The modern Olympics have always been about more than pure sport—when you have athletes representing the entire world coming together to make their countries proud, there will be triumphs and gaffes, culture clashes and political tensions, and moments of unity that make you believe in the power of sportsmanship and the Olympic spirit. The 2016 Games in Rio are no exception. As of this writing, we’re not even halfway through the games and there’s already plenty to talk about—particularly when it comes to the women of the games. There are more women participating in the Rio Olympics than at any other time in history, with about 4,700 female athletes competing out of the 10,444 total athletes. The U.S.’s 567-member team alone is a whopping 53% female. Let’s look at the highlights of the women’s performances and the struggles they’ve faced along the way:
Triumph of the “Final Five."
Of all the skilled athletes representing the U.S., the performance of the women’s gymnastics team is arguably among the most anticipated. The “Final Five” (Gabby Douglas (20), Aly Raisman (22), Simon Biles (19), Laurie Hernandez (16), and Madison Kocian (19)) brought home the gold in the team all-around finals, defending their 2012 team gold win in London. Douglas and Raisman were part of the celebrated London team, while this is the first Olympics for Biles, Hernandez, and Kocian. On Thursday, Biles won gold and Raisman took silver in the individual all-around final.
Ibtihaj Muhammad.
On Monday, August 8, Ibtihaj Muhammad (30) made history by becoming the first U.S. athlete to compete in the Olympics in a hijab, a traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women. “I feel like this is a great moment for Team USA to be even more diverse than we have in the past and I’m just looking forward to representing myself, my community, and my country,” said Muhammad.Muhammad, a saber fencer from New Jersey, won her opening round against Olena Kravatska of Ukraine, but later lost against Cecilia Berder of France.
Kristin Armstrong.
As of Wednesday, August 10, Kristin Armstrong is the only Olympic cyclist (male or female) to win three straight gold medals in the same sport. Armstrong tackled slippery roads on a hilly course to get the top spot in the women’s time trial in cycling. She came out of retirement for these games, despite undergoing hip surgeries in 2013, and hopes that her performance can inspire other female athletes. Armstrong, who celebrated her 43rd birthday on Thursday, and has one son, said, “I think that for so long we’ve been told that we should be finished at a certain age. And I think that there’s a lot of athletes out there that are actually showing that that’s not true.”
Lee Eun-ju and Hong Un-jong.
In the week before the Games started, South Korean gymnast Lee Eun-ju decided to take a friendly selfie with a fellow athlete during a training session—now both gymnasts, Lee and North Korea’s Hong Un-jong, find themselves the center of attention. With political tensions between the two nations currently at a high due to North Korea’s pursuit of its missile program, the coming together of two of their athletes to share a friendly picture has been seen as a ray of hope. Though neither country has officially commented, Lee is now being viewed in South Korea as “an Olympic icon”, for this small act of unity, despite not making it to the finals, while Hong will likely not face any reprimand due to her past athletic achievements. Considering how it was feared Hong would be punished for making nice with the enemy, that’s quite a relief.
