At her first Olympics in Tokyo, long jumper Tara Davis competed alongside the Black women she idolized as a young girl. Now, the 22-year-old is paving her own path and using her platform to popularize track and field and address racism in sports.
By winning a bronze medal in London 2012 and a silver in Rio 2016, U.S. swimmer Lia Neal became the first Black woman to compete in multiple Olympics. Now retired, the 27-year-old reflects on embracing her responsibility as a role model and details the work she’s doing to increase diversity in the predominantly white sport of swimming.