A number of the world’s most renowned and respected female athletes, including Naomi Osaka and Megan Rapinoe, have spoken out online after a jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd.Chauvin was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, with the footage sparking widespread protests against racism across the world.The 45-year-old was found guilty on three charges –– third-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter, but has yet to be sentenced.The outcome has been deemed a defining moment for the US justice system as police officers are seldom convicted for deaths that occur in custody. This outcome is suggestive of how similar cases will be treated from now on.Taking to social media, many female sports stars and organisations shared their thoughts on the verdict and offered their support to the black community.

These included Naomi Osaka, one of the world’s leading tennis players, who has won four Grand-Slam titles in her career so far. One of these wins came at the US Open last year, where Osaka wore a different black mask for every match –– each with the names of different African-American’s who had been killed in recent years.

The 23-year-old voiced her sadness on Twitter last night. While the sentencing of Chauvin represents an important step in combating racism, Osaka emphasised that it’s taken years of discrimination to reach this point.

“I was going to make a celebratory tweet but then I was hit with sadness because we are celebrating something that is clear as day,” she stressed.

“The fact that so many injustices occurred to make us hold our breath toward this outcome is really telling.”

Megan Rapinoe, the US National Women’s Football Team captain, also spoke out last night, offering support to George Floyd’s family and the rest of the black community.

The former FIFA Women’s Player of the Year has been a vocal advocate for racial equality since 2016, when she took the knee before an international fixture in 2016, showing her solidarity with NFL star Colin Kaepernick.

Rapinoe tweeted: “Sending love and strength to Minn today, to the family and community of #GeorgeFloyd and so many others. Whatever happens, #derickchauvin killed George, we know this. Let’s continue to fight for a world where this doesn’t happen. #DefundThePolice #BlackLivesMatter."

Other sporting organisations offered similar messages of support, including Washington Spirit, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association and Team USA.

Read what they said below: