February 8, 2017 in Modern Worthies Aisha Bakari Gombi "Queen Hunter" of Boko Haram Once she hunted antelope. Now she hunts Boko Haram.
January 31, 2017 in Modern Worthies Sima Azimi Afghan Wushu Master In Afghanistan, this Wushu trainer teaches women martial arts - to compete, and to defend themselves.
December 26, 2016 in Modern Worthies Bow Sim Mark Pioneering Wushu Master (and Donnie Yen's super cool mom) Donnie Yen is cool, but his mother is MUCH cooler - she started the first Wushu school in the United States, and is one of the grandmasters of the art form.
December 23, 2016 in Modern Worthies Freddie Oversteegen Nazi-Seducing Teen Assassin (Turned Nonagenarian) When she was a teen, this now-90-year-old woman would seduce and kill Nazis. Now she plays a mean game of Scrabble.
August 16, 2016 in Modern Worthies Meenakshi Amma The Sword-Fighting Granny Meenakshi has been practicing kalaripayattu for decades, and now teaches it to a younger generation -- including increasing numbers of girls.
May 3, 2016 in Modern Worthies Neetu Child Bride Turned National Wrestler Married off at age thirteen, Neetu has since taken up wrestling, winning a bronze medal in the 2015 National Games of India. She's currently aiming for the 2020 Olympics.
April 18, 2016 in Modern Worthies Gerda Geddes and Sophia Delza Forgotten Pioneers of Tai Chi in the West Prior to the "kung fu craze" of the '70s, two women were already spreading tai chi in Europe and America.
April 7, 2016 in Modern Worthies Lúcia da Silva Teixeira Blind Judo Master Lúcia Teixeira is a visually impaired judoka from Brazil who won second place in the 2012 Summer Paralympics, and will be competing again in the 2016 events.
April 1, 2016 in Modern Worthies Halah Al Hamrani Saudi Arabia's First Female Boxing and Kickboxing Trainer Practicing martial arts since she was 12, Al Hamrani now runs her own gym, Flagboxing (which is an acronym for Fight Like a Girl Boxing).
November 10, 2015 in Modern Worthies Jesse Jane McParland 9-year old sword-slinger When asked how she got started with martial arts, she explained "I used to do ballet ... but I didn't like it."