On Sept. 9, 2023, many people had their attention on the American tennis star player, Coco Gauff, who beat Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the U.S. Open Women’s Singles Final. They declared her winner of her first Grand Slam tournament victory. However, what shocked the world when she won was that at the age of 19, Coco Gauff became only the third American teenager to win the national women’s title.
Coco Gauff became a pro tennis player at the age of 14 in May 2018 and has now won a major title for her professional career. Are there any other young star athletes who are recently making huge accomplishments within their professional career at a young age? Yes, there definitely are! Here are a few that the media has laid eyes upon.
Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal is a 16-year-old professional Spanish football player who made his debut for FC Barcelona last season at the age of 15. Yamal recently broke a record for Spain’s football history. He became the youngest player to debut for Spain’s national team. Not only did Yamal succeed in getting called up to play for Spain’s national team at an incredibly young age, but he also scored his first goal on his Spain debut. Spain’s new prodigy Lamine Yamal has an exciting career ahead of him and no one is ready for what this 16-year-old will bring to the football world.
Linda Caicedo
At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the Colombian professional football player, Linda Caicedo, scored her debut match after overcoming cancer. Her professional career started at the age of 14 and she immediately became the top scorer of the Colombian Women’s Football League in 2019. At 15, in the earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Caicedo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After conquering her seven-month battle with cancer, she returned strong and was ready to focus on her football career. She started playing for Real Madrid in February of this year. Her debut score at the World Cup, made her the second youngest South American goalscorer in tournament history. It has been a journey for Caicedo but she’s not even close to done yet.
Ben Shelton
Alongside Coco Gauff, there’s another American professional tennis player who people have their eyes on and that’s 20-year-old Ben Shelton. Gauff and Shelton were the first Americans 20 or younger to have made it to the semi finals of the same Grand Slam since Venus and Serena Williams in 2000 Wimbledon. He became the youngest American male to compete in a U.S. Open singles semifinal in three decades. Shelton turned pro in late summer of 2022 and has made incredible progress, with a lot of the world now knowing his name. Shelton’s managed to win over crowds and the media through his vibrant and fearless victory celebrations. Shelton may have turned pro not too long ago, but he’s letting people know that he’s dialed in.
Salma Paralluelo
19-year-old Spanish professional football player Salma Paralluelo recently became a world champion. She’s won championships at U-17, U-20, and now at senior level. At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, she was named Young Player of the Tournament and the youngest player to score an extra-time goal. She had the spotlight on her at the World Cup due to the way she scored goals against the Netherlands and Sweden. She was the reason her team got sent to the semi finals for the very first time. Instead of being a substitute at the World Cup’s final round, she made her way to the starting lineup. She became known as a game changer and the key to Spain’s winning success. Many are looking forward to what she’ll bring in the next decade of her professional career.