18 Feminist Moments From The Olympics That Deserve To Win Gold

Who run the world? πŸ’ͺπŸ…πŸ’ͺ
From left to right: Ibtihaj Muhammad, Simone Manuel, Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles.
From left to right: Ibtihaj Muhammad, Simone Manuel, Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles.
The Huffington Post

The Rio Olympics have been filled with badass women ― and many have left their feminist marks.

While there has been a fair share of sexism in Rio, it has been offset by serious girl power. From Katie Ledecky smashing world records to the super humans that are the Final Five ― these Olympic games have shown the power, perseverance and willpower of female athletes.

To honor these talented Olympians and all that they stand for, we’ve rounded up 18 of the most feminist moments to come out of the Summer Olympics. From tennis star Andy Murray reminding a reporter that women can and do dominate tennis, to a gymnastics floor routine set to a BeyoncΓ© song, to some wonderful moments of sportsmanship, it’s been a pretty damn awesome few weeks.

Below are 18 feminist moments from the Rio Olympics that had us cheering.

1
Simone Biles Reminded The World She's "The First Simone Biles"
Tom Pennington via Getty Images
After winning the gold medal in the women’s individual all-around on Aug. 11, the 19-year-old gymnast insisted that she be credited for her own achievements.

β€œI’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps,” she told Sporting News after accepting her second gold medal. β€œI’m the first Simone Biles.”

Hell yes, Simone.
2
Andy Murray Reminded A Reporter That Women Dominate Tennis, Too
On Aug. 13, British tennis star Andy Murray won the gold medal at the men’s singles final. Afterwards, a BBC reporter congratulated him for being the first β€œperson” to win two Olympic tennis golds.

Murray's response? Solid gold: "To defend the singles title, I think Venus and Serena have won about four each."
3
Swimmer Fu Yuanhui Gave A Candid Comment About Her Period
NurPhoto via Getty Images
The 20-year-old Chinese swimmer, who's known for her great attitude and funny faces, recently revealed that she got her period before the 4x100-meter relay on Aug. 13.

β€œMy period came last night and I’m really tired right now,” Fu told a reporter. β€œBut this isn’t an excuse, I still did not swim as well as I should have.”

Her honesty was refreshing and so important, especially in a culture that still treats women’s periods as a taboo subject.
4
North And South Korean Gymnasts Took A Selfie Together
During practice, North Korea’s Hong Un-Jong and South Korea’s Lee Eun-Ju took a selfie together, smiling and holding up a peace sign.

Now that's what good sportsmanship looks like.
5
Shot Putter Michelle Carter Had An Awesome Body-Positive Message
Alexander Hassenstein via Getty Images
After becoming the first American woman to win gold in shot put, Michelle Carter expressed an empowering message about body image and self-love.

β€œI’m in a sport where people don’t look at us like women, they don’t look at us like being girls, or feminine,” Carter told the AP. β€œBut I’ve been girly all my life and so I couldn’t separate... between the sport and being a woman."

Earlier this year, Carter told The New Yorker that it's just fine to be feminine and be a badass competitor. β€œI think now, it’s like, β€˜You know what? We’re girls and we can throw heavy balls and be in the dirt and we look good while we’re doing it,’” she said. β€œI think it’s bringing more attention to the sport and girls are realizing, β€˜Hey, I can do this and it’s O.K. to do this as a girl.’”
6
Every Time The Final Five Hugged
Lars Baron via Getty Images
Forget their world domination in the Olympics, these five American gymnasts -- dubbed The Final Five -- deserve gold for their awesome sisterhood. Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian have shown each other some truly amazing support and TLC through the games.

One awesome example of the team's unwavering support for one another came after Biles won gold and Raisman won silver in the women's individual all-around competition.

"I think I was more proud of Aly getting silver than me gold," Biles told ESPNW. "She's worked so incredibly hard during her comeback. She's one of my role models, and I don't think there's anyone I'd rather share the podium with. I'm more happy for her than I am myself."
7
The World Was Reminded Katie Ledecky Swims Like Katie Ledecky
Al Bello via Getty Images
In response to a sexist comment that 19-year-old American swimmer Katie Ledecky "swims like a man," NBC commentator Rowdy Gaines said, β€œShe doesn’t swim like a man, she swims like Katie Ledecky!”

We couldn't have said it better.
8
The Amazing Note Aly Raisman Got From Her Teammates
After winning silver in the individual all-around gymnastics competition, Aly Raisman had a wonderful surprise waiting for her in her room at the Olympic Village.

Teammates Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez left Raisman the sweetest note on her bed congratulating Raisman on her medal. β€œWe’ve looked up to you from the beginning of our elite careers and you’ve inspired us in so many ways," the two wrote. "We’re so thankful to have you cheering us on, and helping us through this Olympic journey.”

Raisman posted the note to Instagram, writing: "I have the best teammates."
9
Brazilian Gymnast Did Her Floor Routine To A BeyoncΓ© Song
Mike Blake / Reuters
Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade slayed her floor routine on Aug. 7 set to the tune of Queen Bey's "Crazy In Love." While Andrade came in fourth in the individual all-around competition, the gymnast won the hearts of Bey fans everywhere.

We were certainly "crazy in love" with her routine.
10
Simone Manuel Became The First African-American Woman To Win Gold In An Individual Swimming Event
Jean Catuffe via Getty Images
The 20-year-old American swimmer made history on Aug. 12 when she set an Olympic record in the women’s 100-meter freestyle, and won a gold medal.

β€œIt means a lot, this medal is not just for me. This is for a whole bunch of people who have come before me, and have been an inspiration to me,” Manuel told NBC after the race. β€œIt’s for all the people after me who can’t -- who believe they can’t do it. And I just want to be an inspiration to others, that you can do it.”
11
Sports Illustrated Recognized Who USA's 'Greatests' Truly Are
Sports Illustrated Twitter
SI's latest cover features swimming stars Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps, as well as gymnastics' "the first Simone Biles." And, reminder: Ledecky and Biles are both just 19 years old, so we feel confident that there is way more greatness yet to come.
12
Ibtihaj Muhammad Became The First U.S. Athlete To Win An Olympic Medal In A Hijab
Tom Pennington via Getty Images
Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad made history just by competing in the Olympic Games. But she didn't just show up -- she slayed, winning a bronze medal along with the rest of the U.S. Women's Fencing Team.
13
Michael Phelps Got Katie Ledecky's Autograph This Time
USA Swimming Twitter
Back in 2006, when Katie Ledecky was just 9 years old, she got her idol Michael Phelps' autograph. Just 10 years later, Ledecky is breakingher own world records at the Olympics, and the pair decided to recreate the photo -- this time, swapping places.
14
A 41-Year-Old Veteran Gymnast Wowed The Crowd
Dylan Martinez / Reuters
Uzbekistani gymnast Oksana Chusovitina is currently competing in her seventh Olympic Games. Yes, you read that correctly -- her seventh Olympic games.

Chusovitina, known as "Chuso" in the gymnastics community, first competed in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and has competed in every Olympics since. She has a 17-year-old son, who is one year older than the youngest gymnast on the American team, Laurie Hernandez.

During the women's vault competition, Chusovitina attempted a vault move so dangerous it's been dubbed the "vault of death." Although she didn't land it -- and unfortunately did not medal -- the 41-year-old gymnast won our hearts with her gutsy performance.
15
Team USA’s Basketball Coach Refused To Let A Sexist Line Of Questioning Slide
Garrett Ellwood via Getty Images
The U.S. women's basketball team is hands-down dominating the Olympics. Apparently, not everyone's happy about it.

When a reporter asked coach Geno Auriemma if he thinks it’s bad for basketball that his team is so dominant, the veteran women's coach responded perfectly:

"We live in that Trumpian era where it’s OK to be sexist and degrade people that are good, just because they’re the opposite sex. We are what we are. We’re never going to apologize for being that good. We’re never going to apologize for setting a standard that other people aspire to achieve.We got a guy in the pool with a USA swim cap on who nobody can beat. And if he wasn’t in swimming, there would be a lot of other guys with gold medals. So, it is what it is. The world needs times when such great, great teams or great individuals are doing great things, that other people can talk about and other people say, 'Wow, wouldn’t it be great to be at that level?' These are Olympians. They’re supposed to play at a high level.They’re professionals, they’re supposed to put on a show, they’re supposed to entertain. So, what are we supposed to do? Just go out there and win by a little?"
16
Two Runners Helped Each Other Finish A Race -- And Perfectly Embodied The Olympic Spirit
During Round 1 of the women's 5,000-meter race on Aug. 16, Abbey D’Agostino of Team USA and New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin tripped over each other and fell to the ground. Both runners were injured, but chose to get up and finish the race.

β€œGet up, get up! We have to finish!” D’Agostino told her competitor, according to ESPN. β€œThis is the Olympic Games. We have to finish this.”

Now, that is what the Olympics are all about.
17
Simone Manuel And Katie Ledecky Showcased The Power Of Female Friendship
Getty Images
After Manuel’s history-making gold medal win in the 100-meter freestyle, she came back to her room at 2 a.m. to find Ledecky still awake and ready to hug her.

According to the New York Times:
"Before the 800, Ledecky did not have the best night’s sleep. She woke up on Friday with a sore throat that she kiddingly blamed on her roommate, Simone Manuel. After Manuel’s upset victory in the 100-meter freestyle on Thursday, Ledecky stayed awake to congratulate her. Manuel said she was shocked when she cracked open the bedroom door around 2 in the morning and was swallowed in an embrace by Ledecky.β€˜She said I’m not going to sleep until I give you a hug,’ Manuel said. β€˜That really meant a lot to me.’"

#FriendshipGoals
18
One Photo Summed Up How Athletics Cuts Across Cultures
A photo of an Aug. 8 women's beach volleyball game between Egypt and Germany proved that clothing does not define athletic skills. The Egyptian team was wearing full coverage uniforms, while the German duo wore bikinis.

Women should wear and compete in whatever the hell they want.

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