When Charlotte Cooper won gold in womens tennis at the 1900 Paris Olympics, it was nothing short of remarkable.She played in an ankle-length Victorian dress and couldnt hear a sound, having?gone completely deaf years earlier. She represented Great Britain -- a country that had yet to recognize the womens right to vote like so many others at the time. Paris was the first modern Olympics that even allowed women to compete after the addition of womens tennis and golf to the Games. In winning, Cooper became the first woman ever to earn an individual Olympic gold medal.More than a century later, some 4,700 women traveled to Rio in hopes of following in her footsteps -- the highest number of women ever. As they competed on the largest world stage in sports, it became clear how far women have come from the days of Charlotte Cooper -- and how far they have yet to go.Saudi Arabia set a country record by doubling the number of women it sent to the Olympics, with four women traveling to Rio for only the second Summer Games that Saudi women were permitted to compete.Rafaela Silva won Brazils first gold medal in Rio in a triumphant comeback from her judo loss at the previous Olympics in London. Yet in an emotional interview after her championship match, she noted how little support she received from her fellow Brazilians.Everyone criticized me. They said judo wasnt for me, said Silva, who as a black woman from a poor neighborhood in Rio, has overcome many hurdles to get where she is today. They said I was an embarrassment to my family. And now Im an Olympic champion in my own home.Media coverage offered other reflections of gender bias. Of the record 170 commentators, around 20 percent were women. The skewed representation of women reporters could help explain why some commentators referred to women athletes as girls, or why some outlets seemed to give credit to athletes husbands instead of the women themselves. One study of Olympic news coverage found that media reports focused on womens age and marital status, while highlighting mens strength and speed.The U.S. media coverage seemed to be the rule, not the exception. The Associated Press published a story that led with Michael Phelps tying for second in the mens 100-meter butterfly, while Katie Ledeckys record-setting win in the womens 800-meter freestyle was an afterthought to both the headline and the lead of the story, which covered both races.Gymnast Simone Biles pushed back on some of the more subtle sexist media coverage that used men as proxies to explain womens accomplishments.Im not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps, she said after winning gold in the womens all-around final. Im the first Simone Biles.These moments transcend the world of sports to show the world of gender equality. Secretary of State John Kerry sometimes uses sports metaphors in discussions where hes advancing gender equality. After the Olympics, that seems all the more appropriate.Sports offer a lens through which we can see the status of women and girls in society. Is a country literally keeping half its population on the bench? Does society hold back women and girls from reaching their full potential by diminishing their accomplishments or lashing out at their willingness to try? The 2016 Olympic Games offer some sobering answers to these questions.But perhaps what matters most isnt the Olympics ability to illustrate the state of sexist media or opportunity for women in sports. Perhaps what matters is what happens after the Olympics when the athletes are back home.Last week, the BBC aired a fascinating story about the post-Olympic homecoming of Sakshi Malik, the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal and one of only two Indians -- both women -- to win a medal in Rio.Whats remarkable is the sheer number of women who have turned out to greet Sakshi Malik, BBC journalist Sanjoy Majumder declared in a video documenting the event. Old women, middle-aged women, little girls as well.As he spoke, the camera panned to show dozens and dozens of women and girls watching as Malik, a young woman who broke stereotypes and overcame financial barriers to make it to Rio, is celebrated in an Indian state working to overcome barriers to eliminate female feticide and educate girls.The scene represents the true potential of the Olympic Games to achieve its lofty goal of promoting peace and prosperity. As more and more women compete -- and bring their communities and countries glory and pride while doing so -- the world will see exactly what women are capable of when theyre given the opportunity.Maybe in another 100 years the world will look back on the 2016 Olympics as another remarkable turning point, when Silva, Ledecky, Biles, Malik and thousands of other women who competed, returned home and changed history.Cathy Russell is the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Womens Issues. Adidas NMD R1 STLT PK . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Adidas NMD R1 Hombre Baratas .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. http://www.zapatillasgazellebaratas.es/ . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Zebra Baratas . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. Adidas NMD R1 Mujer Baratas .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. For the second time in a year, Martin Taupau has earned a new contract away on Kiwi duty.Despite having a further three years to go on his current NRL deal, Manly moved to tie down their star forward for an extra season on Tuesday, making him a Sea Eagle until the end of 2020.Marty loves the club and wanted to commit for a long term because he likes the direction we are going, coach Trent Barrett said on Tuesday.He is a tremendous competitor, great trainer, and a player willing to do the things to make himself better. He will be a key player for Manly in the years ahead.The extension comes almost a year after his move from Wests Tigers to Manly was infamously confirmed by a Canadian theatre critic while on tour with New Zealand.Taupau is currently in Perth preparing for the Kiwis Test against Australia on Saturday, but was nonetheless delighted to secure his long-term future at the club.I am very happy with this extension of my contract. I thoroughly enjoyed my first season with the Sea Eagles this year, he said.There is a lot to like about the direction the team is heading in. Trent Barrett is a wonderful coach and I look forward to further developing my game under him.ddddddddddddTaupau, 26, averaged 142 metres in his 20 games for the Sea Eagles in 2016, including four line breaks, 32 offloads and 58 tackle breaks.His re-signing comes in the same week brothers Jake and Tom Trbojevic also penned extensions until 2020.Sea Eagles head of football Bob Fulton called Taupau one of the premier forwards in the game.And he will only get better, Fulton said.We are delighted to have him for another four years and his contract now has him in line in terms of length with the Trbojevic brothers Jake and Tom.They, along with half-back Daly Cherry-Evans, will form the basis of a very strong team long term for the club.While the Taupau announcement is a coup for the club, the focus remains on the immediate future of injured veterans Brett Stewart (knee) and Steve Matai (neck).Both continue to be monitored through their rehabilitation.It remains to be seen whether either player will see out their contract in 2017. 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