Hercules hold
Fingal's fingers
Tire flip
Power stairs

Notable modern strongwomen

International Accolades

The table below summarizes the most decorated strongwomen in modern history with the most number of international wins in their careers (1st places only/ open weight and age categories only). Active Retired

#	Name	Country	Active	Competitions	Wins	Win %
1	Olga Liashchuk	Ukraine	2014–	23	9	39.13%
2	Donna Moore	UK / England	2012–	29	7	24.14%
3	Aneta Florczyk	Poland	2003–2008	8	6	75.00%
4	Inez Carrasquillo	Puerto Rico	2021–	14	5	35.71%
5	Victoria Long	USA	2019–2024	6	4	66.67%
6	Rebecca Roberts	UK / Wales	2017–	18	4	22.22%
7	Jill Mills	USA	2001–2005	3	2	66.67%
8	Anna Rosén	Sweden	2002–2012	8	2	25.00%
8	Jessica Fithen	USA	2018–2021	8	2	25.00%
10	Kristin Rhodes	USA	2008–2018	9	2	22.22%
11	Lucy Underdown	UK / England	2020–	12	2	16.67%
12	Andrea Thompson	UK / England	2013–	27	2	7.41%