GENDER INEQUALITY : SPORTS

Descriptive Essay: Gender inequality in sports

    I was tidying my bedroom during my school semester break. I spotted a medal in my cabinet

as I opened it. I remembered that I was only 18 years old when I brought the medal home.

Glancing at the medal, the once buried and forgotten memories pierced through my heart as

I walked down my memory lane. It happened a long time ago, but somehow it felt like it

happened yesterday.

    My father had tanned skin and a well-built body. Looking at my father jump into water from

various positions, I immediately fell in love with diving, a male-dominated sport. I hope one

day I could be like him. My father supported me as he was worried that I would hurt myself

jumping off the high jumping board. He would always be there to encourage me whenever I

faced sexism in sports. He was the one who enrolled me in a diving lesson.

    At the age of 18, I took part in Olympic Tokyo. I wasn’t confident in the competition as the

gender inequality that I had experienced in sports. I was downhearted as I thought females

should not play on the male sports team. My father was the one who would always be there

to encourage me whenever I felt like giving up.

    I could still remember that when I walked to the diving board, my whole body was shivering

uncontrollably. I could hear my own heartbeat. The sound ‘boo’ made by the audience rang

out continuously. People at the back were raising cardboard posters of “boys are better” in

their hands. My coach shook his head and said ‘You can’t do it because woman wasn’t good

at sports. “Breath, bounce, jump.” I repeated the slogan silently with my eyes closed. Rotating

my body in the air, bending my knees and twisting my hands. I dived into the pool like a needle

with zero splashes. After a few seconds, the swimming arena was hushed in silence. Everyone

looked at each other and clapped their hands. At that moment, I knew I have made it.

    “Shennie led the points with 123.5 points.” I felt like hugging everyone when the result was

announced. The joy of tears rolled down my cheeks. Touching the original brassy medal, I

couldn’t believe it was real. The medal was sweet-smelling. I put the medal on my neck gently.

The medal was heavy as an elephant. The moment when I received the medal, everyone’s

heart skipped a beat. My father was moved into tears. His eyes brimmed over with warm

excited tears. I became the first woman to break the Olympic record in diving. It was the

highest dive score in Olympics. From that on, everyone changed their attitude toward female

athletes.