2015 was a great year for sports. From the Golden State Warriors to American Pharaoh, the year was filled with champions worthy of the headlines they received.

But what about the athletes that didn’t receive as much recognition? 2015 was still chalk full of sports stories that did not make the front page of the papers. Today, we recognize athletes in these niche sports and the achievements they made, both in and out of their respective sport, in 2015.

Simone Biles (gymnastics)

Many sports only receive the spotlight once every four years, when the world watches the Olympics. Gymnastics is one of those sports, which makes Simone Biles’ nomination for Sports Illustrated “Sportsperson Of The Year” that much more phenomenal. Biles is one of the biggest storylines entering the Rio Olympics. She has won 10 gold medals at the World Championships in the past three years, including four in Glasgow this year. In every event she qualified for, she walked away with a medal. She became the most decorated American gymnast at the World Championships in 2015. The last time Biles did not win an all-around gold medal at an event was the 2013 American Cup, her first major event as a senior gymnast. Never before has someone entered the Olympics as overwhelming a favorite to win gold than Biles. Her record breaking year helped her become one of ESPNW's Impact25 Athlete. By this time next year, Biles will be a household name.

Larissa Miller (gymnastics)

AP

Australia's Larissa Miller had to face a horrible distraction on her way to Glasgow. Miller had to take time off from training while fighting a legal battle against a man who sexually assaulted her between the ages of five and sixteen. Miller kept the abuse hidden as she rose the ranks of Australian gymnastics, but decided to become more open about her past now that her attacker is serving jail time. She has become an advocate for Bravehearts, a child protection organization, and is using her story to raise awareness. Meanwhile, Miller still was able to compete at the World Championships despite all her distractions and her late start to the training. The woman truly is a superhero.

Yuzuru Hanyu (figure skating)

Japan Times

Yuzuru Hanyu's 2015 didn't start out as great as he would have liked. Not only was he unable to capture his second straight World Championship, but his first event of the Grand Prix season ended in disappointment when he was outdueled by Patrick Chan in Canada. Those disappointments would only fuel Hanyu, and he was able to achieve hights even he did not think possible. Hanyu broke the world record in both the short program and free skate in Japan, and broke the record again on his way to his third straight Grand Prix Finals championship. The gap between Hanyu and the rest of the world is widening, and Hanyu admits that there is plenty left in the tank for him.

Bo-Mee Lee (golf)

ALBA

It is not a secret that a wage gap exists between women's and men's sports. It is an unfortunate consequence of the business. Women's sports are generally considered to be more niche because they attract a smaller audience, and therefor sponsors and leagues are unable to pay the massive salaries that the men enjoy. That is why what Bo-Mee Lee was able to accomplish is truly note worthy. Lee's dominance of the JLPGA Tour earned her 230 million Yen, or $1.8 million. That makes her the top earning golfer in Japan golf history. Not the top earning female golfer, but the top earning golfer, regardless of gender, on any Japanese tour. For comparison, Kyung-Tae Kim's dominance of the Japan Tour only earned him 165 million Yen. Lee had one of the greatest golf seasons ever, and she recently stated that she plans to play more in the United States next year. It will not be a surprise to see her at the top of a major leaderboard sometime very soon.

Katie Ledecky (swimming)

Reuters

Katie Ledecky has an unfair advantage against her competition in the pool - she is part mermaid. It is the only explination anyone has as to why Ledecky is so dominant against her peers. At this year's FINA Championship, Ledecky swam in five events, and walked away with five gold medals. She also broke two world records. Since 2012, when she made her international debut at the Olympics, Ledecky has never been beaten in the pool in international competition. Ledecky is expected to pick up a ton of hardware in Rio, and could perhaps be the story of the Olympics in aquatics. 

Wei Qiuyue (volleyball)

Getty Images

For most athletes, achievements come when they step up and take over a team. For Wei Qiuyue, it was the opposite - she saw success when she let someone else lead. Qiuyue was the captain of the Chinese women's volleyball team starting in 2008. She lead China to a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and won numerous international awards for her serving and setting. That success promptly stopped in 2012, when China failed to medal in London. Qiuyue had been battling a knee injury during that time, and after her disappointment in London, she decided to take time away from the team. She had knee surgery and sat out of competition for a year and a half. She was readded to the team in 2014, but the role of captain was already handed over to Hui Ruoqi. Instead of complaining about her new role, Qiuyue accepted her position on the team, and became an important piece of the Chinese national team. After helping the team win the silver medal at the 2014 World Championships, she played a huge part in China's victory at the FIVB World Cup. China enters the Rio Olympics as one of the favorites to walk away with the golf medal, and Qiuyue's new role is a reason for that.

Monica Abbott (Softball)

monicaabbott.com

American softball players struggled to find a place to play following the 2008 Olympics, when softball was taken off the rotation of Olympic sports. Several members of those dominant US teams have retired and moved on to other lives, whether it be in coaching, or a life outside of softball. Others moved to other countries where professional softball is a bigger deal and where players have the potential to make more. For those who wish to persue a professional softball career in the United States, there is National Pro Fastpitch, or the NPF. Monica Abbott, a member the 2008 United States Olympic silver medal team, has been playing full time in the NPF since 2010, but never had a stronger season than she did in 2015. The one time reliever for Jennie Finch had a 16-1 record for the Chicago Bandits, and gave up a total of five runs throughout the course of the season. She had an astonishing 0.31 ERA and 175 strikeouts, as well as two no hitters. She won the NPF's Pitcher Of The Year Award and lead the Bandits to an NPF Championship. Once a professional athlete hits 30, their career usually begins to decline, but for Abbott, who was once the NCAA Player Of The Year at the University of Tennessee, 30 appears to be the beginning of her prime

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