August 13: 2021: Our favorite (most inspiring) moments from women at the Tokyo Olympics
Female Olympians Were Next-Level Inspiring
As bummed as we are that the Olympics are over, we can't help but look back and celebrate all that women accomplished in Tokyo this year.
Winning on the real issues
Swimmer Katie Ledecky took home two gold and two silver medals in the 2021 games. Her new total of 6 individual gold medals is the most of any female US Olympian.
She doesn't let the success go to her head, though. After finishing 5th in the 200m free she said, “I think people maybe feel bad for me that I’m not winning everything but I want people to be more concerned about other things going on in the world where people are truly suffering."
It's about more than sports, though
Track star Allyson Felix made headlines even before the games began by partnering with sponsor Athleta to created a fund to support athletes who are mothers. That's a cause close to her heart — in 2018 Nike responded to news of her pregnancy by reducing her endorsement deal by 70%.
In an Instagram post from June she wrote, "The world doesn't need more shoes, but the world does need to see women wholly and meet them right where they are." We couldn't agree more.
She isn't the only one who knows that there's more to life than sports. Gymnastics star Simone Biles seriously impressed us with her example of solidarity — both with her teammates at the games and with gymnastics abuse victims around the sport.
Girl power
They're just a few of the dozens of female medalists from the US — in fact, if US women alone were a country, they'd still be in the top five for overall medal. Now that's some serious girl power.
Here are a few other top picks for the week...
READ: You Have More In Common with Olympic Athletes Than You Think
We may never know what it's like to win an Olympic medal, but we are all given unique talents, coaches, and the right DNA to run our race. It’s what we do with all those gifts that determines the outcome.
WATCH: 'Women Are Not Small Men' TED Talk by Dr. Stacey Sims
The sports performance industry has a gender bias. But Dr. Stacey Sims is s helping female athletes around the world by empowering them to understand their bodies and hack their routines for better performance.
LISTEN: Nastia Liukin on How to Win (and Lose) at Work
Olympic lessons apply to life beyond the gymnastics floor. Gold medalists Nastia Liukin opened up the ladies on '9 to 5ish' about blocking out external noise, moving on from failure, how to hype yourself up, and more.