#11 Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh
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British field hockey players Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh have become the first same-sex married couple to compete in the Olympics. They have competed in four Olympics together from Sydney 2000 to Rio 2016. While Kate is the captain of Great Britain and England field hockey teams, Helen plays as a midfielder.
They have not only defied the odds to earn selection for the games in Rio but they had helped Great Britain to win bronze in London Olympic Games and have also become the first same-sex married couple to win an Olympic gold in the same final at Rio.
In an interview, Kate said, “The best thing is the reaction we’ve had from the public in that we’ve helped people feel more confident in themselves. People feel it’s OK to come out as bisexual or gay or lesbian; that’s been the best thing for me.” They have certainly set a fine example for the other same-sex couples who have been hiding behind the fiction of this not so ‘conservative issue’.
#12 Ibtihaj Muhammad
Ibtihaj is the first Muslim woman from the United States of America who wore a hijab at the Olympic Games. Ibtihaj trailed only Micheal Phelps to carry the flag of USA at the Opening Ceremony at Rio after most of the other members of the team voted for her.
At an interview she mentioned how she wanted girls like her to engage themselves in sports, "A lot of people believe that Muslim women don't have voices or that we (don't) participate in sport. And it's not just to challenge the misconceptions outside the Muslim community, but also within the Muslim community. I want to break cultural norms and show girls that it's important to be active, it's important to be involved in sport."
The fencing hall is a sparring format of untamed hopes and fears. The World No.8 was defeated by Cecilia Berder of France after a close fight in the second round of the Women’s Individual Sabre at Rio Olympics but she surely left a strong message behind her.
This picture of Doaa Elghobashy of Egypt and Kira Walkenhorst of Germany went viral and became one of the most popular pictures of this year’s Olympic Games. This picture was taken during their preliminary round match of women’s beach volleyball. While Elghobashy wore a full body suit and a hijab covering her head, Walkenhorst was in a bikini. The net seemed like a mirror portraying two different cultures. This picture is the best example of what we know as ‘Unity in diversity’ and that is what sports is all about.
