Olympics spotlight: 5 Empowering women defying limits

It captivates us every four years. Sports we didn’t know existed suddenly become an obsession. We become overnight experts in scoring synchronized diving and artistic gymnastics. We might even feel momentarily motivated to move more, temporarily inspired by the athletic excellence on display and the many personal stories of triumph and resilience. The ability of the Olympics to showcase the human spirit, arouse national pride, and promote unity is unparalleled.

Since the modern Olympics began in 1896, 30 Summer Olympic Games have been held in 21 cities. But Paris 2024 marks a historic moment in women’s sports and for female athletes, when, for the first time, the Games will feature an equal number of male and female athletes. The Olympic Games have always provided a global stage to celebrate and promote diversity and equality, and these advancements in gender equality showcase that progress is possible, empowering future generations to pursue their passions without barriers.

But this wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and determination of the women who broke down these barriers, with their tenacious spirit and levels of undeniable excellence, who are leaving a lasting legacy, cultural impact, and influencing societal attitudes towards sport and athletes. We bring you a list of the best of the best women to watch at the Olympics, coming from diverse backgrounds but united through their stories of athletic excellence, inspiring advocacy, cemented in positions as role models for future generations.

1. Simone Biles

Background: No list of female athletes would be complete without Simone Biles at the top. (No list of athletes in general, perhaps.) With 9 Olympic and 30 World Championship medals, she is already the most decorated gymnast in history going into Paris and an absolute legend of the sport. She pushes boundaries in every direction, known especially for performing extraordinarily difficult skills well.  As of 2024, she is the sole gymnast to have competed four skills valued at H or higher in the 2022-2024 Code of Points on floor exercise. She is also a champion of innovation and has five elements named after her. She is set to perform three of them in Paris – don’t miss a moment!

Spirit of Determination: Simone’s achievements don’t start and end in the gymnasium. She is referring to 2024 as her “redemption tour” having only returned to competition in August 2023 following her controversial decision to withdraw from all but the beam final in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to Covid), where she won bronze, for a relatively scaled-down routine. Biles explained that she was suffering from a severe case of “the twisties,” a not-uncommon psychological phenomenon where a gymnast loses spatial awareness while performing twisting elements. It can result in horrific injuries if not dealt with.

Inspired by fellow female athlete and Olympian, tennis player Naomi Osaka, who had withdrawn from several high-profile tournaments earlier that same year to focus on her mental health, Simone took the crucial decision to take a hiatus, becoming a powerful advocate for mental health awareness in the process. She has also overcome remarkable challenges to get to where she is, including growing up in and out of foster care, being falsely accused of doping, managing ADHD, and surviving childhood sexual assault. She has won too many awards to name here, but perhaps the most significant is the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest honor given to civilians. Awarded to her in July 2022, she is the youngest-ever recipient.

Current Focus: Simone has already led Team USA to gold in the women’s gymnastics team final, and secured gold in the all-around event in Paris, winning her fifth and sixth Olympic gold medals respectively. She now hasn’t lost an all-around competition in over a decade. She will compete on Saturday in the vault final, and on Monday in the balance beam and floor exercise finals. With three more medals up for grabs, I would say the redemption tour is definitely on!

2. Nino Salukvadze

Background: Nino Salukvadze, a 55-year-old shooter from Georgia, will make history in Paris 2024 by becoming the first female athlete to compete in 10 Olympic Games, tying Canadian showjumper Ian Miller, and setting a record for longevity in her sport. Her dedication and experience not only inspire athletes in her own sport, but women from all walks of life. She has won medals on three occasions while competing for three different Olympic teams due to political strife – gold and silver for the Soviet Union in 1988, then the Unified Team in 1992, and Georgia from 1996 onwards for whom she won a bronze medal in 2008.

Spirit of Determination: Born in Tbilisi, it has always been difficult for Salukvadze to practice shooting, particularly after the break-up of the Soviet Union. She had little to no ammo, her gun was older than she was, and there was often no electricity. Despite these challenges, at the age of 19, she set the junior world record in the 25m sporting pistol competition, a record she still holds today. She invented her own training system and techniques in her basement and uses them today to teach and inspire the next generation of Georgian shooters.

At the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Georgia and Russia were at war when Salukvadze won bronze and shared a podium with Russian silver medalist Natalia Paderina. The two rivals took the world by surprise when they warmly embraced and shared a kiss on the cheek. Salukvadze was quoted as saying, “If the world were to draw any lessons from what I did, there would never be any wars." Salukvadze also holds another historic record with her son, fellow pistol shooter Tsotne Machavariani, as the only mother-and-son duo in Olympic history to compete at the same Games.

Current Focus: After the Tokyo Olympics, Nino was convinced that her competitive days were behind her, but when her dying father, who was also her coach, made a last wish for her to compete for one last time, she couldn’t say no. She also felt compelled to advocate for gender equality, a cause very close to her heart. You can catch her on Friday in the 25m shooting event qualifications, with the finals on Saturday.

3. Clarisse Agbegnenou

Background: Clarisse Agbegnenou is a French judoka born to Togolese parents. She had a fighting spirit and survival instinct from day one, born prematurely with her twin brother, she overcame a kidney problem and spent weeks in an incubator after falling into a coma. She now fights in the -63kg weight division and has won the European title five times, the world title six times, the Olympic silver medal in 2016, and the Olympic gold medal in 2020.

Spirit of Determination: Clarisse has never met a cause she doesn’t want to fight for. She has always been a vocal advocate for gender equality in sports, emphasizing the need for equal access to opportunities and representation. She works hard to use her platform as a top athlete to highlight the disparities faced by female athletes, particularly athletes of color, including issues related to funding, media coverage, and participation.

Current Focus: Clarisse gave birth to a baby girl in June 2022, what transpired afterward has made her a pioneer for mothers in elite sports and an indisputable role model for generations to come. Just 10 months later, while breastfeeding, and with her baby girl Athena in the arena she won her sixth world championship, showing girls and women everywhere what is possible if you put your mind to it. In preparation for the 2024 Olympics, she campaigned heavily resulting in the French Olympic Committee agreeing to provide hotel rooms for breastfeeding athletes and their families during the Games. Usually, children are banned from the athletes’ villages.

Clarisse fought on Tuesday, taking the bronze medal in front of an adoring home crowd. And she got to hold her baby daughter aloft in a precious moment for everyone. She will be competing in the mixed teams event on Saturday. France is a judo-loving nation, with more people practicing the ancient martial arts here than anywhere else in the world. With 34% of those participants being female, it is not hard to see why Clarisse Agbegnenou is one of France’s most-loved sports stars. Through her advocacy, mentorship, and personal achievements, she plays a crucial role in promoting women's rights in sports and empowering young female athletes.

4. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot

Background: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is a pioneering French multi-discipline bicycle racer who currently competes in cross-country cycling, but has also competed in road bicycle racing and cyclo-cross during her career, winning the world title in each discipline. During the 2015 season, at the age of just 23, she achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first person in the history of cycling to hold all three world titles simultaneously.

Spirit of Determination: After the magic of her 2015 season, 2016 was a difficult year for Pauline. She fractured her tibial plateau during training in late November 2015, badly affecting her 2016 Rio Olympics campaign. She only finished 26th in the road race and was forced to abandon the cross-country mountain bike race. She then switched teams and took time to recover and refocus her efforts, but was more determined than ever to return to the top of her sport.

In 2022, she won the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships women’s race, adding a fourth discipline (gravel) to her skill set. She once again made history with a unique achievement: the first person to win the mountain bike cross-country marathon UCI World Champion title, the cross-country Olympic and the cross-country short track. This is a remarkable feat considering all three titles were claimed within three weeks of each other, and require notably different abilities and training. One is a 20-minute sprint while another is a four-hour test of endurance.

Current Focus: Twelve years after finishing 8th in the women’s road race at the 2012 London Olympics, Ferrand-Prévot returned for the 2024 Olympics in Paris to win a dominant gold medal for France in the cross-country mountain biking event. After suffering more than her fair share of heartache, it was a deserved win after she took an early lead. At the age of 32, she plans to retire from mountain biking at the end of this year with hopes of returning to the Women’s World Tour and riding the Tour de France Femmes. Pauline’s story is an inspiring tale of the human spirit’s ability to persevere and overcome setbacks if your desire is strong enough.

5. Michelle Tau

Background: Michelle is a twenty-seven-year-old Lesotho taekwondo athlete and beauty pageant contestant. Yes, you read that correctly. Tau was crowned the Face of Lesotho in 2017, going on to compete in the Face of Beauty International pageant in Delhi that same year. But growing up in a family of taekwondo practitioners, her dream was to represent the national team at the Olympics. She competes in the -46kg category and has won a bronze and a silver medal in the African Games and two bronze medals in the African Taekwondo Championships. She is just one of three Lesotho athletes going to the Games and if she wins a medal, will be their first-ever athlete to do so.

Spirit of Determination: Michelle’s story is a powerful statement that will give hope to many athletes, particularly in developing countries where resources are scarce, training conditions and facilities are challenging, and you need sheer will and determination to make things happen. But more than that, it is a powerful statement for women in sports, encouraging them to pursue their athletic dreams and break down stereotypes, challenging traditional gender roles and expectations in their communities.

Michelle is also an ardent champion of women’s rights, excelling in a sport that is usually male-dominated. She encourages women to break barriers, empower themselves, and learn self-defense skills to protect themselves against gender-based violence. She is the female taekwondo anti-doping ambassador for Lesotho and Africa, advocating for clean and drug-free sports, and demonstrating her commitment to integrity and fair play.

Current Focus: Tau qualified for Paris 2024 by winning silver at the 2024 African Qualifying event in Dakar. She is currently ranked number one in Africa and number three in the world and is determined to bring a medal home to her people. You can find out if she is successful in her quest starting Wednesday, August 7. Her dedication and rigorous pursuit of excellence make her an ideal role model and worthy of a spot on our list.

This combination of rising stars and established champions competing across an array of sports, is poised to ignite the Paris 2024 Olympics and showcase female athletic excellence like never before. Who else would you add to the list?