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Alysa Liu took the lead after her short program. (Photo: U.S. Figure Skatig)
2. Madison Keys wins her first Grand Slam a few weeks before her 30th birthday 🎾
"It doesn't happen overnight. Until it does."
Madison Keys has been a pro tennis player since she was 14 years old. She made her first major semifinal when she was 19. She's consistently been a top 20 player in the world. But. For all that early promise, she'd never won a major.
Well, now she has.
And she did it by beating world #1 Aryna Sabalenka in three matches (6-3, 2-6, 7-5). How? By going back and changing everything (her racquet, her swing, her schedule) *and* by going to therapy.
❓QUESTIONS, ANSWERED: Keys is on Threads right now, btw, answering any and all questions
FUN FACT: Sabalenka was criticized for breaking her racquet after the match — though she has said she needed to get out her emotions in order to be present for the awards and speech — and she then poked fun at herself and her team
NOT-SO-FUN FACT: As the men's runner-up, Alexander Zverev, took the court to make his speech, a woman in the crowd shouted "Australia believes Olya and Brenda!" in reference to domestic violence allegations that have been made against him
3. Why women don't get to compete in the decathlon 🤔
Did you know: While the women's 7-event heptathlon has a vibrant history now, the reason women don't compete in the 10-event decathlon is actually rooted in sexism! And there's a movement now to have the decathlon added to the Olympics by 2032 👏
Who can claim to be "The Best Athlete in the World:" A short history
1904: The first “all-around” track and field event was introduced to the Olympics and consisted of ten (different from today) events for male athletes
1922: The Women’s World Games were held to compensate for the lack of women’s sports in the Olympics and the first “all-around” in track and field for women consisted of a 5-event pentathlon: 60m, 300m, high jump, two-hand javelin, and two-hand shot put
1964: The two-day women’s pentathlon made its Olympic debut: 80m hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, 200m
1984: The women's pentathlon was replaced by the 7-event heptathlon. Because women were not allowed to pole vault at this time (due to misplaced concerns about their upper body strength), the prospect of a women’s decathlon was not conceivable.
2018: USA Track and Field held the first Women’s Decathlon National Championships, but did not continue their support for the event in future years, leaving the women to organize their own subsequent championships
🥇 CURRENT WORLD RECORD: Belongs to Austra Skujyte
👑 THE GOAL: This August, the second women's Decathlon World Championships will be held in Ohio, with the goal of creating a pathway for younger athletes to eventually add the event to the Brisbane Olympics |
