I believe that the best answer for this question is "are." You are referring to two parties here, both the lion tamer and the clowns. This would mean that your applicable verbs must also be plural. Since "are" is the plural version of "is," it is the most suitable word to use in this situation. Hope this helps.
You should start off with talking about an few female athletes that are famed around the world but don't make it too long.
