The Rio Olympics 2016 have brought a lot of attention on certain social issues, like the first refugee team competing in history. It has also been a reason for women all over the world to be proud. It has shown the prowess of true sportswoman and their will to compete.
Despite some commentaries that seem inspired in a sort of sexism, identifying one of them as the ‘wife of an NFL player,’ this Olympic heroines have made a name themselves and have risen far above expectancy. So we are not going to say who her husband is this time.
One of the best examples is the artistic gymnastics of Simone Biles. With only 19 years old and a height of 4 ft. 8, she’s a three-time world floor champion and has already gotten her first victory in the Rio Olympics, winning the gold medal on the Women’s team all-around.
While we still are on the subject of age, American swimmer Katie Ledecky, 19 also, has won two gold medals, one in London 2012 and the last one in Rio 2016, where she broke her own world record in the 400-meter freestyle. She also holds a record in women swimming with her seven individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championship.
The opposite happens with Oksana Chusovitina, who is the oldest gymnast in Olympic history. Not only that, but she’s also the only gymnast ever to compete in seven consecutive Olympic Games. And that’s not counting London 2012 since she retired in 2009 and returned to Rio 2016. With gold and a silver medal in her pocket, she has represented Uzbekistan, Germany, and even the Soviet Union.
However, there has been some criticism against some narrators that attribute the success of this female titans to their partners. NBC commentator Dan Hicks was disapproved on social media after he attributed the success of Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu to her husband who happens to be her coach at the same time. While it is true that her partner’s support was part of her success, Hosszu victory is only hers. Known as the “Iron Lady,” she broke the world record in the women’s 400-meter individual medley.
A similar scenario happened with Corey Cogdell. The trap shooting competitor won a bronze medal in the women’s category, but the Chicago Tribune Twitter account mention her as the “wife of Bears lineman,” with no name to be added. Readers of the Tribune has responded on social media with criticism about the what she was identified in the headline of an article about her. This forced the newspaper to change the title of the piece.
While there will always be people that will try to undermine the attention that female competitors receive, progress in sex equality is still constant and today is better than ever. Of all athletes, 45% are women, making Rio 2016 the Olympics Games with the highest female participation in history, as you can see in Vox’s infographics below.
That’s 4,700 women ready to make a difference, and show the world that they are not the weak sex, but record-breakers and astonishing athletes. If you still feel unsure, know that this year will be the first time there’s a competition for women’s rugby.
Source: Vox