Biggest step forward for half the human race: Wojdan Shaherkani (Judo) and Sarah Attar (Athletics). Not remotely competitive in their respective sports, but the first women to represent Saudi Arabia.
Biggest sign that the aforementioned half of the human race still has some way to go: Physically attractive female gold medal winners will get more attention, and more lucrative advertising deals than plain ones. Jessica Ennis and Victoria Pendleton deserve their success and their cosmetics deals, but so do others.
Actually, biggest sign that the entire species still has some way to go: The continued focus on the physical attractiveness of certain competitors. Examples would be all female beach volleyball players and male divers (especially Tom Daley - girls, he's barely legal!). Having said that, nobody has ever given me a convincing explanation as to why the outfits have to be quite so skimpy in either sport. (And in the beach volleyball, don't they end up with sand in their unmentionables...?)
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Biggest sign that the aforementioned half of the human race still has some way to go: Physically attractive female gold medal winners will get more attention, and more lucrative advertising deals than plain ones. Jessica Ennis and Victoria Pendleton deserve their success and their cosmetics deals, but so do others.
Actually, biggest sign that the entire species still has some way to go: The continued focus on the physical attractiveness of certain competitors. Examples would be all female beach volleyball players and male divers (especially Tom Daley - girls, he's barely legal!). Having said that, nobody has ever given me a convincing explanation as to why the outfits have to be quite so skimpy in either sport. (And in the beach volleyball, don't they end up with sand in their unmentionables...?)