Women weren't allowed to compete in the Olympic Games until 1900. That year in Paris, Switzerland's Hélène de Pourtalès, one of just 22 female athletes, became the first woman to medal, claiming gold in a team sailing event.
The U.S. women have competed with historic results at this year's Tokyo Games, winning 60% of the country's medals, and the overall field of some 11,000 competitors is almost 49% female – from teens to mothers to 66-year-old Australian equestrian Mary Hanna, a grandmother.
The International Olympic Committee is even touting these as the "first gender-balanced Games in history.”
Allyson Felix earned 11 medals, eclipsing Carl Lewis as the most decorated U.S. Olympic track star. Felix represents a new definition of motherhood for women, while weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz has proven that beauty and strength can go hand in hand.
We can be both strong and beautiful, Diaz told reporters after earning the Philippines its first gold.
Age is nothing but a number:Here's how the youngest Olympians finished at the Tokyo Olympics
As female Olympians garner world records and medals, they are also inspiring other women to dream bigger. Amber Rosa, a mom of three, said Felix inspired her to train and run again, despite previously feeling weighed down by motherhood. And 14-year-old Zoya Abina learned her physical strength relies on her mental health, thanks to gymnastics sensation Simone Biles.
"This year, Biles and other women Olympians showed me the power and duality of women. They don't just compete, they win. They can be strong, beautiful, vulnerable and tough, all at once," Rosa told USA TODAY.
'Women can do it too or even better'
Two young Olympians have outperformed in Tokyo, including the USA's Athing Mu, 19, who won gold in the 800 meters, and China's Hongchan Quan, who scored two perfect 10s on her path to a gold medal in the 10-meter platform diving event. She is just 14.
Also a teenager , Abina watched in awe as young Olympians made history and told herself she could do the same. Abina has two goals: To become the first in her family to graduate from high school and college and then a professional tennis player.
However, with no professional athletes in her family or trainers, Abina had begun to feel discouraged. Until she read that Diaz trained for the Olympics using just two water jugs.
And Abina had doubted herself until she saw Biles compete in the Tokyo Olympics despite mental health strains and her aunt's recent death.
A breakdown of Simone Biles' medals:Biles' bling: Every medal Simone Biles has won at the Olympics
"I was watching all these women outperform and I read their stories and obstacles and I realized that women can do it too or even better than anyone," Abina told USA TODAY. "So, I can do it."
Abina said whether she's training in her backyard with water jugs or in a gym, she will continue to push toward her goals – just like the women Olympians.
Mental health is part of physical health
Gabrielle Omar and Victoria Cruz both compete for their high school track teams in Louisiana. With two years left to land a college scholarship, Cruz said she had been training day and night during the summer. On the outside, she looked like a determined athlete, but said she was "crumbling mentally."
"I worked and worked but wasn't listening to my mental health and eventually that hurt my physically," Cruz told USA TODAY.
On a training day, when Cruz said she felt mentally distracted, she ended up injuring her right foot. When she saw Biles withdraw from the women's gymnastics final, citing her mental well-being, Cruz said she knew she should've prioritized her mental health.
Biles on mental health:Simone Biles speaks about her mental health and decision to pull out of events before beam
Like Cruz, Omar was also struggling mentally but didn't know where or who to turn to. She said when people looked at her, they saw an athlete who needed to train, not a teen who needed help. Omar had planned to continue to hide her mental health struggles until she heard Biles address her withdrawal from Olympic competition.
"I have to put my pride aside. I have to do what’s right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being. That’s why I decided to take a step back," Biles said at the time.
Two days after Biles' comments, Omar told her parents and track coach she needed time away from the sport to focus on herself.
"It just made me realize I'm a human and I don't need to run or compete all the time to feel something or be important," Omar told USA TODAY.
Motherhood doesn't have to be an obstacle
Felix is not only the most decorated track Olympian in American history, she's also advocating for mothers everywhere.
"Felix is the reason I realized we can do it all," Rosa said. 'Women can be great mothers and still fight and pursue their dreams."
Felix partnered with the Women’s Sports Foundation and sportswear company Athleta to create a grant program for athletes who are mothers to help the costs of child care. In 2019, Felix's New York Times op-ed called attention and changed Nike's pregnancy and maternal leave policy.https://infformationcentre.blogspot.com/
Felix's Olympic journey:"I feel at peace": Felix exits stage with record 11th medal
Rosa had her first child when she was 21 and dropped out of college to care for her. For years, she said she prioritized motherhood over her own mental health and life goals. Until she read the stories of Olympians who are also mothers.
"It's just silly to think motherhood is a hurdle to your dreams, you can be a mother and still have a career and ambition," said Rosa, who is working toward her biggest goal of attending law school. "Everything the women Olympians do, we can also get done."
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