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American football stadium with people
American football stadium with people
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Women in Power at 2016 Rio Olympics: Let the Games Begin!

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Mariah Mrotek
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Winona chapter.

Only making their plunge into the spotlight every 4 years, the Summer Olympic Games are quite the display of pure athleticism from incredibly talented individuals all around the world! This year, the Summer Olympic Games will be held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and Team USA is comprised of around 554 athletes, 262 men and 292 women, resulting in the USA having the largest number of participants out of all the countries participating. Even more importantly, though, is the vast amount of women on the USA Olympic team.

Every 4 years we are graced with many familiar Olympic names but also reminded of the importance of the Olympics and how crucial of a role it has played in giving women an equal opportunity to shine next to their male teammates.

Rio 2016 will be a historic year as it marks the return of Rugby after 92 years and Golf after 112 years to the list of Olympic sports. This opens even more opportunity for women to take part in the summer Olympics. It was just last year that, for the first time in Olympic History, the women outnumbered the men 269-261, while this year that gap increases. For the duration of the Olympic Games, women will be taking on the same challenges as the men, while also being broadcasted equally on the same network, striving for the same gold medals while all sporting the same uniform on the same team: Team USA.

“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.”

– Serena Williams

Team USA is comprised of many powerhouse role models to motivate our up-and-coming female athletes with Olympic gold medal dreams. This year we will see women showcase their abilities in all Olympic sports and possibly witness a second gold medal win in Rowing, Gymnastics, Basketball, Swimming, Water Polo, Soccer, Volleyball and Running. We will be re-acquainted with names such as Gabby Douglas, Claressa Shields, Katie Ledecky, Hope Solo, Serena & Venus Williams and so many more who will take the stage to prove their amazing talents once again.

Watching these women pour their heart out into the sport they love is beyond inspirational and has shown how far the Olympics have come from being a men-only event in 1896.

“I had female role models to look up to starting in middle school, athletes like Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm who made me realize that there was room in the world of sports for women. They ignited my dream of becoming an Olympic athlete.”

– Jennie Finch

Tune in to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Friday, Aug. 5th for the kick off the Olympic Games and cheer on Team USA as they continue to make history in sports.

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Meet our Campus Correspondent Mariah Mrotek! Originally from Racine, Mariah is a Mass Communication Advertising major with a Professional Writing Minor. You can usually catch Mariah loving up the cats at the local Winona Area Humane Society or getting her last minute shopping fix at Target. She is an avid writer and believer in the power of intuition. As an advocate for the Minnesota Epilepsy Foundation, she strives for change. She really enjoys the fall season and the amazing honeycrisp apples it brings. Her ideal place to vacation at is a cabin up north by the lake. Mariah hopes to continue to see and enjoy the world’s beauty after graduation as she pursues a career in Social Media Content Management or Project Management.