LaTasha Marzolla (Born on August 21, 1979 Paradise, CA) is an American Mixed martial arts fighter and kickboxer. She is noted for being a former Playboy glamour model. Latasha Marzolla has successfully combined her career as Playboy Model and Kick Boxer proving she is more than just a pretty face. She has appeared in several Playboy Special Editions series and was chosen as the 2004 Model of the Year.
Marzolla attended Las Vegas High where she participated with their junior varsity wrestling team. She decided to learn self-defense after her house was robbed and enrolled in Muay Thai with Master Toddy.
Marzolla pursued a career with the professional full-contact kickboxing promotion K-1 under the nickname of Venus. She has a kickboxing record of 9-3. In 2004, she also had a brief career in professional wrestling after signing with WWE to train in Ohio Valley Wrestling. She was released along with a fellow model Bobbi Billard due to injuries.
Along with Gina Carano, she appears in the 2005 quasi-documentary Ring Girls which is about five women who, under Muay Thai trainer Master Toddy, fight in Las Vegas and Thailand.
On May 30, 2009 she made her MMA debut, defeating Christy Tada by corner stoppage at the end of round 1 in a Tuff-N-Uff event in Las Vegas. Marzolla faced Kate McGray at Tuff-N-Uff on November 27, 2009.
Marzolla faced Nikki Rae Lowe at Tuff-N-Uff Futer Stars of MMA on October 22, 2010. She lost the fight via TKO after dislocating her elbow in the first round.
Julia Mancuso (born March 9, 1984 in Reno, Nevada) is an alpine ski racer with the U.S. Ski Team. She was the gold medalist in the giant slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics and the silver medalist in both downhill and combined at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She has also won three medals (a silver and two bronzes) at the World Championships, although she has only won four races in regular World Cup competition. Her three Olympic medals are the most ever for a female American alpine skier.
Mancuso's nickname among her U.S. Ski Team teammates and fans is "Super Jules". Following her Olympic gold medal in 2006, a ski run at Squaw Valley Ski Resort was renamed "Julia's Gold".
Mancuso was born in Reno, Nevada, and grew up in the Lake Tahoe area as the middle of three sisters, between older sister April and younger sister Sara. Her parents divorced in 1992. She attended The Winter Sports School in Park City, Utah, graduating in 2000. She resides in Olympic Valley, California.
Mancuso made her World Cup debut at Copper Mountain, Colorado, on November 20, 1999, at the age of 15. She scored her first World Cup points (top-30 finish in a race) during the 2001 season. While she often struggled in World Cup races over the next few seasons, she enjoyed exceptional success at the Junior World Championships, winning a record eight medals, including five golds in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
Her World Cup results improved dramatically during the 2005 season, as she climbed to ninth place overall from 55th place in 2004. At the 2005 World Championships, she won bronze medals in both the super G and the giant slalom competitions. Her unexpected gold medal at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, coming when she had never finished higher than second in a World Cup race, launched her to stardom.
After her coach gave her a plastic tiara as a good-luck token in 2005, she wore it over her racing helmet during several slalom races. She wore her tiara following her Silver Medal run in the Women's Downhill and again at the medal ceremony at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Mancuso competes using Volkl skis, Lange boots and POC helmets and armor. In December 2006, Lange announced that Mancuso would be the first-ever "Lange Girl Athlete", and be the subject of posters, images, and an "ongoing effort to showcase exceptional women ski athletes who are also attractive and inspiring".
In 2010, Mancuso launched her own lingerie line named Kiss My Tiara. Mancuso also models lingerie and has been memorably quoted as saying, "I think underwear is my calling. You can be feminine and fast."
During the 2010 Winter Olympics, VISA featured Mancuso in an animated story describing how as a child she had drawn a picture of herself as a gold medalist, and closing with a photograph of her after winning the gold medal in 2006. She also starred in a commercial for 24 Hour Fitness called 'Reach Your Potential', directed by Emmy nominee Brent Roske.
Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 5 in singles and World No. 5 in doubles. In a career limited by numerous injuries, she is still considered to be one of the greatest women's tennis players of all time, she has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002, becoming the first African American woman to achieve the feat during the open era.
Williams is the reigning champion in women's doubles at the Australian Open and the French Open. Her 21 Grand Slam titles ties her for twelfth on the all time list and is more than any other active female player except for her younger sister Serena Williams: seven in singles, twelve in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Her seven Grand Slam singles titles ties her with four other women for twelfth on the all-time list. Her five Wimbledon singles titles ties her with two other women for eighth on the all-time list. She is one of only three women in the open era to have won five or more Wimbledon singles titles. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships through the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments held. She is one of only five women in the open era to win 200 or more main draw Grand Slam singles matches.
Williams has won three Olympic gold medals, one in singles and two in women's doubles. She has won more Olympic gold medals than any other female tennis player. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at the same Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody in 1924.
With 43 career singles titles, Williams along with Justine Henin leads active players on the WTA Tour. Her 35-match winning streak from the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2000 Generali Ladies Linz tournament final is the longest winning streak since January 1, 2000.
Venus has played her sister Serena in 23 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 13 of these matches. They have met in eight Grand Slam singles finals, with Serena winning six times. Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they met in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, the first time in the open era that the same two players had contested four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals. The pair have won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles together. She is also one of only three active WTA players to have made the finals of all four Grand Slams, the other two being her sister Serena Williams and Justine Henin.
In professional women's tennis, Venus has played her sister Serena 23 times, accumulating a 10–13 record in the series. They are the only women during the open era to have played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals. They have met in a total of eight Grand Slam finals, ahead of the number of finals played by Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and by Helen Wills Moody and Helen Jacobs but behind the record of fourteen finals set by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Currently Venus has 43 career tennis titles, Serena has 37. Serena has 13 slams and Venus has seven.
In 2005 Tennis Magazine ranked her as the 25th-best player in 40 years in a controversial article. Most tennis experts consider Venus Williams 2nd all-time after her sister. Since this ranking, however, she has won an additional three Grand Slam singles titles.
On December 13, 2007, Williams received her associate degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with Cum Laude honors and a 3.5 GPA.
Williams's longtime boyfriend, pro golfer Hank Kuehne, has been a visible presence since Wimbledon 2007, holding her hand during long rain delays and clapping support from the players' box along with her parents and younger sister Serena. "He's a great guy", Williams said. "He understands competition. He's very supportive. I love having him here and everyone else in the box, too."
In 2003, Venus and Serena Williams's older sister Yetunde Price, 31, was shot dead near the courts on which the sisters once practiced. Price was the Williams sisters' personal assistant. The Williams family issued this statement shortly after the death: "We are extremely shocked, saddened and devastated by the shooting death of our beloved Yetunde. She was our nucleus and our rock. She was a personal assistant, confidante, and adviser to her sisters, and her death leaves a void that can never be filled. Our grief is overwhelming, and this is the saddest day of our lives."
Williams is the chief executive officer of her interior design firm "V Starr Interiors" located in Jupiter, Florida. Williams's company designed the set of the Tavis Smiley Show on PBS, the Olympic athletes' apartments as part of the U.S. bid package for New York City to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and residences and businesses in the Palm Beach, Florida area.
In 2007, Williams teamed with retailer Steve & Barry's to launch her own fashion line EleVen. "I love fashion and the idea that I am using my design education to actually create clothing and footwear that I will wear on and off the tennis court is a dream come true for me. The vision has been to create a collection that will allow women to enjoy an active lifestyle while remaining fashionable at the same time. I'm thrilled with everything we've created to launch EleVen."
In June 2009, Venus was named 77th in the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities compiled by Forbes magazine. In August 2009, Venus Williams became part-owners of the Miami Dolphins with sister Serena Williams. The announcement was made during a press conference overlooking the practice field. This made Venus and indeed her sister Serena the first African-American females to obtain ownership in an NFL franchise.Stephan Ross, the majority owner of the Dolphins, said "We are thrilled to have Venus and Serena join the Dolphins as limited partners. They are among the most admired athletes in the world and have become global ambassadors for the game of tennis. Their addition to our ownership group further reflects our commitment to connect with aggressively and embrace the great diversity that makes South Florida a multicultural gem."
In late June 2010, Venus Williams released her first book, entitled "Come to Win; on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession" which she co-wrote with Kelly E. Carter. In promotion of the book she embarked on a tour around America in support of the release, whilst also appearing on several talk shows including The Early Show and Good Morning America. This gave her a place on the top 5 The New York Times Best Seller List.
For more about Venus Williams Records and Achievements Visit Wikipedia
Leryn Dahiana Franco Steneri is a Paraguayan athlete who specializes in the javelin throw. Her personal best throw is 55.38 metres, achieved in May 2007 in Fortaleza.
Born in Paraguay (born 1 March 1982 in Asuncion) of Uruguayan parentage she broke the national records for the under 17 year age group in 1998 for both the javelin and triple jump. After winning bronze medals in 1999 and 2000 Franco won the South American Junior Championship javelin title in 2001. Franco was South American under 23 champion in 2004.
Her performances at world level are 24th in the 2003 World Championship and 42nd out of 45 at the Athens Olympics. Although she set her personal best in 2007 she finished 12th (last) at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. In 2008, she competed in the Beijing Olympics.
She combines her athletic endeavours with a career as a model and beauty pageant contestant. In 2006, she was runner-up Miss Universo Paraguay 2006. She participated at the Miss Bikini Universe pageant and also has her own calendar, which was shot in 2007 by Martin Crespo. She placed #86 in AskMen.com's 2009 "Top 99 Women" poll.
On 14 December 2009, Bleacher Report, a website that provides news and fans opinions of sporting events and self-described world’s leading publisher of original and entertaining sports editorial content, ranked her as No. 6 in its list of "The 40 Hottest Female Athletes Of The Decade" On 23 August 2010, Bleacher Report upgraded Leryn Franco to No. 1 in its list of "The 100 Hottest Athletes Of All Time"
Jennifer Marie Capriati, Born March 29, 1976 in New York City, is a former professional tennis player, ranked number one in the world for a short time, and the winner of three women's singles championships in Grand Slam torunaments. Capriati won 14 professional singles tournaments during her career, along with one doubles championship. Capriati made her professional debut in 1990 at the age of 14 when she reached the finals of the hard court tournament in Boca Raton, Florida, losing there to Gabriela Sabatini. Capriati reached the semifinals of the French Open in her debut and later became the youngest ever player to crack the top 10 at age 14 years, 235 days in October of that year. Between 1990 and 1993, Capriati won six singles titles, including a Gold Medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, defeating Steffi Graf in the final. In 1998, Capriati won her first Grand Slam singles match in five years at Wimbledon. During the next two years, Capriati slowly returned to cmpionship form, winning her first title in six years in Strasbourg, France, in 1999 and regaining a top 20 ranking. At the 2001 Australian Open, the reinvigorated Capriati became the lowest seed to ever win the championship when she defeated Martina Hingis (ranked number one in the workd) in straight sets for her first Grand Slam championship. She also won the French Open that year, claiming the number one ranking in October. After successfully defending her Australian Open crown in 2002, Capriati became a top ten mainstay until injuries derailed her career in 2004. In 2005, Tennis magazine ranked Capriati number 36 in its list of the 40 greatest players in the 40 years of that magazine. Ongoing problems with her shoulder and wrist have prevented Capriati from competing on the WTA Tour. She has had several surgeries on her wrist and shoulder, most recently in 2007. Capriati has not officially retired, but she is widely regarded as so. In April 2009, it was announced that Capriati would appear on the ABC television reality series "The Superstars". The show, described as a revival of the 1970s series of the same name, premiered on June 23, 2009, in a co-ed format, with Capriati paired with singer and actor David Charvet, best known for his role as a lifeguard on the television show Baywatch. In the first episode of the show, they were one of the lower-performing teams and were sent into a run-off in an obstacle course race against basketball player Lisa Leslie and actor Dan Cortese. Capriati/Charvet won their race and avoided elimination. At the start of the next episode, however, which aired on June 30, 2009, it was suddenly announced that Capriati had re-aggravated a previous injury during the first episode's events, and that as a result she and her partner were eliminated from the competition.
Jenny Adams (born 8 July 1978 in Tomball, Texas, United States) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles.
At the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, she achieved her personal best time (12.63 seconds) and competed in the long jump as well. Her personal best in that event is 6.64 metres. Source Wikipedia.org
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. She is a former World No. 1 ranked player in singles and in doubles. As of 20 September 2010, Clijsters is ranked World No. 5
Clijsters was born on June 8, 1983, in Bilzen, Limburg, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. She is the daughter of Lei Clijsters, a former footballer, and Els Vandecaetsbeek, a former national gymnastics champion. Lei Clijsters died of lung cancer on 4 January 2009. Clijsters says that she inherited footballer's legs from her father and a gymnast's flexibility and stamina from her mother and her tennis instructor. Kim's younger sister Elke finished 2002 as the ITF World Junior Doubles champion and retired in 2004 after back injuries.
In December 2003, Clijsters announced her engagement to Australian Lleyton Hewitt, but their relationship ended in October 2004. In October 2006, Clijsters announced her engagement to American basketball player Brian Lynch, who is based in Kim's hometown of Bree. Clijsters gave birth to a daughter Jada Ellie on 25 February 2008.
Clijsters has won 39 WTA singles titles and 11 WTA doubles titles. She has won three Grand Slam singles titles at the US Open in 2005, 2009 and 2010. She has also won the WTA Tour Championships singles title in 2002 and 2003. In doubles, she won the French Open and Wimbledon titles in 2003. Clijsters was twice a singles runner-up at the French Open and a one-time runner-up at the Australian Open, also reaching two Wimbledon singles semi-finals. She announced her retirement with immediate effect on 6 May 2007, but almost two years later, on 26 March 2009, she publicly declared her intent to return to the WTA tour for the 2009 summer hard court season. In only her third tournament back, she won her second US Open title, becoming the first unseeded player and wildcard to win the tournament, and the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong in 1980. Clijsters is popularly known as one of the "comeback queens" of tennis.
In 2001 Clijsters became the first Belgian—man or woman—to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the Open Era. In 2003 Clijsters became not only the first Belgian—man or woman—to be ranked World No. 1, but also did so without winning a Grand Slam tournament. Clijsters is one of only five women to have been ranked World No. 1 in singles and doubles simultaneously (the others being Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Lindsay Davenport). Clijsters compiled a 90–12 singles record. Her singles win total was the highest single-season total by any woman since Navratilova in 1982. Clijsters was the first woman to play more than 100 singles matches in a year since Chris Evert in 1974.
In returning to the World No. 1 ranking after the Australian Open in January 2006, Clijsters broke a rankings record. She was ranked as low as World No. 134 in March 2005, so her return to the top spot in a ten-month span was the fastest and biggest leap in women's tennis history.
In 2010 First woman to retain the US Open title since Venus Williams in 2001. Second woman in the Open Era to win three successive US Opens in which she played. 21 consecutive US Open match victories, second all-time to Chris Evert's 31 from 1975-1979. Third woman to win two Grand Slams as a mother, one shy of the record by Margaret Court. Repeated her own 2005 feat of winning a women's sport record paycheck of US$2.2 million Broke the US$20 million mark in career prize money at the US Open
For her performance during the season, Clijsters received the WTA Player of the Year 2010 award for the second time (first one in 2005), the first player ever to win this award in the year following the win of the Come Back Player of the Year.
Clijsters won the 2011 Australian Open singles by beating Li Na 3–6, 6–3, 6–3; It was her first major win outside the US and her fourth overall. Clearly emotional, Clijsters declared that she finally had earned the title "Aussie Kim".
For more information about Records and Awards of Kim Clijsters visit Wikipedia.org
