The Olympics have been on for a week and already there have been some spectacular moments. From Michael Phelps adding 4 gold medals to his collection of 22 medals (and breaking a wild 2,168 year old Olympic record) to the USA men's basketball team absolutely dominating everyone, the Olympics have been providing everyone who bleeds red, white, and blue a reason to celebrate. However, one of the best things to come out of the games have been the inspirational women athletes emerging into the public eye. Just yesterday, Simone Manuel became the first African-American to win a medal in an individual swimming event, Katie Ledecky has been breaking swimming records at only 19 years old, and the "Final Five" gymnastics team are already one of the most popular teams at Rio.
Not only are the women athletes helping Team USA with their medal count, but they are providing young girls with inspirational role models as well. For example, two Olympic gymnasts on the "Final Five" team are currently extremely popular due to their talent and humility while performing. Those two are Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles, who helped the USA Women's Gymnastics Team win gold in the team all-around competition. Afterwards, Biles won gold in the individual all-around with teammate Aly Raisman won silver, and analysts are already calling Biles one of the greatest gymnasts ever. When looking at how they got to the Olympics, however, people truly realize how special they truly are.
Douglas first came to fame during the 2012 Olympics, winning gold medals in the team and all-around competitions. She is first African-American woman in Olympic history to become the individual all-around champion, as well as the first American gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions in 2012. She became a role model for many aspiring women gymnasts, and even wrote two books: Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith, and Raising the Bar. Her popularity followed her to Rio, and her modest personality and talent on the gymnastics stage helped her become an inspirational role model.
While Douglas became the first African-American woman to become the individual all-around champion, Simone Biles is on pace to win five gold medals (she has already won two). Biles is only 19 and is already the most decorated American gymnast ever. But her road to gymnastics was not easy- her birth mother was unable to care for her and her siblings due to substance abuse. She was taken in by her grandparents and was later adopted by her father and stepmother, Ronald Biles and Nellie Cayetano. She discovered gymnastics from a day-care field trip, where her current coach Aimee Boorman started to train her at the age of 8. Currently, she has fourteen gold medals (two from the Olympics), and trains thirty-two hours a week (she takes Sundays off for church).
For aspiring girl athletes, the stories of Douglas and Biles should drive them to success and help them become more confident. Along with other female athletes like Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky, young girls are gaining the inspirational role models they need in an ever-changing world. On a side-note, if anyone ever tells you that you "play like a girl", take it as a compliment. Because right now, women like the "Final Five" are helping Team USA win medals every day.
