@fu There are differences in physical capabilities that motivate some of this. On average, males are more muscular, so in things like sprinting and weightlifting, they do better. Women tend to excel in certain other sports. (And in super long distance running, men are still slightly ahead, but based on body composition, I expect women to pass them within a few years.)

This is also why there's controversy about transgender athletes. In some cases, an athlete who would have been uncompetitive in the men's sport soars to the top when competing in the women's sport.

Now, this isn't every sport. For example, I don't think that there's any significant difference between the sexes in performance for baseball and softball. If there is a difference, it would be pitching speed and hitting distance. That said, I haven't seen top athletes in either sport compete head to head.