Our Top News in Women’s Sports

Hi all!

I’m Sonja, Inventory Planner and resident women’s sports expert here at Title Nine.  I’m excited to share the latest updates, with a special focus on all the amazing women competing in the Olympics! It’s important to spotlight these stories to give visibility to women leading, risking and owning in sports and in life. There are so many stories to share, but here are some of my top picks coming out of Paris:

1. How do you say “the women are dominating” in French? The female athletes of Team USA are on track to win more medals than the men.  So far, out of the top ten athletes with the most medal wins, 8 out of the 10 are women! Team USA’s first medal went to Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook, earning a silver medal in 3m synchronized diving!  It was the first Olympic medal for both divers and they were the first team to medal in this event for Team USA since 2012!

2. This is the FIRST Olympic Games to achieve gender parity – an equal number of female and male athletes competing!  The 1900 Paris Games was the first Olympics to include women. Only 22 women competed in five events (sailing, tennis, croquet, golf and equestrian), which was less than 3% of the 997 total athletes.

3. Being a parent is an Olympic sport of its own, which is why I’m so excited about the first ever nursery in the athletes village!  Track & Field Olympian Allyson Felix knows the pressures of being an elite athlete while simultaneously balancing motherhood, so she partnered with Pampers to create the nursery. “I think it really tells women that you can choose motherhood and also be at the top of your game and not have to miss a beat.”

4. Personally, one of my favorite moments from gymnastics was witnessing the first ever all-Black podium for floor exercise. While making history, Simone Biles and teammate Jordan Chiles (USA) recognized the greatness alongside them by bowing down to Rebeca Andrade (Brazil) as she accepted her gold medal. 
   
   Simone Biles is now the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history, the first woman to win two Olympic All-Around titles since 1968 and has the most Olympic gold medals by an American gymnast. Since 1976, every women’s Olympic All-Around champion has been under the age of 20 – until now. Simone Biles is 27 years old!
   
   **If you are already missing gymnastics – you’re in luck! Biles, Chiles and fellow gymnasts will be touring throughout the U.S. on their Gold Over America Tour. Tickets are on sale now!

5. The game opener for the U.S. vs. Japan basketball game averaged 3 million viewers which was more than all the Tokyo Olympic men’s and women’s basketball games, excluding the gold medal matches. The women’s basketball semifinals are on Friday, August 9th! The U.S. is going for their EIGHTH consecutive gold medal.

6. Who else was bitten by the rugby bug last week? Ilona Maher and the U.S. women’s rugby team have captured the attention of many new fans. Day 1 of the rugby sevens competitions set a new record for the highest attendance at a women’s rugby event with 66,000 fans! After being down 7-12 with 27 seconds left on the clock in the bronze medal match, the U.S. women’s rugby team made history by defeating Australia 14-12. A couple of tears were shed around the Title Nine office after they made history by taking home USA rugby’s first Olympic medal. If you missed the bronze medal match, I highly recommend rewatching! After their win, Michele Kang (owner of the Washington Spirit, NWSL) announced a $4 million gift to the USA women’s rugby program to go towards the growth of the sport, supporting athletes and coaches at the national level over the next four years.

7. It’s official – swimmer Katie Ledecky is now the most decorated female U.S. Olympian of all time! Ledecky’s running medal count is nine golds, four silver and one bronze. I also won’t forget to mention that she holds the TWENTY fastest times in the 1500m freestyle. 🤯

8. For the first time since 2012, the USWNT (soccer) are going to the Olympic gold medal match. Trio Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson are unstoppable – scoring 9 of the 11 goals the team has scored this Olympics. In their first tournament game against Zambia, three goals were scored in eight minutes by Rodman and Swanson, with Swanson scoring two goals in the span of 66 seconds!!!! The U.S. will face off against Brazil in the final on Saturday, August 10th. 

9. The lilac colored track is heating up!  Sha’Carri Richardson is a first time Olympian and now a silver medalist in the women’s 100m. The reigning world champion was dethroned by Julien Alfred (Saint Lucia) who secured the first ever Olympic medal for her country.  Gabby Thomas is an Olympic gold medalist in the 200m! Not only is she an Olympian but she’s a Harvard graduate with a Masters in Public Health from the University of Texas. When Gabby isn’t sprinting, she works at a clinic in Texas to help patients who don’t have access to healthcare.

10. Not all events in Track and Field are created equal. The Olympic Decathlon is still only open to men. Luckily, one of our longtime brand partners, Oiselle, is changing the game. This past weekend in Geneva, Ohio, Oiselle presented the first ever Women’s Decathlon World Championships! Thirty athletes competed from twelve countries. Daniela Alejandro from Puerto Rico won the Overall Developmental level and Allison Halverson from Armenia won the Overall Elite level.  

Female athletes are finally getting the attention and investment that they deserve, and it needs to be shared. Sport has the power to change what women and girls believe is possible. 

Got another favorite moment to share? Drop it in the comments. Thanks for tuning in! 

Sonja