Women who are Olympians, and are scientists too! This was unfathomable a few years back, but it is a reality now. These women athletes have proven their mettle on the track and off the track, treading on some untrodden paths.
I was so inspired to learn about Anna Kiesenhofer of Austria, who won the gold medal in the cycling road race, holds a Doctorate in Mathematics from the Technical University of Vienna and the University of Cambridge, UK. On a regular day, Dr. Anna works in research and teaching at the Technical University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Even more motivating is the dedication and focus that this lady has shown, as she did not even have a coach and did it all by herself.
Hadia Hosny is an Egyptian badminton player who played in the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics. She won the women’s singles title at the 2010 African Championships and emerged as the women’s doubles gold medalist at the 2019 African Games. Alongside her athletic pursuits, she is a professor at the British University of Egypt, holds a Master’s degree in biomedicine, and a Doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Cairo. She is also a researcher in anti-inflammatory drugs used for various diseases. And that isn’t all, as she’s a congresswoman in her country.
Charlotte Hym of France, who is a street skateboarder, feels “The Olympics will bring great visibility to skateboarding. Being broadcast on mainstream channels will motivate many young people to get started. There will be as many women as men all over the world who will prove that everyone can get started.” When Charlotte is not on the skateboard, she is a doctor in neuroscience, and she is a very sensitive human being, which I gauge from the fact that she is investigating the effect of the mother’s voice on the development of motor skills in newborns.
Similarly, Gabby Thomas (United States) was a bronze medalist in the 200 meters of athletics studied Neurobiology and Global Health at Harvard University, and is pursuing a Master’s degree in epidemiology and health management at the University of Texas at Austin. Louise Shanahan (Ireland) was preparing for Paris 2024 but managed to qualify for Tokyo in the 800 meters of athletics. She is a graduate of Quantum Physics from the University of Cork, Ireland, and is pursuing her PhD at the University of Cambridge, England. She studies and develops devices to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nadine Apetz (Germany) is the first German boxer in the Olympics, and Nadine has a Master’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of Bremen and hopes to complete a doctorate at Cologne University Hospital. Andrea Murez (Israel) is a swimmer who participated in 50, 100 and 200 meters freestyle and 4×100 mixed relays. But out of the pool, she is a biologist from Stanford University in the US.
These are women of true mettle who deserve recognition and applause for breaking the rules, for believing in themselves and for creating a niche for themselves in whatever they set their heart upon. They have proven that we do not need to compromise on our dreams or give up on them, nor should we listen to the dictum “focus on one thing at a time,” as we are adept at multitasking.
I hope that more and more women are inspired by them every day and pursue their dreams, even if they lead them in different directions, as the path is only determined by the goal.