When I think of the type of person, or more specifically, what kind of woman I want to become, I find myself looking toward two athletes whose stories are bigger than just a gold medal or routine. Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas specifically didn’t just change gymnastics; they changed what it means for young women to see possibility in themselves.
I know none of us can claim their experiences as our own, but we can recognize the power of what they’ve done. Their journeys challenge me to grow, to listen, and to understand how representation shapes the world we all share.
Watching Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas compete when I was younger, I realized something important: representation isn’t just about who gets to be on the podium, it’s about who gets to imagine themselves there in first place.
For African American girls and women, especially, seeing athletes who look like them dominate a sport that hasn’t always welcomed them is revolutionary. Even for someone like me who doesn’t share their racial identity, their presence expands my understanding of what excellence looks like, and their stories inspire me too.
Gabby Douglas was the first gymnast who caught my attention and made me want to pay more attention. When she won the all-around gold in 2012, she did not just make history; she made space. She showed the world that young black women could rise to the highest level of a sport that had rarely celebrated athletes who looked like her.
Now, at 18, I understand more clearly that she was not just competing, she was opening doors. She showed me that sometimes the bravest thing a woman can do is keep going, even when the world is trying to shrink her.
Simone Biles also takes my breath away, and it is not just because she is the greatest gymnast of all time. It’s because she redefines what power looks like. When she stepped back during the Tokyo Olympics to protect her mental health, she showed a different kind of strength that young women all around desperately needed to see.
Simone and Gabby remind me that admiration is not all about copying someone else’s path. It is about letting their courage shape the way I walk my own. Their stories push me to recognize the importance of diversity, not as a buzzword but as a real force that changes lives. Their stories push me to listen to experiences different from my own and challenge the limits placed on women.
Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas inspire me to be strong, but also to be aware. Aware of the privileges I have, the voices I need to amplify, and the kind of alliance that actually matters.