Historically, Black women in sports have faced challenges, including double discrimination because of gender and race. The Paris Olympics is showing us a number of Black women athletes from tennis and fencing to track and field and gymnastics that are blazing trails and making history.
I always look forward to watching the Olympics, as it really is magical. This year did not disappoint.
Naomi Osaka, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Simone Biles are Black women athletes at the height of their careers who have been vocal about mental health and public critique. They have shown us that it’s okay to acknowledge our personal struggles and do the necessary work to take care of ourselves. Osaka and Biles needed time away from their respective sports to prioritize mental health. Richardson returned to competition after a highly scrutinized ban from track and field.
They’ve all returned to the world’s biggest stage while also displaying different levels of vulnerability. Their stories have provided us a unique image of Black women. We are watching them at their absolute best. But we have to remember that they are human beings first; an idea that is often overlooked when it comes to Black women athletes, who sit at the intersection of racism and sexism.
Naomi Osaka lost in the first round to Angelique Kerber. As she spoke to the media, many thought it was disappointment but I saw determination in what she said: “I guess I need to learn how to win again. Maybe that’s something I forgot how to do. Maybe I have to keep playing matches against really good players to relearn that.”
Still, at just 26 years old, Osaka has accomplishments under her belt we have not forgotten — winning four Grand Slam titles and becoming a household name after beating Serena Williams at the 2018 US Open Final.
Watching Sha’Carri Richardson run is nothing short of breathtaking — literally. She entered the Paris Games as the fastest woman in the world — 10.71 seconds to be exact — set at the U.S. trials. Her hard work, tenacity and drive crushed the disappointment of a positive test for marijuana at the trials in 2021.
After the 100-meter final race, Sha’Carri went down on one knee, then she stood up, clapped calmly with her palms, then did her ritual of kissing her hand and pointed towards heaven. As she looked into the crowd of cheering fans, I could tell she was proud but torn.
Sha’Carri has spent the last three years recovering from a mistake, one that she was beaten down to the ground for, and I’m sure many counted her out. Seeing her in that moment was proof that mistakes do not to have define who we are, or who we strive to become. Her comeback was what we all needed.
When we think about talented gymnasts, several names come to mind. However, Simone Arianne Biles is not a typical talent. Her magic is so good that they had to create a new difficulty level to score her greatness. She is able to execute the most complex moves that her competitors are not capable of. She has multiple moves named after her. Her existence has transcended the sport. She is the GOAT and we’re all better for being able to witness her legacy.
Simone has won three gold medals in the Paris Games. She finished first in the women’s artistic gymnastics all-around and also earned gold in the women’s team final with fellow U.S. gymnasts Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.
There are obvious physical demands of gymnastics but there are psychological challenges as well. Simone’s withdrawal from the Tokyo Games in 2016 reminded us that mental health matters, at any level of success. Watching her also reaffirms that taking time to care for ourselves makes us better not weaker.
Just when you think it can’t get any better, 21-year-old Lauren Scruggs makes history as the first Black woman to win an individual fencing medal for the United States. In what has historically been a non-Black sport, she is inspiring young Black girls to get into the sport and take up space.
After seeing Star Wars at seven years old, the Harvard senior was inspired by her older brother to start fencing. As many Black women can attest, Lauren didn’t see anyone that looked like her in fencing. “I think in order to prove myself, I really had to be the best at the tournaments,” she said in a Good Morning America interview. She was accepted into the Peter Westbrook Foundation, an organization founded by Peter Westbrook, the first Black American man to win an Olympic fencing medal.
When audiences quickly applaud these Black women athletes, the racism and sexism they confront still play a role in challenges they face. For elite Black women athletes, to prioritize mental health and take time for self is like a confession of human vulnerability — a trait that too often gets treated like an abomination to success. Although they are often the main attractions on the Olympic stage, they are also Black women whose domination in overwhelming white sports has meant surpassing unattainable standards of perfection and reconfiguring them into their own.
Naomi, Sha’Carri, Simone, Lauren and so many more others — there is life in you and we feel it. We see it every single time you defy the status quo; fly higher; glide faster. You leave us speechless, questioning our own existence. When the match is over; when the race has finished; when the clock stops, we still see you and will always celebrate you.
Shoutout to the Black women breaking barriers and shining their absolute brightest.
