Top 25 of 2016: #1 Sam Quek

The number one and top girl on the Top 25 of 2016 list is British Hockey player Sam Quek. Sam won Gold with the British Hockey team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, beating the Dutch team in the final. That Gold is still moderate success compared to some of her contempory's with multiple medals and other World Championships. Sam garnered huge hits by them entering the UK Celebrity Game Show ~I'm a Celebrity get Me Out of Here" which saw her hits sky rocket, She ultimately would finish 4th in that (which isn't considered in her success ratio)

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Top 25 of 2016: #2 Dafne Schippers

Dutch Sprinter Dafne is second place in this years top list. A fall of one place from 2015 when she was 1st on the Top 25. She was also second in 2014 so has finished in the top 2 every year we have run this Top 25 list. Despite a huge level of expectation going into the Olympics after her 2015 World Championships performance, Dafne only came out with a Silver in the 200m and finished down in fifth in the 100m Sprint. She has always been a hugely popular page on HWiS, as evidenced by her consistently high finishes in the Top 25. She first featured on the site in August 2014.

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Top 25 of 2016: #3 Jenny Rissveds

Swedish Mountain Biker Jenny Rissveds, who finished 10th in 2015 in the top 25, has now moved up to 3rd in the list. This is massively in part to her Gold Medal in the Mountain Bike in the Rio Olympics. She also was U23 World Champion in the Cross Country.  Jenny first featured on the site in February 2015, and she has always been amongst the most popular on the website.

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Top 25 of 2016: #4 Pernille Blume

Pernille Blume had a wonderful 2016. The 22 year old Danish swimmer won two Olympic medals in Freestyle. One in Gold at 50m and one at Bronze in 4X100m Medley relay. The Gold was Denmarks first in the pool since 1948. As a consequence Pernille was the flag bearer at the closing ceremony for the Danes. Pernille first featured on the site in December 2014, and has also featured a best of Instagram feature. Pernille is one of HWiS most popular girls, culminating a special Gallery made of all of the various pictures we have featured.

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Top 25 of 2016: #5 Gabriela Soukalova

Fifth spot this year goes to Biathlon athlete Gabriela Soukalova, or as she is now known followed this years marraige Gabriela Koukalova. Gabriela had a great year on the Biathlon World Cup, Winning the Overall event, with Pursuit, Sprint and Mass Start wins leading her to that. She finished third in Individual. The 27 year old Czech faired less well at the World Championships with two Fourth places as her best performances. She first featured on the site on November 2015 and has had huge popularity ever since, with the most page views in 2016.

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Top 25 of 2016: #6 Natalia Gaudio

the 6th spot on this years list goes to Brazilian Gymnast Natalia Gaudio. The 24 year old Olympian represented her country on home soil in the 2016 Olympics. Although she finished extremely lowly in the Olympics she still had a hugely succesful year culminating in her appearance so high up the top 25. Between the Pan American Games and the South American Championships, Natalia won 10 Golds and 5 Silvers. She first featured on the site in August just before the Olympics and has been popular ever since

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Top 25 of 2016: #7 Yana Kudryavtseva

The 19 year old Russian is in at 7th in the list. She won a solitary Silver at the Olympics, but such was the interest and attention this brief appearance at the end of the Olympics got, that she had a massive number of hits. The blonde bombshell has a Instagram account full of bikini selfies which helps to populate this page. HWiS featured her during the Olympics on 20th August in 2016. The silver she won came in the All-Around. Yana also won a Gold at the European Championships in Holon, Israel, in the All-Around

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Top 25 of 2016: #8 Ranomi Kromowidjojo

Dutch swimmer Ranomi Kromowidjojo is the 8th place on this years top of the year list. Ranomi is one of a rare breed on this years top 25 list, not medalling at the Olympics. Only one girl ranking higher didn't win a medal. She finished in the final in two individual events and also in the relay. Her great success came at the World Short Course Championships with a Gold, 3 silvers a bronze, and at the Long Course European Championships she won 3 golds and a silver.

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Top 25 of 2016: #9 Anna Sen

Anna Sen is the 9th place in the Top 25 of 2016. The Russian Handball player is the highest ranked player in the top 25 from her sport ever. The 26 year old won Gold this summer at the Olympics as Russia beat all before them to win gold. Anna was a vital part of that team. She first featured on the site in August during the Olympics, and immediately got huge hits.

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Top 25 of 2016: #10 Laura Kenny

Laura Kenny as she is now known after her marraige this year made her name as Laura Trott. Laura is part of British sports Golden couple, as both her and husband Jason Kenny are multiple Olympic Gold Medallists. Laura won two Golds this year to add to the other two she won in in London 2012, and with 4 Golds she is Britains most decorated female Oympian. As well as these she won Golds at the World Championships. Laura first featured on the site in July 2014, Amazingly this is her first appearance in the top 25.

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Top 25 of 2016: #11 Elena Lopez

Spanish Rhythmic Gymnast Elena Lopez Benaches was a medallist this year at the 2016 Olympics. She won Silver in the Group all round,  as well also winning two medals at the 2016 European Championships in Holon in Israel. She first featured on HWiS in August of 2016. She got a huge number of hits quickly, as consequence of getting the Silver medal.

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Top 25 of 2016: #12 Sanne Wevers

24 year old Dutch Gymnast Sanne Wevers comes in to the list at 12th. Sanne has never featured in the top 25 of the year before. She first featured on the site in September 2015, and had moderate interest until the Olympics this year, where the traffic searching for her exploded at the same time she was enjoying her greatest success. That was an Olympic Gold in the Balance Beam, the first Dutch womens gymnastics gold since 1928.

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