Five inspiring Olympic women’s stories

The nation has fallen in love with Team GB’s women – for good reason. Y! Lifestyle discovers the story behind five inspirational female Olympians, both from the UK and abroad

There are so many inspirational sportswomen who’ve become household names thanks to this Olympic Games, and it’s not just big stars Jessica Ennis and Victoria Pendleton who’ve done sport proud. This has truly been ‘the best ever Games for women’, with all nationalities making their mark. Here are just five who’ve caught our eye (and believe us it was hard to choose!).

Laura Trott, 20, Team GB
Track cycling

With a history of health complaints, Laura’s rise to Olympic champion is all the more incredible. Born prematurely with a collapsed lung, the track cycling world record holder took up sport because doctors thought it would help boost her immune system and improve her breathing She was inspired to take up cycling by her mum, who had picked up the sport in a bid to deal with her own health and weight problems.

Laura also battles a continuing stomach acid problem that regularly causes her to throw up after races, due to the physical exertion. But the 5’4” eight stone athlete reckons the pain is what makes her a winner.

Self deprecating and enthusiastic, Laura’s an eloquent interviewee, as we’ve seen during London 2012. She’s also passionate about her sport and joined teammate Chris Hoy to promote the need for government funding for sport.

Plus she’s half of GB’s new golden couple, revealing on Twitter that she’s dating her fellow gold-medal-winning teammate Jason Kenny. Aw!

Yamile Aldama, 39, Team GB
Triple jump

Having fought against her ‘Plastic Brit’ label, Yamile Aldama clearly enjoyed the sound of the home crowd getting behind her in the triple jump final. The Cuban-born athlete received her British passport just two years ago, despite having lived here for 11 years. At 39, it’s been a long struggle to get to this point, but her dedication to athletics has never wavered.

In her career she’s represented three countries - Cuba, Sudan and Great Britain – and her personal life has been even more complicated.

Yamile moved to the UK when she married Scot Andrew Dodds. He failed to tell her of his criminal past and after two years of marriage he was jailed for 15 years over a £40m heroin smuggling case. He left Yamile a single mum with limited English alone in London.

She persevered with her training and at 31 was the world number one, without a country to represent. Her turning point came when Dodds was released early from prison, they had another child and in 2010 she became a British citizen.

Team GB took her into the fold and she finished fifth in the triple jump in London. It was the first competition her Cuban mother was able to watch her in, proving that this year’s Games isn’t just about medals.

Zoe Smith, 18, Team GB
Weightlifting

We love Team GB’s women’s weightlifting champ as much for her outspoken personality as her ability to lift twice her body weight. The 5’3” Olympian set her own personal best and broke the British record, despite missing out on a medal.

But it’s her no nonsense attitude and smart blog posts that have set her apart, revealing an intelligent confidence in what she does. Zoe has hit back at internet trolls who have attacked her on Twitter for her weightlifter body shape.

“I gave it to them on the platform,” she said, after her performance. “It's two fingers up to them, basically. What are you doing with your life? I've just competed at the Olympics! Have some of that, trolls!”

Sarah Attar, 19, Saudi Arabia
800m

There were huge cheers for Sarah Attar, Saudi Arabia’s first woman to compete in Olympic athletics, as she ran her 800m heat. That she finished last is the least important part of her run.

This is the first year Saudi Arabia has sent women to compete in the Olympics and Sarah has said she hopes it will be a turning point for sportswomen from the country. The daughter of an American mum and Saudi dad, Sarah grew up in the US and attends university in California.

Though she and the only other Saudi woman competing, a judo player, were forced to walk behind their male team mates at the opening ceremony, Sarah received a standing ovation when she finished her race, wearing a headscarf, leggings and a long sleeve top, more than half a minute behind her nearest competitor.

Let’s hope it really does open the door for Saudi Arabian women in future Games.

Shanaze Reade, 23, Team GB
Cycling - BMX

At 17 Shanaze became Britain’s number one female rider, having picked up the sport age 10, when she bought her first BMX for £1.

The sole women’s BMX representative for GB at Beijing in 2008, Shanaze was favourite for the gold but a crash in the final dashed her hopes of a medal. She’s admitted she has a love/hate relationship with the Olympics, but with the help of a great support network, she’s pulled herself back up from the disappointment and has thrown all her focus into the London Games.

Shanaze built up her skills and strength racing against men (where she usually finished top three) and just like Zoe Smith, she’s never one to shy away from speaking her mind. She says of the experience, “I’m usually always top three when racing the guys. I have been racing them now for two years and I was almost the national champion last year though had to settle for the number two spot. The boys in BMX are all cool, some spit their dummies out but I just let them get on with it! It's really quite fun to watch when I kick their booties.”

Are we the only ones that want to give all these sports a spin now?