Portia Woodman-Wickliffe named in Time's 100 Most Influential People in Sport

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Portia Woodman-Wickliffe takes photos with fans.

Photo: Iain McGregor / www.photosport.nz

Former Black Ferns star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe has been named in Time magazine's inaugural list of the 100 most influential people in sport.

The 34-year-old has been included in the 'Icons' category of the list alongside the likes of NBA star LeBron James, Argentina football legend Lionel Messi, World men's tennis No.1 Jannik Sinner, Formula One champion Lando Norris, baseball star Shohei Ohtani, WNBA star Caitlin Clark, and skiier Mikaela Shiffrin.

Woodman-Wickliffe retired after leading the Black Ferns Sevens to a second gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but came out of retirement to help New Zealand try and win a third consecutive Women's Rugby World Cup.

Photo: Iain McGregor / www.photosport.nz

The Black Ferns lost to Canada in the semifinals in England, but Woodman-Wickliffe added to her legacy by becoming the all-time leading try scorer in New Zealand rugby history-men's or women's.

The winger's 50th international broke the record held by former All Blacks wing Doug Howlett.

A two-time World Rugby Women's Player of the Year, the 34-year-old Woodman-Wickliffe announced her second retirement in February.

"As I step into this next chapter of my life," she said in a statement, "I feel both excited and a little nervous, but I'm ready," she said at the time.

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe of New Zealand scores a try, O’Reilly Cup, New Zealand Black Ferns v Australia.

Photo: Kerry Marshall/www.photosport.nz

There are three categories in TIME's 100 most influential people in sports for 2026, Icons, Titans and Leaders.

Some of the Titans included were Victor Wembanyama, Rory McIlroy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Alex Morgan and golfer Jeeno Thitikul.

The Leaders included athletes and non-athletes such as boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex.

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