“Me,theanti-colonizer,” musician Olamide Asanpaola begins the caption on her TikTok video, “when black women started dominating US Gymnastics.”
In a post under the video, she writes: “The Olympics is the only time being patriotic is socially acceptable.” A string of alternating eagle and American-flag emojis follow.
Tens of millions of people have been tuning in to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which kicked off on July 26 and will end on Aug. 11. Those dates matter: They’re the only two and a half weeks when any of us jaded, exasperated young Americans muster some authentic patriotism as we cheer on decorated athletes across a panoply of sports. They’ve all achieved their (and our) wildest dreams to perform on this international stage, and we’re watching with wet eyes and bated breath.
And while there have been winners everywhere — both medalists and internet favorites — the women’s teams in particular, not just from the U.S. but around the world, have us mesmerized, yelling at referees through our screens, and smiling ear to ear as if we just won a medal ourselves.
Beyond their incredible physical prowess lies their mental strength, tested against a barrage of everything from injuries to sexism and racism. We’re spotlighting seven of those moments below — shows of athleticism and even greater shows of resilience.
Simone Biles’ triumphant return to the Olympics…
If there’s any athlete who’s both the embodiment of perseverance and a beacon of American Olympic pride, it’s Simone Biles. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the gymnast suffered from ”the twisties,” a state of dissonance between the body and mind while performing that can cause serious mental and physical injury. She subsequently withdrew from most competitions, though she pushed through to earn a bronze in what she says is the most meaningful medal of her career.
This leads us to today. Despite an injury to her left calf, Biles, now 27, soared through Sunday’s qualifying session with top scores on floor and vault ― but before she did that, she could be seen whispering to herself: “You got this.” The momentum continued into Tuesday, when Biles led the U.S. team to gold in the all-around gymnastics final and became the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in the process. Take that, MyKayla Skinner.
…and her symbolic middle finger to the haters
If the last few paragraphs didn’t make it clear, Biles is a certified GOAT. But in spite of all she’s achieved in her storied career, internet critics felt the need to give her grief over having“messy”andundonehair.
En route to the women’s finals on Tuesday, Biles posted an Instagram Story addressing these comments. “Don’t come for me about my hair,” she wrote. “IT WAS DONE but [the] bus has NO AC & it’s like 9,0000 degrees. Oh & a 45 min ride.”
“I used to worry about [my hair being considered] not professional,” Biles said in an interview with Elle earlier this month. “But I’m not embarrassed about it anymore.”
Suni Lee’s iconic comeback after serious health issues
Hmong American gymnast Sunisa Lee, Biles’ teammate, won gold in Tokyo and in the hearts of everyone watching in 2021. And with the way the 21-year-old is killing it in this year’s Olympics, it’s hard to believe that seven months prior, Lee wasn’t sure she’d even return to the sport.
Lee was diagnosed with two chronic kidney diseases in early 2023, which left her on bed rest for weeks, painfully swollen all over, and with weakened ligaments and tendons. After months of steroids and infusions, her doctors told her she was improving, which meant she could go back to training for Paris. While her training routine looked different, she made it — and made it big.
“This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics,” she wrote on Instagram last year. “It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things, and to hopefully inspire others to never let life’s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams.”
Nada Hafez, fencing like a boss while growing a whole human inside her
If there’s anyone who’s done hard launching right, it’s Nada Hafez, a fencer representing Egypt. On Monday, the 26-year-old athlete competed in the women’s individual saber against the U.S.’s Elizabeth Tartakovsky — and to celebrate the victory, she announced on Instagram that she’s seven months pregnant.
“The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it,” Hafez wrote.
Trolls continue to question her choice to come to the Olympics while pregnant, but Hafez is where she is because of her exceptional athleticism, both before and during her pregnancy. After all, she’s a three-time Olympian whose silver win in the 2023 African Championships qualified her for this year’s Olympics, and who made it to the top 16 in Paris.
Tina Rahimi speaking out against France’s hijab ban
For two decades, French authorities have waged a political war on hijabs, banning them in an effort to be secular that’s only had the result of encouraging Islamophobia and reinforcing leaders’ white savior complexes. This ban extended to the Paris Olympics, where it was announced that athletes who competed on behalf of France were not allowed to wear headscarves.
This rule singled out French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla, who wears a hijab. The athlete was initially forbidden from attending the opening ceremony; however, Sylla was allowed to wear a cap, so she ended up joining at the last minute.
Tina Rahimi, who is the first Muslim boxer on the Australian women’s team, also wears a hijab — and while she is allowed to wear her headscarf while competing, she made sure to raise awareness of the injustice.
“We all come together to achieve that one dream. To compete and to win. No one should be excluded,” Rahimi, 28, wrote on Instagram. “Discrimination is not welcome in sport, specifically in the Olympics and what it stands for.”
Coco Gauff continuing to advocate for herself
Coco Gauff was posited to fly through women’s tennis — after all, the 20-year-old is ranked No. 2 in the world for the sport, and she won the 2023 U.S. Open. But a controversial umpire call during her match on Tuesday left her in tears, awarded a point to opponent Donna Vekic of Croatia, and confused onlookers.
Gauff’s been wronged by umpire calls overandover. These calls are costly, both in the time and expense of training up until this point, and in being set back in a way that can alter the course of a game. And while Gauff ultimately lost this game against Vekic, and her shot at the women’s singles gold, her continued self-advocacy is admirable and inspirational.
Zeng Zhiying’s Paris debut — a dream four decades in the making
Zeng Zhiying is a testament to the fact that dreams can be actualized at any point in our lives. The 58-year-old debuted at the Olympics this year as part of Chile’s table tennis team, but her relationship with the sport has spanned her life.
Zeng was part of China’s table tennis team over 40 years ago. However, the sport’s transition to two-sided paddles put her off her game, and she ended up retiring at age 20, frustrated by the setbacks. After a move to Chile to teach table tennis, then a two-decade break, Zeng returned to the sport when the COVID-19 pandemic hit — and has been unstoppable since.
While Zeng’s Paris Olympic journey has come to an end, she’s content with the way things turned out, even reconnecting with former teammate Ni Xialian, who’s representing Luxembourg and is also crushing it.
“My dad was able to see his daughter qualify for the Olympics,” she told CNNof her 92-year-old father. “He used to take me to training and to matches when I was a girl and now at 57, I made it. I made it.”
