When it comes to winning medals, U.S. women rule

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – The picture of female empowerment is painted in gold, silver and bronze.

The U.S. team at the Pyeongchang Olympics is a living, breathing, buttkicking example of what happens when women are treated equally and given opportunities rather than lip service. Entering the final three days of competition, the women carry the once-flagging American medal count.

Women are responsible for 12 of the 21 U.S. medals in Pyeongchang — and that’s not including the two medals won by mixed-gender teams or duos. They have won five of the eight American gold medals, including one by the women’s hockey team Thursday that

was so momentous it ought to count for two.

Should this trend continue, it would be the first Winter Games since 1998 where the U.S. medal count was driven by its female athletes.

“To win our medal on the same day as some of these incredible women, it was, yes, girl power, women roar, it was such a magical day,” said Elana Meyers Taylor, whose silver with Lauren Gibbs in bobsled Wednesday was one of four U.S. medals, all won by females.

“To be a part of it, that’s such an honor,” Meyers Taylor said. “Hopefully, it does inspire more young girls to do what we do and to go out there and live their dreams.”

Though female athletes still struggle for attention and, if we’re being honest, respect at home, the Olympics is the one place where they’re on equal footing. They won the American medal count at the past two Summer Olympics and crushed the tally of golds in Rio and London.

Yes, even when Michael Phelps was competing.

The show of dominance in Pyeongchang is particularly poignant — and powerful — given the #MeToo movement that roils our country.

The misogyny, abuse and inequity have been laid bare from Hollywood to Washington over the past few months. Women are fed up with being marginalized and diminished, and what’s happening in Pyeongchang shows there is an alternative.

“It’s even more important in the days of the #MeToo hashtag and things like that, that we have role models going out there and succeeding that are female,” Meyers Taylor said.

After a sluggish start in the medals race, the Americans have picked up steam with nine medals in the past two days. Women were responsible for all but two of them.

Not only have the American women piled up the hardware, they’ve done it in places they haven’t normally had success. Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall’s gold in the team sprint was the first-ever for the American cross country team and first medal of any color since Bill Koch’s silver in 1976. The women’s hockey team beat Canada in the gold-medal game for the first time since 1998.

The bronze in team pursuit was the first U.S. medal in long-track speedskating since 2010.

“I was so proud of Jessie and Kikkan,” said Lindsey Vonn, whose bronze in the downhill Wednesday was part of the all-female medal haul. “I was at the medals ceremony watching them, and they were fighting, and you could see how much they wanted it. That’s what it’s all about.

“Hopefully, the young girls see that and they want to follow their dreams,” Vonn said. “Whether that’s cross country, being a doctor, whatever it may be. Hopefully, that inspires them.”

According to Andrew Billings, a University of Alabama professor who studies television coverage of the Olympics, NBC will devote the majority of airtime in Pyeongchang to female athletes for the first time since he began tracking coverage in 1994.

When women are treated equally, everybody wins. Golds, silvers, bronzes and a whole lot more.