Ground-breaking Games for women in Rio

Newcomer Biles’s amazing acrobatic skills also won star billing with her record-equalling four women’s gold and a bronze at her first Games. 

The 19-year-old became the second African-American after Gabby Douglas in 2012 to win the allaround title. Nevertheless, the Games still had many firsts with judoka Majlinda Kelmendi winning Kosovo a gold at its maiden Games, as Monica Puig gave Puerto Rico tennis gold. 

Women from the Middle East were more represented than ever before in Rio.

Weightlifter Sara Ahmed, wearing a sports hijab, blazed a trail by becoming the first woman from Egypt to stand on the podium, lifting 255kg to finish third. 

Ines Boubakri won the Arab world’s first ever women’s Olympic fencing medal, dedicating her bronze to “the Tunisian women, the Arab woman... Who has her place in society”.