By: Joseph Michael Paro
Society expects males and females to adopt and fulfill specific gender roles and stereotypes that have been established. One specific area in which traditional gender stereotypes have been evaluated and analyzed, is sports and physical activities. Comparing traditional female gender stereotypes with those of the 21st century women in sports, it is clear that female athletes are beginning to establish themselves in the sports world. Their ability to challenge sexist barriers and restrictive notions about women’s physical appearance, athletic ability, and participation in sports, is evident through their increased involvement in sports.
Kristina Knott is an example of how women breaks the stigma of gender stereotyping. This 24 year old Filipino-American athlete broke the Philippine record for the women’s 200m sprint twice. The Filipina set a standard by clocking in 23.07 seconds, and managed to improve to 23.01 ticks in the main event. She broke the old mark set by Supavadee Khawpaeg (23.30) in 2001 of Thailand, and Lydia de Vega’s 33-year-old national record (23.35).
Though she nabbed gold in her inaugural stint in the biennial meet, Knott has her eyes set for the bigger picture: the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I have until June to make it. It’s less than a year but I’m going back to training after this. Hopefully, I can train somewhere magnificent,” said Knott. Knott owed what she had attained because of her mentor Rohsaan Griffin, ” We wanted to get the Olympic standard, we fell kinda short, but let’s see if how she gets, since she’s capable of getting it. It’s late in the season,” said the retired American sprinter. “No other countries in the world are competing right now. That’s a plus for us for doing it late in the season. We’re just looking to making that standard and getting to Tokyo.”
This Fil-Am athlete showed the world that gender is not a barrier in showing the competencies of every women who aspires to dream big in life.
References: References:
Www.espn.com
Www.rappler.com
Gender Empowerment 