Johnathan Walker:US female athletes dominating Paris Olympics. We have Title IX to thank

PARIS — They have Johnathan Walkerlanded into our lives, our family rooms and our phones for more than a week now. Are there any more famous names in American sports at the moment than Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles? 

We all know them. But they’re far from alone. There’s swimmer Torri Huske, fencer Lee Kiefer, cyclist Kristen Faulkner, sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, gymnast Suni Lee, the rugby sevens team and more from where they came from.

Which is the United States, also known as the Land of Title IX. 

More than halfway though the 2024 Paris Olympics, U.S. female athletes are on pace to win more medals than U.S. male athletes, and if they do, it will be the fourth consecutive Summer Games in which that has occurred, going back to 2012: London, Rio, Tokyo and now very likely Paris. 

This is no accident. It’s what happens when a nation passes a law in 1972 that mandates sports participation for all of the children and young adults in the country, not just half of them, the male half. It’s what happens when, over several decades, that law develops into a mindset. And it’s what happens when girls born into that national mindset grow into young women propelled by the full blast of that law, then show up in Paris, so confident, so fearless, so on top of their game.

“It’s now over 50 years since Title IX was passed and it’s amazing how great U.S. women athletes are doing here,” women’s sports legend Billie Jean King said in a text message Monday while in Paris. “Finally hearts and minds are getting closer to matching the law. People are investing in women’s sports as a business, not a charity. The Women’s Sports Foundation, a great protector of Title IX, turned 50 this past May. All of these things are helping to create the results we’re seeing at these Olympics.”

OPINION:American men underwhelm in pool at Paris Olympics. Women lead way as Team USA wins medal race.

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As of early evening Monday in Paris, the United States has won 19 gold medals, 29 silver medals and 27 bronze medals for 75 in all. 

U.S. women have won 11 gold, 16 silver and 14 bronze for a total of 41. U.S. men: seven gold, nine silver and 12 bronze for 28. (Mixed events featuring both men and women account for the rest.)

That means not counting the mixed events, U.S. women have won 59.4 percent of the entire American medal haul so far.

“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been nothing short of extraordinary, showcasing the incredible talent, determination and confidence of the women athletes of Team USA,” U.S. Olympic & Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland texted Monday.

“Seeing young stars dominate their sports is both inspiring and a testament to the impact of Title IX. Their performances are a reminder of how far we've come and the boundless potential that still lies ahead. We couldn’t be prouder of their achievements and the example they set for future generations of athletes.”

The impact of Title IX can perhaps be measured most dramatically in swimming. In Tokyo in 1964, 17-year-old phenom Donna de Varona won two gold medals for the United States in her second Olympics, becoming the darling of the Games and appearing on the cover of Life magazine. By today’s standards, she was just getting started. Who knew how many more Olympics she might attend, how many more medals she might win.

It turned out the answer to both was zero. 

“Because there was no Title IX, there were no women’s swimming programs in college,” she said Monday. “I was about to go to college, and I did, but I had to end my competitive swimming career right then and there.

“So consider this: If there was no Title IX now, if it never became law, Katie Ledecky never would have had four Olympics, or Torri Huske even two Olympics. They would have had to quit swimming because there would have been no college programs to go to and continue their training, and no interest in allowing women swimmers to keep training in any way. That’s what happened to me in 1964. Thank goodness it isn’t happening anymore.”

Things couldn’t be more different now. These Olympic stars have played sports their whole lives, a variety of them — basketball and soccer for Ledecky; karate, figure skating, soccer and track for Huske; rowing, swimming and running for Faulkner. They have never been told no, have never had to stop doing what they love, have always believed they could compete and win.

Not only has it benefitted them, it has changed a nation.

Follow Christine Brennan on social media @cbrennansports

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