Paris Olympics 2024: From Manu Bhaker to Simone Biles, 11 women who defied the odds

It has been a long since the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris when women competed for the first time in the games across 5 sports. It was only in the 2012 Games that women competed in all sports, and women’s boxing made it to the Olympic plan. Ever since then, the Olympics is known for incredible athletes pushing their limits. But some stories go beyond winning medals. They are about women who have faced challenges and still managed to succeed on the world’s biggest stage. From pregnant women facing challenges head-on, to young women outperforming others, to a new mom giving her best while getting her first postpartum period during the game – this year’s Olympics saw some groundbreaking women athletes who did not let anything come in their way. Let us look at 11 of the many strong women who have overcome barriers and obstacles to make history with their stories of triumph and strength!

Women athletes at the Olympics beating the odds!

When women do something extraordinary, they make heads turn! These women have made the headlines during the Paris Olympics 2024 for all the right reasons.

1. Manu Bhaker: Youngest Indian shooter

Manu Bhaker is the youngest shooter from India who has made the country proud by winning two shooting medals at the Paris Olympics 2024. She has become the first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympics since the nation’s Independence. The 22-year-old had represented India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but couldn’t win due to a pistol malfunction. She was disheartened – almost on the verge of giving up the sport – but she chose to come back stronger!

Hailing from the small town of Jhajjar in Haryana, India, she continued to focus on the Olympics 2024 and brought home two trophies, engraving her name in history. It ended a 12-year-old wait for India to win a medal in shooting. Inspiring others, Bhaker has raised bars for Indian sports and has become the flag bearer for India for the closing ceremony.

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2. Simone Biles: Mental Health Crusader

Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history, but things went awry during the Olympics 2020 in Tokyo. Born in Ohio, United States, Simone Biles started her gymnastics career at the age of 6. At 16, she won two gold medals at the Antwerp Championship. Following this, she made her debut at the Olympics in 2016 at the Rio De Janeiro Games. She claimed gold all-around, team, vault, and floor exercises and won a bronze on the balance beam.

After an incredible performance at the 2016 Olympics, Biles entered the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with high expectations. Instead of running for gold, Biles found herself stuck in an unexpected turn of events. During the team competition, Biles could not perform as expected, and later found that she has what gymnasts call “the twisties.” It is a psychological phenomenon that gymnasts experience when they can no longer control their body and mind when executing skills in competition, such as twists. A gymnast may perform more or fewer twists or flips than intended as a result of losing their sense of space and air awareness during a performance, according to the Chicago Council of Science and Technology.

However, she has bravely fought the condition and revealed details of it in the Netflix docu-series Rising. She was also subjected to online backlash when she decided to prioritize her mental health. During the tough time, she also was reminded of when she faced sexually harassment by former US team doctor Larry Nassar. She opens up about her struggles to overcome her past in the series. However, nothing stopped her.

Carving her path with unparalleled resilience and brilliance, Simone has won three gold medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris She currently holds ten Olympic medals, seven of which are gold. She is known as the “GOAT of gymnastics” as she has five gymnastics skills named after her, including The Biles, Biles (Vault), Biles II (Floor), Biles (Beam), and Biles II (Vault).

3. Nada Hafez: Pregnant Egyptian Fencer

All eyes turned to Nada Hafez, a 26-year-old fencer from Egypt when she revealed that she was 7 months pregnant while competing at the Paris Olympics 2024. In a social media post, she declared, “7 MONTHS PREGNANT OLYMPIAN!”

“What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby! My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional. The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it. I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16!” she writes.

Making her an inspiration all around the globe, Hafez experienced her best Olympian finish ever with securing a top-16 position after she was defeated by Jeon Hayoung of South Korea. She finished 36th overall in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and 29th in Tokyo.

4. Imane Khelif: Algerian Boxer

A woman boxer, Imane Khelif went viral after her winning bout against Italy’s Angela Carini who gave up after 46 seconds of fighting with her. Following her expulsion from the 2023 world championships because of an unclear gender eligibility test, Khelif’s participation in the Olympics in Paris has generated controversy. Her win against Carini only added fuel to the fire.

The International Olympic Committee stated that Khelif is eligible to compete in women’s boxing at the Paris Games 2024, but the backlash didn’t stop. Turns out, the 25-year-old has a rare condition called differences of sex development (DSD), which causes high testosterone levels and XY chromosomes in women. She was disqualified in 2023 because of her excessive testosterone levels, which also caused her to fail the gender eligibility test.

Even then, the boxer went through intense scrutiny and online abuse over misconceptions about her gender, which were refuted by the International Olympic Committee. Despite the continuous backlash, Khelif did not let it get on her nerves and won against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori with a decisive 5-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the women’s 66kg bout.

5. Yaylagul Ramazanova: Pregnant Azerbaijan Archer

An archer from the land of fire, Yaylagul competed at the Paris Games while she was six and a half months pregnant. She is the second archer from Azerbaijan to compete at the Olympics after Olga Senyuk, who competed in the Rio Games, in 2016. Being referred to as the “bad-ass” by some people on social media, the 34-year-old is being praised for her determination and dedication. She may not have won but her strong and focused performance is one for history.

6. Elle Purrier St. Pierre: New Mom Runner

Elle Purrier St. Pierre is an American track and field athlete who specializes in middle-distance and long-distance running. She qualified for the 5000 meters with the fastest trial time run by a US woman ever while dealing with her first postpartum since the birth of her 17-month-old son, Ivan. From doubting her comeback after giving birth to her son in March 2023 to achieving a milestone, the 29-year-old has achieved a milestone.

Struggling through her initial training runs, she questioned her prowess, however, her resilience kept her going and by September 2023, she was back racing at the 5th Avenue Mile in New York City, where she placed seventh which left her feeling apprehensive. Undeterred, Pierre broke her own U.S. indoor mile record in February 2024 and clinched gold in the 3,000 meters at the indoor world championships in Glasgow in March, setting another US record. Feeling motivated, she set personal bests and won the 5,000 meters at the Olympic trials in Eugene, securing her spot in Paris.

Her story highlights how pursuing personal dreams and professional goals can harmoniously coexist, showcasing the profound impact of motherhood on her career and personal growth.

7. Zeng Zhiying: Chile’s Table Tennis Veteran

Born in 1966 in Guangzhou, China, Zeng Zhiying started her table tennis journey at the early age of 9. However, her father’s and her dream of playing at the Olympics only came true this year. After facing a ton of hurdles in her table tennis career, the 58-year-old was finally seen competing at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Zeng became a part of the Chinese national team at the age of 16, but she had to announce early retirement due to a change in the “two-colour rule” which affected her game. Both sides of the paddle had to be two different colours and not black on both sides. She used to rotate the paddle to confuse her opponents and this sudden change affected her game drastically. Later, she got into the game again when she was asked to be a coach in Chile in 1989, which led to her winning two national-level tournaments in 2004 and 2005. However, she put that on hold when her son started playing sports. She returned to the game after 15 years during the COVID-19 pandemic when she had nothing much to do and as a medium to stay fit. As soon as the lockdown was over, she wanted to compete again. She began playing in regional tournaments for Chile and soon qualified for the 2023 South American Table Tennis Championships at the age of 57. And now, she is representing Chile at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Her story is an inspiration to many out there that it’s never too late to live your dream to the fullest. Even though she did not win, Zeng was happy to have competed and her family was there supporting and cheering for her.

8. Ilona Maher: ‘Overweight’ Rugby Star

The USA women’s rugby team recently won their first-ever medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. The star rugby player, Ilona Maher is known for her vibrant social media presence. Despite winning and performing diligently, Maher has been receiving criticism about her body weight with people calling her overweight. Using social media to address the issue, she became a powerful person challenging outdated health metrics such as BMI or body mass index. She admitted that her BMI is 29.3 which is considered overweight but she also said that BMI may not be the best way to measure weight for athletes.

She emphasized that BMI is an outdated measure for athletes, as it doesn’t account for lean muscle mass or physical fitness. At 5’10” and 200 pounds, Maher has 170 pounds of lean mass, which BMI fails to reflect accurately. Maher’s response to the criticism—“I’m going to the Olympics and you’re not”—highlights her belief in the importance of fitness and performance over outdated metrics. The American Medical Association calls BMI imperfect because it does not directly assess body fat.

Her journey exemplifies how breaking free from conventional standards can empower athletes and inspire others to value health and achievement beyond mere numbers.

9. Zheng Haohao: Youngest Skateboarder

After so many dramatic events at this year’s Olympics, the birthdate of one of the athletes has become the topic of discussion. Zheng Haohao, who is the youngest skateboarder from China at the Olympics this year, was born during the London Olympics 2012. While you wrap your head around that, she is busy working her way through the park bowl of the Place de La Concorde, shocking everyone with elegant ease and a toothy smile. This youngest Olympian is just 11 years and 11 months old. Not only is she the youngest Olympian at Paris 2024, but she is also set to become the People’s Republic of China’s youngest-ever Olympian. She propelled to popularity after she landed a incredible 540 spin at the Budapest Olympic Qualifier Series in Hungary. Now competing in France, she started her skateboarding career at the tender age of seven.

10. Laura Kraut: Oldest U.S. Equestrian Rider

Making history for Team USA, Laura Kraut is the oldest US medalist at the Olympic Games to have won a silver in 72 years. The 58-year-old won alongside teammates Karl Cook and McLain Ward. She won her first Olympic gold medal with her team in Beijing in 2008, followed by a silver at Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The showjumper from Florida started her career when she was just three years old. With more than 100 Grand Prix victories and multiple Nations Cup appearances under her resume, Kraut will compete in her fifth Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. She will be riding Baloutinue, who she won silver with, in Tokyo.

11. Dhinidhi Desinghu: Youngest Indian Swimmer

She is India’s youngest swimmer from Karnataka who is making a mark in Paris at just 14. Desinghu brought joy to sports enthusiasts after securing her spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics as one of the youngest athletes from India. The ninth-grader has given medal-winning performances at the National Games and senior National Championships last year. While she has said in an interview that she misses playing she has chosen this path for herself and she will continue competing and representing India. She said that it was just the start of her journey and aspired to perform at the 2028 and 2032 Olympics as well.