Black Girl Magic at the Olympics — Who To Watch

Twenty years ago the Olympics were held in Atlanta. The Centennial Olympic park was bombed, killing one and injuring dozens of others. The “Magnificent Seven” women’s gymnastics team was the one to watch. The mascot was the controversial and amorphous blob Izzy, who looked like Gumby’s hip-hop cousin dyed blue.

But I remember the the 1996 Olympics so vividly because it was the first time I saw black women compete across the world — and the first time I saw them win.

In the summer of 1996, I was a scrawny 11-year-old with buck teeth and fuzzy braids. Given that summers in Virginia are deliciously and unbearably humid, and my grandparents didn’t have cable, the only thing that we could do was gather round the old rotary dial television on their porch, open the screens, and watch the most talented people on earth duke it out for a gold medal. Watching the Olympics is a family affair in our home.

The Olympics gave me and my sister an opportunity to see black women athletes celebrated for their bodies, something that women in general — but black women in particular — are scolded for. There was Gail Devers, the track star, with her high ponytails and vertiginously long, painted fingernails, who looked like a beautiful woman from around the way — who just happened to eat up the track. Her aerodynamically minimal trackwear reminds me of Beyonce’s jumpsuits — perfect for high intensity performances. I remember breathlessly watching the petite Dominique Dawes perform in the gymnastics events alongside the rest of the USA women’s gymnastics team. Her sock bun and bangs were the same hairstyle essentials my friends and I would wear whenever we couldn’t figure what else to do with our hair.

Dominique Dawes and Gail Devers weren’t the only black women representing in 1996 — many of the athletes on the Team USA basketball team were women of color, and they brought home the gold that year after beating Brazil. My favorites (and arguably, the most popular) players from that team were Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie, both incredibly beautiful and incredibly tall. I loved that they weren’t pegged as just “jocks” — they were models, spokespeople, and athletes (and later in their careers, mothers). They gave little girls like me a window into a world where you could be more than one type of person.

While black lives matter in the Olympic arenas when it comes to getting the gold for America, these same lives are treated as disposable back at home.

We cheered for team USA because that’s the home team, but we also paid special attention on the African-American athletes, who represented a country that often treats them coldly. Black Americans have a long history of having to be graceful in the face of hardships back at home. Even in preparing for this year’s games, there are somber reminders almost daily, as with the death of Korryn Gaines at the hand of Baltimore Police, that while black lives matter in the Olympic arenas when it comes to getting the gold for America, these same lives are treated as disposable back at home.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the first Olympics I watched and actually understood what was happening. I find myself watching the games more closely this year, both because I want to see if Rio can actually pull this off, and also because this year boasts a lot of black women who are making names for themselves in sports that traditionally they haven’t been a part of. Here are a few I’m excited about watching:

Venus & Serena Williams

All hail the Queens. I’ve been watching the Williams sisters dominate since both they (and I) were little girls in beads — and I’m not going to stop now. It’s exciting to see the longevity that two superb athletes have, and to also know that they have succeeded despite the unfair criticism that is often lobbed against their bodies, what they wear, and their playing styles.

Nzingha Prescod

Not only is she participating in one of the coolest sports (fencing), but she’s doing it with some seriously cool hair. Style is something that I watch for just as much as skill in the Olympics, and Nzingha Prescod has both by the pound. I love her shock of (sometimes) blond coils, and I can’t wait to see her don the all-white fencing onesie and whip her rapier sword around, Arya Stark style.

Ibithaj Muhammad*

As excited as I am to see Nzingha Prescod and her awesome natural fro compete, I’m just as excited to see Ibithaj Muhammad suit up for the fencing competition. Ibithaj is Muslim-American and African American, and has been making waves because she duels in a hijab. Not that that’s the only reason to watch her — she’s made it to the Olympic team because she has the dexterity and speed to compete at a high level in the sport. Ibithaj is inspiration for the Muslim women and girl across the country that they can be fearless in athletic competitions.

*Ibithaj fences 8/13 in the quarterfinals. Good luck girl!

Simone Biles*

This girl is on fire right now. Gymnastics, track and swimming are by far my three favorite sports to watch because there is a sort of magic in the wait for the gun, or in the moment before a gymnast steps onto the mat. Simone has been the most buzzed-about gymnast on Team USA, and I believe she will exceed performance expectations in this Olympic Games.

*Simone has already ripped it by winning gold at the Individual All-Around and team gold with the Team All-Around with Team USA!!!

Victoria Folayan

I’ll admit, I don’t know much about rugby except for the fact that it is the European version of American football, which is a nice way of saying it is a brutal contact sport. While it’s jarring to see any person put their body through turmoil like this, it will be fascinating to see a black woman competing on the national stage in such a unique sport, taking hits but always handling them with grace.

Simone Manuel*

Swimming is another sport that can be crazy-making — and I’m especially excited to watch Simone Manuel elevate the sport in her 100 and 50 meter races. I come from a family of swimmers and track stars, and I especially appreciate that Simone is laying waste to the stereotype that black people can’t or don’t swim.

*last night Simone was the first African American woman to win a swimming gold!!!!!! We wish her luck in today’s 50m race and know she’ll crush it.