All three also have something in common which many very much understand — the struggle women of color face. They are women of color (Osaka has a Japanese mother and a Haitian father while Biles and Richardson are African American) and have made headlines recently due to decisions they made to support their mental health.
A 2018 study titled “Beating Opponents, Battling Belittlement: How African-American Female Athletes Use Community to Navigate Negative Images” from Morgan State University in Baltimore examined how they must navigate both racism and sexism in order to become champions.
For example, it noted that Serena Williams — arguably the world’s greatest tennis player with more than 20 Grand Slam wins — has been compared to a “man” and a “gorilla.”
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