They're Rising Above Adversity, Defying Stereotypes and Collecting Medals
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GASUMENDAY, MARCH 8, 2020 CHANGERSLATIMES.COM/SPORTS ACELEBRATION OF WOMEN IN SPORTS They’re rising above adversity, defying stereotypes and collecting medals Gymnast Simone Biles photographed at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica by Christina House Los Angeles Times V2 SUNDAY,MARCH 8, 2020 LATIMES.COM LATIMES.COM SUNDAY,MARCH 8, 2020 V3 WOMEN IN SPORTS | Trailblazers SERENA WILLIAMS An influence Champions of sports. far beyond Champions of justice. the confines of a court Champions, period. By Helene Elliott Serena Williams grew up in Compton, These 32 women are where she and her older sister Venus learned to play tennis on gritty public courts under the strict watch of their father, Richard. But both sisters now belong to the world, so dramatically have they changed first among unequals. their sport while making it better and more inclusive. Serena has won more titles than her sister has, though she unfailingly credits Venus with setting a path that allowed two girls to become majestic Grand Slam cham- ame Changers is a nine-month project that originated pions. They automatically defied the norm by being black in a largely white sport. with Sammy Jo Hester, whose job as Times sports photo Serena also flouted the norm with a muscu- lar physique that puts thunder into her serve. editor gives her a daily window into the delta between She has used her power and presence to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles, one short men’s and women’s sports coverage. A climber, a surfer, of matching Margaret Court’s record. She won her last major at the 2017 Australian Open while she was in the early weeks of a runner herself, the 28-year-old Hester is constantly pregnancy with her daughter, Olympia Ohanian. loGoking for fresh ways to tell the story of the women whose performa- Williams has attained that rare level of fame where she’s known by her first name tive brilliance too often goes uncaptured by the pen or camera lens. alone. It’s whispered by worshipful young women who took up the sport because She found those messengers in Times photographer Christina House ‘Obviously, I’m they saw a successful athlete who looked and columnist Helene Elliott. House shot 23 of the 32 women whose just Serena. I like them, and voiced don’t try to be respectfully by casual advocacy and athleticism are celebrated in these pages. anybody else. I fans and rivals. “What she does don’t try to be and what she Elliott wrote 10 of the profiles that appear in this section. She very famous. I don’t achieved, it’s some- try to be thing unbelievable,” Ukraine’s Elina Svi- well could have been a story subject herself, as the first female journalist anything.’ tolina said after Williams routed her to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport. In 6-3, 6-1in a semifinal at the 2019 U.S. Open. 2005 Elliott won the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Memorial Because her career winnings exceed $92.7million (more than double those of the runner-up, her sister Venus) and she fights Award, bestowed upon writers “who have brought honour to journalism for equitable pay for female tennis players, Williams has transcended the confines of and to hockey.” the court, a truth she firmly rejects. “I would be pontificating to a level I wouldn’t even know to say I’m a superstar,” Hester, House and Elliott — together with a team of about 30 writers, she said during the 2019 U.S. Open. “Obvi- ously, I’m just Serena. I don’t try to be any- editors, designers and developers — have assembled a formidable line- body else. I don’t try to be famous. I don’t try to be anything.” up, through whom much of the history of the modern female athlete can She has long been a role model for wom- en of color such as Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys and phenom Coco be told. They include: Gauff, but Williams takes no credit for in- spiring them. “I can’t be presumptuous and say that’s • Simone Biles, America’s most decorated gymnast. because of me. I think it’s because of these young women, and their parents and coaches want them to do something amaz- • Kim Rhode, the double trap and skeet shooting champion and six-time ing,” Williams said. “I think tennis is a great sport for females and it’s a great way to Olympic medal winner. showcase your personality, be yourself, make a great living and still do something that you absolutely love.” • Kerri Walsh Jennings, the longtime face of beach volleyball and a Williams was ranked No.1in the world when she took a maternity break in 2017. three-time Olympic gold medalist. Olympia Ohanian was born Sept. 1by ce- sarean section, and Williams’ health was • Nneka Ogwumike, the Sparks star forward position and president of endangered when she developed blood clots. She needed several surgeries and was the WNBA players union. bed-ridden for six weeks. Tennis became secondary to recovery. • Kayla Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo and now a When she returned to competition at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open, she was ranked No.549. She also wasn’t seeded at the top name in mixed martial arts. French Open. In part because of the atten- tion she brought to the issue, the Women’s Tennis Assn. decided to give protection to This special section bridges generations, from the trailblazing Billie the rankings of women who return to the tour after giving birth or have been absent Jean King to the millennial Biles, who for her accomplishment and fame, because of injury, allowing them to use their previous ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a three-year period after their come- still must reach deep “to summon the confidence to speak out.” “Coretta back. Williams, 38, has reached four Grand Scott King had a great quote about freedom,” Billie Jean King told Elli- Slam finals since her return — at Wimble- don and the U.S. Open the last two years — but didn’t win a set in any of those matches. ott. “It’s never won. Every generation has to earn it and win it. Every She lost in the third round at this year’s Australian Open and has acknowledged generation has to keep putting the pedal to the metal. That’s why it’s im- she’s still balancing the demands of her tennis career with the primal emotions of motherhood. portant that I support the younger generation.” “You know, it’s hard. Sometimes my heart literally aches when I’m not around We have picked this particular date to give witness to these sports- her,” she said of her daughter during last year’s U.S. Open. “But you know, it’s good women and their stories. Today is International Women’s Day and this for me, I guess, to keep working. And just to all the moms out there, it’s not easy. It’s really kind of painful sometimes. Some- month is Women’s History Month. Women’s March indeed. times you just have to do what you have to do.” Even if she doesn’t win that 24th Slam singles title, she has cemented her legacy as the game’s greatest female player and a cultural icon. “I always said I would wake up one day and say, ‘I’m done.’ That day hasn’t come yet for me,” she said. “I’m still playing pretty good tennis.” Clive Brunskill Getty Images V4 SUNDAY,MARCH 8, 2020 LATIMES.COM LATIMES.COM SUNDAY,MARCH 8, 2020 V5 WOMEN IN SPORTS | Trailblazers SIMONE BILES Finding the World class in tumbling, confidence to leaping and standing up By Helene Elliott break barriers Simone Biles is dynamite dressed in a glittery gymnastics leotard. She’s an athlete and innovator, a champi- on who makes her performances seem effort- By David Wharton less. She throws off the restraints of gravity when she whirls through her powerful back- he greatest gymnast in the world felt broken inside, too frightened to tell the flips and nimble triple twists on floor exer- truth. Ye ars passed before Simone Biles revealed that she had been molested cise, hinting at the active kid who loved to bounce on the trampoline in her Texas back- as a girl. ¶ “The more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it yard, but she maintains her toe-pointing screams,” she wrote on social media. “I am not afraid to tell my story any- precision while she navigates the 4-foot-high, more.” ¶ With that announcement in the winter of 2018, Biles joined scores of 4-inch-wide balance beam. victims who came forward in the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. She She is rarely satisfied, never complacent, always pushing the boundaries of what was also took her place in an emerging, defiant generation of female athletes. ¶ considered possible until she came along and The U.S. women’s soccer team has filed a class-action lawsuit against its na- rewrote the record books. (Gymnastics offi- tional federation, demanding the same level of support that goes to the men. Track star cials have named four skills after her, the AllTyson Felix, after giving birth to a daughter, has campaigned for less famous runners who honor given to those who invent and success- fully perform a move in competition.) lose sponsorship money when they take leave for pregnancy.