To State The Obvious, Women Are Already The Stars Of The Olympics

[sheshe2]

How can you watch Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky and say women’s sports aren’t awesome?

Even if you ignore the beloved U.S. women’s soccer team, women are doing awesome things in Rio de Janeiro everywhere you look. Most obviously, U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky, perhaps the best athlete in the world, is destroying her own world records and finally getting the national recognition she deserves.

Katie Ledecky shatters her own world record.

But two of her teammates, Dana Vollmer and Lilly King, both became national heroes on Sunday, too. Vollmer won a bronze medal in the 100-meter butterfly just 17 months after giving birth. King called out a Russian swimmer on national TV for her history of doping. “I’m not this sweet little girl, that’s not who I am,” she said later.

The U.S. women’s basketball team set a team record for margin of victory. American Kathryn Johnson delivered a devastating hit that woke the world up to the world that is women’s rugby. Ibtihaj Muhammad lost in the women’s individual sabre round of 16 on Monday, but she did make history when she became the first U.S. athlete to compete and win a match at the Olympics in a hijab.

snip//

Then, of course, there is the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, which completely destroyed the global competition with smiles on their faces Sunday. Hernandez, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and Madison Kocian beat out second-place China in the qualifications by almost 10 full points. For reference, China didn’t even beat last-place Belgium by that much. And as anyone who was watching can tell you, it was utterly transfixing to see five athletes perform their craft to near perfection. And there’s still much more to come.

But yeah, women’s sports aren’t fun to watch.


More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rio-olympics-women_us_57a8a6f8e4b056bad2163c12?section=&

It was breath taking to watch these woman soar.

[jberryhill]

1. Who says they aren't?

[CBHagman]

19. For what it's worth, I cancelled The Washington Post's TV Week...

...when I realized it only showed Michael Phelps on the cover for two weeks running. I have nothing against Michael Phelps, and obviously he is a great Olympian, but this is the world's competition and celebration, and Michael Phelps has a lot of company, including worthy teammates.

[oneshooter]

2. I see that you left out the first gold Medal winner.

Was it because she won it shooting?

[yeoman6987]

3. I noticed that to

She should be mentioned first with picture since she was the first medal for the United States this Olympics.

[sheshe2]

5. Please point out to me where that was mentioned in the article?

I did not write it, I posted it. Smh.

Tell you what, go find an article about her and post it.

[KMOD]

7. I think gymnastics and swimming

are much more popular than the air shooting competition.

But like sheshe said, you can always post an article on Ginny Thrasher.

Now back to the subject, our gymnastics team is incredible and I adore Katie Ledecky. Just watched Katie in an interview. She's very modest, and obviously incredibly talented.

[sheshe2]

23. Love ya~

[sheshe2]

4. There is no need for your rudeness.

There was no mention of her in the article I was posting.

What exactly is your problem?

[femmocrat]

6. It is sad that Gabby Douglas didn't qualify for all-around.

They should take them by their scores instead of by country. I wonder how much she was ahead of the fourth place finisher?

[rocktivity]

8. I've been wondering if the real problem was

that they didn't want two blacks competing.


rocktivity

[KMOD]

10. I don't think so.

We just have a wealth of talent on the gymnastics team.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

14. Ali did better than Gabby.

And the judges obviously thought so, too. This is not a race issue.

While 2012 was Gabby's year, this is not her year. She didn't perform consistently her last couple of competitions, and even fell completely off the balance beam twice.

Simone and Ali deserve to be the two to represent the U.S. in the women's all around. Gabby will win team gold with the rest of them.

[xmas74]

20. Ali was better than Gabby.

It happens. The rule is only two per country, which left her a number three. If that rule were lifted we would have an excellent chance of sweeping the all around.

[KMOD]

9. Agreed.

[kentuck]

11. Katie broke her own world record by almost 2 seconds !

That's unbelievable..!

[ProfessorGAC]

12. In The Bob Beamon Category

2 seconds is huge, just like when Beamon broke the long jump record by nearly 18 inches in one shot.

Very impressive.

[oswaldactedalone]

28. 22.5"

to be exact. They referred to his jump as the "mutation." Loved his reaction when he looked back and saw what he'd just done.

[ProfessorGAC]

32. Me Too

I was going into 7th grade, and i was a long jumper on the junior high track team, so of course i was watching track. (Of course in those days, that, boxing and swimming was about all they showed.)

As a stat geek even back then, i knew all the baseball and track records and stuff. So, i knew the record was 27'5" even as a kid. (I could long jump 40% of that back then!)

When he hit it, the markers were in meters so i was doing the math in my head as to where it needed to be for a record.

When he did it, i thought "i must have done the math wrong"! But, i didn't. He just blew the record away.

[sheshe2]

13. It was amazing to watch.

She was magnificent!

[Exilednight]

15. These sports are boring.

It has nothing to do with women sports. Swimming is just watching people go back and forth in a pool. Gymnastics just doesn't hold my attention. Soccer is the most boring sport on earth; seriously, 90 mins of game time and 3-2 is a high scoring game.

Diving has it moments, but I haven't seen it on TV yet.

Track and field has some decent events. I love watching pole vaulting.

Beach volley ball is pretty good at times too.

[WinkyDink]

16. Your statement about swimming at the Olympic level is Olympian. But not in a good way.

[Exilednight]

17. The only swim race I like is the medley competition.

Having to switch strokes every lap makes it more interesting.

[jberryhill]

18. Different strokes for different folks

There are just a couple of events in the summer games that hold my interest, but all of the water sports I like involve frozen water.

[xmas74]

21. Attend a swim meet, just once.

You'll never find it boring again, even if just on tv.

I loved it so much after watching my kid that I took the clinics and became a stroke and turn official.

[jberryhill]

22. I guess I burned out on it

From 7 to 14 I was on a swim team. It was great, of course, but I have a lot of memories of cold early summer mornings jumping into the water at 8 and swimming laps for what seemed like forever.

But, then again, I'll watch bike racing for hours. Road, track, cyclocross... and it drives other people batty.

[xmas74]

29. It can be a burn out

But watching it in person will bring it all back. The excitement is infectious.

[vinny9698]

24. All because of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act All thanks to LBJ

Title IX, made universities offer the same amount of scholarships to women as to men.
Before, the schools only offered men's scholarships or very little women's scholarships.
Thank you LBJ.

[former9thward]

25. The same LBJ who sent 50,000 Americans to their deaths in Vietnam?

No thanks. He is a war criminal.

[sheshe2]

26. A post.

On women's excellence in sports.

Trashed.

Thank you DU. You outdid yourself.

[oswaldactedalone]

27. Don't the female athletes

have mostly their husbands to thank?
I decided this Olympics I was going to start watching from day one instead of waiting to the middle of the first week then missing out on the developing story lines. The women in swimming and gymnastics have been tremendous to watch. Love the fact that Lilly King took down the Russian swimmer with the history of doping who was then allowed to swim at the last minute. She wagged her finger at her, then backed it up.
The gymnastics team was amazing. Hope they can keep it up.

[Bobbie Jo]

30. K&R

[mcar]

31. These women soar!

[FrodosPet]

33. Much love and respect for these talented young athletes!

[RockaFowler]

34. I think it's awesome that there are more women on our team, too

This has been an exciting Olympics so far. Look at Beach Volleyball Women - Walsh-Jennings is going for 4 in a row.

Katie Ledecky is amazing. She may get 2 more Golds before the games are over.

I just love watching the Women's Gymnastics team. All 5 gals are so impressive. Madison is so awesome on the Uneven Bars. Aly gave one of the best performances on Balance Beam. Oh and Laurie Hernandez - I love her. Simone Biles is so far above any other gymnast. And Gaby - the Flying Squirrel - looks like she's finally flying and having fun again.