I'm still reeling with those incredible stories of the women who had stamped their class at the Paris Olympics 2024. Flipping back and forth between these pages, one could not help but conjure up a feeling of awe with a dash of admiration for their singularity and resilience.
Bhaker Manu, the world's youngest shooter to win two Olympic medals. What is inspirational in her story is how she rebounded from a very disappointing performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where the malfunction of her pistol caused her not to win. Instead, she worked towards the Olympics 2024 and created history by becoming the first Indian ever to win two medals in a single Olympics since the country's Independence.
I find Simone Biles' story quite inspiring too. She is the most decorated gymnast in history, thereby continuing to pioneer new levels of performance. What I appreciate the most is her bold fight during "the twisties," a psychological phenomenon many gymnasts suffer from when, suddenly, they cannot perform and connect their body and mind when executing the skill in the competition. Her journey is proof that one should never fear to take care of one's mental health and seek help if one feels the need to.
While reading stories of women at Paris Olympics 2024, I met Nada Hafez, a 26-year-old fencer from Egypt who competed while seven months pregnant. What hit my mind after reading her story is how she managed to balance pregnancy with an athlete career by confronting many problems, both physical and emotional. Her resolve and dedication tell me that where there is a will, there is a way.
I also read about Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer who was put through much scrutiny, including online abuse due to some misconceptions about her gender. Remarkably, however, she did not let her mind be caught up in the backlash but kept focus on the game. She emerged on top with a 5-0 convincing win against Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori to make her way into the semifinals of the women's 66kg category. No, her story is one of overcoming and staying true to one's self in a deluge of odds against her.
In digging deeper into narratives from the women of Paris Olympics 2024, it struck me how many and huge different experiences are. Then there's Yaylagul Ramazanova, an archer from Azerbaijan competing at six and a half months pregnant, and Elle Purrier St. Pierre, a new mom runner, making the 5000 meters with the fastest trial time run by any US woman. Then there is a case like Zeng Zhiying, a 58-year-old table tennis veteran who finally made it to the Olympics after she had already overcome many obstacles in her career, hailing from Chile.
By back-to-back examining these stories, there are the traditional notions of what it means to be an athlete that they challenge. Look at, for example, Ilona Maher, this US rugby player who has been described as being "overweight" despite which, this physique and sporting abilities she had. Her response to the criticism, "I'm going to the Olympics, and you're not," is a tough reminder that health and fitness come in all shapes and sizes. Instead of trying to fit into archaic notions, we should celebrate diversity.
As much as I do reflect upon the Olympics in Paris 2024, I do so with a lot of wonder at how outstanding women were in their lead charge and making marks on this world front.