Black women showed up and showed out at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Simone Biles won four gold medals in gymnastics, Simone Manuel became the first black woman to win gold in an individual swimming event and Michelle Carter became the first U.S. woman to win gold for shot put.
And the firsts just keep on coming.
In the 112 years that boxing has been apart of the Olympics, no American Olympian, man or woman, has achieved what Clareesa Shields has accomplished.
Olympic boxer Clareesa Shields became the first athlete from the United States to win two Olympic gold medals in boxing.
A black woman did it.
Shields won her first gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. After competing in Rio de Janeiro this year, where she defeated Netherlands challenger Nouchka Fontijn, Shields stands tall in her confidence.
“I want to let it be known that I’m not just a great female boxer,” the 21-year-old Flint, Michigan native said. “But I’m one of the great boxers to ever live.”
In a society where the traditional masculine and feminine ‘roles’ inside and outside of the home are being erased, Shields is championing for women and girls who play sports.
Watch Shields in action.
She also had a documentary about her, T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold, premiere recently on PBS.
