Faster, higher, stronger–how women won big at Paris Olympics 2024

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was hours away from bagging a medal in the 50 kg wrestling competition at the Paris Olympics when she was disqualified for being 100 grams overweight. Phogat had defeated World No. 1 Yui Susaki in the round of 16 ending her 82-0 streak in international competitions. Her appeal for a silver medal was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday.

The same Olympics saw Algerian boxer Imane Khelif in the eye of a storm after several social media users, led by celebrities such as author JK Rowling, former US president Donald Trump, and X CEO Elon Musk, referred to Khelif as a ‘male’, sparking a gender debate.

After her opening victory against Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds, they claimed that Khelif was biologically male and called her participation in women’s events “unfair”. Khelif went on to win the gold. Fellow wrestler Lin Yu-Tung faced a similar backlash. 

Khelif also went on to file a legal complaint with a special unit in the Paris Prosecutor’s Office for “aggravated cyber harassment” naming Rowling and Musk for online bullying.

Women were at the centre stage of the recently-concluded Paris Olympics for different reasons. However, their sheer numbers and performances this time have been heartening and a cause for celebration.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), these were the first games with full gender parity, with an allocation of 50% quota places to female athletes and 50% to male athletes. This was seen across delegations and the sporting events–196 NOC delegations selected one male and one female athlete as their flag bearers; 28 out of 32 sports achieved full gender equality; there were 152 women’s events, 157 men’s events and 20 mixed-gender events and the staff and board of the 2024 Paris Olympics’ Organising Committee had a 50:50 ratio of men and women.

The icing on the cake? US women bagged 67 medals of their team’s total of 126, followed by Great Britain with 65. 

Breaking records and barriers

Despite the controversies surrounding gender at the Olympics, women continued to break both Olympic and world records. These include the US women’s 4x100m medley relay team of Regan Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh, and Torri Huske;  Aleksandra Miroslaw (Poland) - women’s speed climbing; Great Britain in the women’s team sprint; Lim Sihyeon (Republic of Korea) for archery; Katie Vincent (Canada) - women’s canoe single; and Lea Friedrich (Germany) - women’s sprint. American athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, broke her own world record in the 400m hurdles and won the gold.

While Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands created a new Olympic record in the women’s marathon, US swimmer Katie Ledecky won four medals in Paris, setting an Olympic record and raising her Olympic medal count to 14.

This year, for the first time, the Olympics women’s gymnastics podium saw entirely black women when Simole Biles, Rebeca Andrade, and Jordan Chiles won the top three medals for floor exercise. At 17, Algeria's Kaylia Nemour became the first African gymnast to win a gold medal. 

Making a statement

Paris Olympics 2024 saw heart-warming moments with women in the spotlight.

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez competed while being seven months pregnant beating USA’s Elizabeth Tartakovsky in the first round of the women’s individual saber competition, but lost to Jeon Hayoung in the next round.

She posted on her Instagram page.

“What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!” My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional. The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it."

After New Zealand won its Rugby Sevens match against Canada, spectators were treated to a performance of Haka, a war dance performed by its indigenous Maori people. The tradition that signifies pride, unity, and strength of a tribe while reflecting the culture of the winning team also celebrated its competitive spirit.

Meanwhile, it was shooter swag all the way at the Paris Olympics. Chinese shooter Zhang Qiongyue caught attention with three Hello Kitty stickers on her rifle, and South Korea’s Kim Ye-ji, sporting wire-rimmed glasses and a baseball cap, stood out for her signature style and calm demeanour.

If you thought Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec’s casual sharp-shooter approach to a silver medal was a striking moment in the Olympics, then his daughter’s sass also won millions of hearts.

She said, “I wished him success, gave him tactics. I motivated him so that he wouldn't be upset if he couldn't be first."

Chinese badminton player Huang Yaqiong was greeted with a proposal from her boyfriend and fellow shuttler Liu Yuchen right after she won a mixed doubles gold medal with her teammate Zheng Siwei. This viral moment, however, was ridiculed by social media users who felt that it upstaged her medal moment. 

And, finally, who can forget an entire stadium breaking into applause and rising to a standing ovation when Bhutanese marathoner Kinzang Lhamo finished last, 90 minutes after gold medallist Siffan Hassan? As they say, it’s the spirit that counts!

Former IOC president Pierre de Coubertin, who played a central role in reviving the Olympic Games, opposed women’s participation and called the Games "a solemn and periodic exaltation of male sport–with the applause of women as a reward."

Over a century later, women have come a long way in 2024 with gender parity–embodying its true spirit–faster, higher, stronger-together!