For the United States, performing well and winning big in the Olympics is almost an expectation. The prominence of American athleticism aside, this year’s summer games showcased a medal count to top all other out-of-country games for the USA. We know Team USA is a force to be reckoned with, so what’s the deal? This time the force was female, and we can’t help but wonder if we’re entering a new era for women in sports.
The athletic performances of American women in Paris, France during this year’s summer games was historic to say the least. CBS news took to Instagram to put the medal count into perspective; if the women representing the United States were their own country, they’d rank third in the world for the most medals won.
According to NBC Chicago, this year marked the fourth consecutive year that Team USA was made up of more women than men for the Summer Olympics. With 314 women and 279 men, Team USA became the first country to achieve over 3,000 total Olympic medals following the 2024 Summer Games, bringing home 126 medals across all events. Over half (67) of these awards were earned by female athletes, according to DiversityComm, including 24 of the 40 overall gold medals received.
Witnessing the growth of womens’ sports at such an international level has inspired patriotism and sparked pride in our hearts. When women’s sports were on the Olympic broadcast this summer, we certainly tuned in to watch.
While American gymnast Simone Biles has turned herself into a household name, with a total of 11 Olympic medals marking her spot as the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history, she is among many other impressive female athletes to have competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Biles and fellow gymnast Suni Lee represented USA Gymnastics as “the first team in Olympic history with two women’s all-around gold medalists,” according to NBC Chicago.
However, it’s impossible to acknowledge the success of Team USA’s female athletes without taking a look at swimmer Katie Ledecky, the most decorated female American athlete in Olympic history. Ledecky holds 14 career Olympic medals, and is second all-time after Michael Phelps for most decorated American Olympic athlete.
Also in the pool, Team USA swimmers Regan Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walksh and Torri Huske set a new world record for the 4×100 medley relay, earning gold, while Smith swam herself to a silver medal in the 200-meter solo, creating an American record in the process.
After breaking records and raising the bar for future American Olympians in almost every event, from rugby to basketball and more, the feminine force in France this year was groundbreaking.
UN Women, a global organization that advocates for gender equality, noted that, for the first time, there was an equal number of men and women competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Additionally, there were more women’s and mixed gender events than seen in past years.
As more female athletes get the media coverage they deserve, we hope the global attention women’s sports receive could literally “even the playing field.” We think international recognition at athletic events like the Olympics could be the push that changes the game for the trajectory of women’s sports in the future.
