It was a big weekend for Black girls in sports! Both gymnast Simone Biles and tennis ingenue Coco Gauff hit major athletic and career milestones in their respective sports. And Kenyan marathoner Brigid Kosgei made history by breaking the women’s marathon world record!
Olympic champion Biles had a record-breaking 24th medal win at the world championships in Germany on Sunday, solidifying her status at the most decorated gymnast of all times. She went on to win another medal—her 25th—soon after.
Biles took over the record held by Belarusian, Vitaly Scherbo, who had a career total of 23 medals in world championships.
“This is probably my best worlds performance I’ve ever put out,” she said.
In nearby Austria, 15-year-old Gauff became the youngest player to ever win an WTA championship. Although she lost in the qualifying rounds, luck was on Gauff’s side when another player pulled out of the tournament with an injury.
With this new opportunity, Gauff worked her way to the final, defeating Jelena Ostapenko in three sets on Sunday.
“It’s just insane that I got in as a lucky loser and now I’m the champion,” she said. “My dad told me when I got in, before the first main‑draw match, he said: ‘You can’t lose twice in the same tournament.’ I’m sure he never thought it would come this far, to being the champion, but I guess he was right.”
The win was just as good for Kenyan marathoner Kosgei, who went on to break the women’s marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon this weekend.
Kosgei shattered the 16-year-old world record by 81 seconds, winning in 2:14:04. British marathoner Paula Radcliffe previously held the record of 2:15:25 set at the 2003 London Marathon.
Black women continue to do it and do it well worldwide! We’re here for all of it!
