Redefining Strength

August 23 2021

Ariarne Titmus.

Emma McKeon.

Cate Campbell.

Kaylee McKeown.

What do these 4 names have in common?

Yes, they are all Australian, 2020 Olympic gold medalists.

Yes, they are sporting icons who represent perseverance, passion and most of all, strength.

And yes, they are all female.

These are women who have paved the way not just for inclusivity and participation, but for female triumph in the sporting world. And they are only a mere 4 examples of many, many more.

There is no question that the meaning and perception of the word ‘strength’ is changing. We are witnessing a revolution unfold before our very eyes. And we have these incredible sporting heroines to thank.

To paint a clearer picture, here are some statistics from the 2020 summer Olympics, based on Australian media:

• Australian female Olympians were in the news more than men on 12 out of the 16 days.

• 6 out of the 10 most prominent Australian Olympians were female, with the top 4 all being female (Ariarne Titmus, Emma McKeon, Cate Campbell, Kaylee McKeown, Jessica Fox and Ash Barty).

• The top 3 international athletes who made headlines were all female (Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and Naomi Osaka).

And just to really cement the idea, almost 60% of the USA’s 2020 Olympic medals were won by women.

The notion that only men can be strong and athletically successful is slowly but surely disappearing. Unlike in past sporting events, the youth of today are now switching on their TVs and watching female athletes not only filling, but in many instances, dominating and thriving on the screen; we are seeing the erosion of our past stereotypical definition of strength as a muscly male and instead broadening our scope to include dedicated and powerful women who are capable of outperforming men.

These 2020 summer Olympics have really shown us that women can be the fastest and strongest. And this extremely powerful paradigm shift can translate from the sporting fields into other aspects of life as well.

Let this be a shining beacon of inspiration for all prospective and current athletic and non-athletic girls and women. Whatever it is you dream about, you can do it, you will do it and you will prevail.