Column: The Tenacity of the USA Women’s Gymnastics Team

Across the United States there was an outpouring of solidarity, hope and pride as the 2024 Paris Olympics seized the world’s attention. Although Americans were cheering on all 592 Team USA athletes, five names were at the forefront — Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera.  

The USA women’s gymnastics team are representatives from across the country, of various ages, races, ethnicities and abilities. They’re a holistic representation of America.

These five women carry more than their combined 10 Paris Olympic medals — they carry a legacy deeply rooted in American and Olympian history. The tenacity of these women, especially the four women of color, shouldn’t go unacknowledged. 

While Olympians are made on skill and skill alone, gymnastics hasn’t always been accessible. 

Their story began 124 years ago in 1900, the first year women were invited to the Olympics, according to the International Olympics Committee, four years after the inaugural games in Athens, Greece. 

Out of 997 athletes who qualified for the 1900 Games, only 2.2% were female. Those 22 women were pioneers for Biles, Lee, Carry, Chiles and Rivera as they exhibited women’s dedication to sports on its biggest stage. 

Although gymnastics has been an Olympic sport since the inaugural modern games, women weren’t allowed to compete until 1928, according to the United States Olympics and Paralympic Museum. 

As Black Americans entered the Olympics, it wasn’t until 2012, when Gabby Douglas competed in the Women’s Individual All-Around Competition, where an African American woman won the gold medal. Her win wasn’t just important for Team USA, but was also a step forward for girls of color across the United States, not only opening the door, but removing it from the hinges. 

The prowess of women gymnasts continued at this year’s Olympics as Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, Biles and Chiles became the sport’s first all-Black Olympic podium for the floor event. Though the games happened in Paris, the impact of these athletes’ dedication to themselves and their teammates carries back to their countries. 

Just as Douglas paved the way for them, Biles and Chiles are inspiring the next generation. Social media platforms like TikTok are full of young Black girls inspired by Olympians who look like them and compete for a position on one of the most elite podiums.

After a rough set at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which left Biles with the twisties and the team with a silver medal, Biles and the other gymnasts brought the all-around gold medal back to the United States, calling the 2024 Olympics their Redemption Tour.

Despite the team’s most recent success, Onnie Willis Rogers, a regional NCAA winning gymnast, writes structural racism has affected the access, opportunity and identity of gymnastics. For CNN Willis Rogers wrote about entering the sport and rising in the ranks only to see fewer and fewer people of color. 

USA Gymnastics acknowledged these disparities in a 2020 letter responding to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. 

 “Over the last several weeks, we have heard many stories of overt and subtle racism within gymnastics, and the toll it can take on athletes, parents, coaches, judges and club owners.” USA Gymnastics wrote,

While their statement was poignant, Roger put it best,“In short, identity and representation matter. How many Black girls even enter the sport in the future will be influenced by what they see as attainable or impossible.”

This statement of inclusivity continues to expand with every Olympic cycle, as competitors such as Sunisa Lee, an Asian American gymnast, have further diversified the sport. During the individual all-around competition, Lee appeared with a smile across her face as she stuck her final landing on the all-around floor. The broadcast then cut to a livestream of cheering girls wearing “Team Suni” t-shirts. 

From Lee’s hometown support to Biles’ eleventh Olympic medal — the women of the USA Gymnastics team are embodiments of equitable change, perseverance and limitless power.