USA TODAY International Edition
America emerges triumphant in Rio
Let men and women compete head- to- head in shooting
USA doesn’t win? Says who?
America doesn’t win anymore, according to the Republican candidate for president. “The country is in serious trouble. … We can’t do anything right,” Donald Trump said at last year’s first GOP debate, a theme he has continued to hammer throughout his campaign.
Well, if that’s the case, Team USA didn’t get the memo. As the Summer Olympics wrapped up on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, the United States came away with 121 medals, far more than any other nation. China and Mexico, which are supposedly leaving the U. S. in the dust, ended up with 70 and 5 medals, respectively.
As for the nation- in- decline narrative, the U. S. medal count was its highest since the 174 at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles ( which the Soviet bloc boycotted) and up from 93 in 2000, 101 in 2004, 110 in 2008 and 103 in 2012.
What does this have to do with trade, immigration, national security or the other areas where Trump says the U. S. is losing ground? More than you might think. While his campaign has trafficked in xenophobia and white nationalism, Team USA has showcased America in all its glory as a multicultural and economic powerhouse.
In basketball, swimming and other sports, in fact, America is so dominant that other nations are the ones tired of all that winning.
For decades, men and women shooters competed against each other in international events.
At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, American Margaret Thompson Murdock tied for first with teammate Lanny Bassham in the small- bore rifle competition. After the judges examined the targets, they awarded the gold medal to the man and the silver to the woman. To Bassham’s credit, he asked Murdock to share the top podium with him as the national anthem played.
After that, the International Olympic Committee phased out mixed- gender shooting and created events just for women. Yet in the 21st century, shooting remains one of the few collegiate sports that’s gender blind — and in which women are highly competitive. It’s time to take a fresh look at which sports lend themselves to head- to- head competition, regardless of gender.
At the moment, equestrian is the only Olympic sport that’s gender neutral. If the horse doesn’t care who’s handling it, why should a gun?
In most sports, of course, body differences matter. Women wouldn’t be able to compete with men in boxing, running, weight lifting and so on. But when a sport depends more on brain than brawn, why not have gender- neutral competition?
About 4,700 female athletes competed at the Summer Games — more than at any prior Olympics and 45% of the total. Among the goals of the Olympic Agenda for 2020 is greater gender equality, through creating more competitions and mixed- gender events. In Rio, there were male- female crews in sailing, and mixed doubles in badminton and tennis. For 2020 Tokyo, archers are pushing for mixed teams.
In this gender- evolving world of women in combat and transgender rights, equality at the Olympics should mean more than participation rates. Give common sense a sporting chance, starting with shooting.
In 1992, female skeeter Shan Zhang of China became the first woman to knock down the men in Olympic shooting. Since then, however, no mixed- gender events have been held in an IOC shooting competition, according to USA Shooting.
Both men and women stand to gain in mixed competitions. After all, to be the best, you have to beat the best — whoever that is.
Defining the Olympic spirit
The Rio Olympics will be remembered for some of the wrong reasons. Zika fears. Russian doping. Polluted water. Street crime. Fake stories of street crime.
Beyond U. S. swimmer Ryan Lochte’s boorish behavior, there were several examples of poor sportsmanship: Egypt’s Islam El Shehaby refusing to shake hands with Israel’s Or Sasson; U. S. women’s soccer goalie Hope Solo calling the Swedish team “a bunch of cowards”; Brazilian fans booing silver medal- winning French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie.
But there were also many heartwarming moments that deserve to be lasting memories, one of which stands out above all: a simple act of kindness.
That’s what U. S. runner Abbey D’Agostino called her spur- ofthe- moment decision to help her opponent from New Zealand, Nikki Hamblin, after a brutal collision in an opening- round heat of the women’s 5,000 meters. It was, D’Agostino said, “literally like the spirit of God in me.”
D’Agostino was first on her feet but had far more serious knee injuries. After helping Hamblin get up, D’Agostino collapsed again — and this time, Hamblin came to her rescue. Both limped through the rest of the race.
D’Agostino and Hamblin, strangers before their on- track encounter, define the Olympic spirit. Their embrace symbolized sportsmanship at its finest.