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Entertainment August 25, 2016
Only the best of the best can qualify and compete in the Olympics. The success of female athletes this year is evidence of this. Between breaking world records and defying all odds, these women rewrote Olympic history books – some even before they arrived in Rio.
Here are 15 of the numerous women from around the world who helped make Olympic history this year.
Individuals:
The first gold medal of the 2016 Rio Olympics went to 19-year-old American rifle shooter Ginny Thrasher for the 10m air rifle event.
Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is not only the first American woman allowed to compete in the Games in a hijab, she also won (15-13) in her opening round against Ukraine’s Olena Kravatska. The 30-year-old went on to make history when she won a bronze medal in the women’s sabre event.
Chinese diver Wu Minxia won gold with her diving partner Shi Tingmao in the women’s synchronized 3m springboard at the Games. Thirty-year-old Minxia now has the most gold medals in diving as an individual (and woman!) in Olympic history. She is also the oldest woman to win an Olympic gold medal in diving.
55:48 seconds is now the time to beat. This year, Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjostrom set a new world record and won gold for the women’s 100m butterfly. Her inspirational performance led her to be the first Swedish woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming.
Dubbed as “one of the greatest athletes alive,” 19-year-old American swimmer Katie Ledecky splashed her own world record right out of the water at the Games this year. In the women’s 400m freestyle, she shaved off almost two seconds of her previous record to finish with a time of 3:56:46, and was almost five whole seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.
You may not know her name, but you should – Melissa Tapper was the first woman to ever compete in both the Paralympic and Olympic games. Tapper plays for Australia’s women’s table tennis team, and although she lost 4-2 in the first round of singles to Brazilian Caroline Kumahara, she’s earned a spot in history books.
Dipa Karmakar is not only the first Indian woman to qualify for the Olympics’ apparatus finals of artistic gymnastics, but also the first Indian gymnast in 52 years. She was able to snag the eighth spot in the qualifying rounds for vault.
Four-time Olympian Jo Pavey is the oldest track athlete in Olympic history. This 42-year-old British “supermom” is also the oldest European to win gold at the European championships.
21-year-old goalie Ashleigh Johnson hails from Florida and is the first black woman to compete in water polo for the US women’s team. She stands tall at 6-foot-1-inch tall and is the only player on the team that is not from California.
Nino Salukvadze is part of a very special duo that made Olympic history. She and her son Tsotne Machavariani competed for Georgia as the first ever mother-son duo to compete at the Olympics at the same time. Pistol shooter Salukvadze is 47-year-old woman and this was her eighth Olympics.
Representing Uzbekistan, 41-year-old Oksana Chusovitina is the oldest female Olympic gymnast. Chusovitina is also part of a very small group of mothers who chose to compete in international games after having children.
Chierika Ukogu is the first Nigerian to row on Olympic waters. The 23-year-old graduated from Stanford University and rowed for Nigeria during the Games, qualifying for the semifinals.
Canadian Janine Beckie broke the world record when she scored against Australia after only 19 seconds of play, making her goal the the fastest goal ever scored in an Olympic women’s football match.
Football legend Cristiane Rozeira of Brazil scored the most goals in an Olympic football match ever. She scored 13 goals against China’s team.
Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszú won gold and beat a world record set by Chinese swimmer Shiwen Ye for the women’s 400m individual medley at the Games. Her time was 4:26:36, over two seconds faster than the past record.
Teams:
The individual women who broke world records, won gold and defied all expectations about age and gender is an inspirational feat. But what about the teams who also made history at these games?
The entire 10-athlete Olympic Refugee Team that competed without a country garnered a great deal of attention this year, but the women on this team are worth mentioning. Syrian Yusra Mardini, who pushed a boat of 20 refugees for three hours to safety, competed in the women’s 100m butterfly and the women’s 100m freestyle. Runner Anjelina Nadai Lohalith of South Sudan qualified for the women’s 1,500m race. Along with Lohalith, Rose Nathike Lokonyen of South Sudan ran the 800m race. Last but certainly not least, Syrian Yolande Bukasa Mabika competed in Judo (70kg) for the Refugee Team.
Known as The Mighty Warriors, the women of Zimbabwe’s football team made history as the first ever Zimbabwean football team to qualify for the Olympics. They had also already qualified for the African Women’s Championship (AFCON), but this was their first time in a Summer Olympics arena. Although they did not receive any medals, because of their success, they helped shift the way women’s football is viewed in their country.
Egypt sent its first women’s volleyball team to the Games this year. Although Nada Meawad and Doaa Elghobashy lost the match against Germany, they are the first beach volleyball team from Egypt to qualify for the Olympics.
On day one of the Rio Olympic Games, Australia’s women’s swimming team, also known as “The Golden Girls,” broke world records. Cate Campbell, Bronte Campbell, Brittany Elmslie and Emma McKeon swam the 4x100m relay, won gold and broke a world record to finish with an impressive time of 3:30:45. Australia has dominated this event since 2004 and is looking to continue to dominate the competition in years to come.
American gymnasts Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kosher won gold at the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals at the Games this year. The Final Five obliterated their competition – they won eight points ahead of Russia – and made history as the first team to win back-to-back gold team medals.
