By: Whitney K. Siehl
I was fortunate to attend the 2024 Paris Olympics with my family this year. My parents took me to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and it was a pivotal moment. It was the first time I saw full stadiums supporting women’s sports. I loved going to see the USA Women’s Basketball team with Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Dawn Staley. It inspired me to keep going with athletics.
Paris 2024 was the first Olympics in history with full gender parity, and it was thrilling to see women athletes competing at the highest level. For Team USA specifically, women successfully won 65 percent of our Gold Medals! Just a few highlights of the US athletes we were able to see compete included: the USA Women’s Basketball team in the semis that later became the first team in Olympic history to win eight straight Gold medals in any sport (yes, since 1992, including the 1996 games); Katie Ledecky became the most decorated American woman and 5th most decorated Olympic athlete of all time with14 medals, including 9 Gold – tied for the most by any woman in Olympic history, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone the first back to back Gold medalist in the 400 meter hurdles and set a new world record, Gabby Thomas won Gold in the 200 meters, Tara Davis-Woodhall won Gold in women’s long jump, and Suni Lee’s inspiring comeback from illness to win the Bronze in the women’s gymnastics uneven bars becoming the first American woman to win two medals in the event.
We also watched China’s fantastic women’s table tennis team, the thrilling women’s 3000m steeple chase, women’s marathon swimming in the Seine, and the Bronze and Gold medal women’s beach volleyball matches under the Eiffel Tour to close the trip. Additionally, Simone Biles made her triumphant return to become the most decorated American gymnast of all time. Traditionally, the men’s marathon closed the Games as it was viewed as the most challenging event. To recognize the historical significance of gender equality in athletes competing, the men’s and women’s marathon switched places, with the women’s race closing the Games. Sifan Hassan won Gold in an exhilarating women’s marathon finish, after winning Bronze in both the women’s 5000m and 10,000m. The women’s marathon medals were presented at the Closing Ceremony for the first time.
We did not get here without a struggle – in fact, the women’s marathon was not allowed in the Olympics until 1984, after tireless advocacy from many including Kathrine Switzer, the WBAI’s 2023 Women With Vision Award honoree. There is still a long way to go in equal pay, resources, and investment in women’s opportunities in sports and in all professions. Recent changes in the law for NIL has helped women collegiate athletes secure sponsorship deals. The past years’ growing support for women’s sports, in record viewership, attendance, and merch sales was unprecedented, and attending sell-out games brought me right back to my first Olympics experience. I am incredibly proud of the WBAI’s support through our 2023 events and partnerships with WNBA’s Chicago Sky and NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars, our CLE programming and the creation of the WBAI Sports Law Committee.
The growth in women’s athletics in the last year shows when you invest in women, they succeed. It is exciting for the next generation to have exposure to these incredible women athletes and to see that women can do anything. I hope to see you supporting our local women’s sports teams this year!
This article was originally published in the WBAI Fall 2024 Newsletter on page 28.