Mildred Ella Didrikson, later to be known as Babe Zaharias, was a true inspiration of her time. Winning a string of Olympic medals (in javelin, 80m hurdles, high jump and shot put), breaking records for both javelin and the hurdles, Zaharias took the sporting world by storm in the 1930s.

Born in 1911, Zaharias also triumphed as a golfer, winning 10 golf majors, and 82 tournaments (pro and amateur) and going on to co-found the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

Due to her undeniable success and resulting ego, self-confidence boosting comments such as "Babe's here. Who's gonna be second?", which were jeered at her opponents upon entering the changing rooms, earned her a reputation as a troublemaker and made her widely unpopular.

After battling off colon cancer a few years earlier, Babe died aged 45 following the return of the disease in 1956. However, her achievements and efforts were not left forgotten. She broke the accepted models of femininity and female athleticism, paving the way for liberalisation within women's sport forever.