Women's hammer throw gold medalist Camryn Rogers of Canada has put her big win at the Paris Olympics down to the hard work done in training and the trust between herself and her coach, while also hailing her fellow competitors as an inspiration to young women round the world.
Rogers' success on Tuesday marked Canada's second gold medal win in the hammer throw competitions in Paris, with her compatriot Ethan Katzberg earlier claiming gold in the men's event.
The 25-year-old clinched the title with a best throw of 76.97 meters, to finish ahead of American Annette Echikunwoke, who took silver with 75.48. China's Zhao Jie took bronze with 74.27 while defending champion Anita Wlodarczyk finished fourth.
Rogers' victory ended Wlodarczyk's dominance in this event that had dated back to London 2012. She described the competition itself was "very stressful" but said she was well prepared to handle the pressure on the big stage thanks to the work done alongside her coach Mohamad Saatara.
"But I think being able to pull that throw out and dig deep and go back to all the training that my coach and I have done, these are the kind of the moments that we trained for [knowing] what do you do if you're in the last round and then your next throw can be the difference between silver and gold, and being able to simulate those kinds of experiences in training helped with moments like this, when it's real life, when you have to do it, it's a do or die moment. And I think it's a testament to how strong the relationship my coach and I have are and how much we trust each other," she said in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Wednesday.
Rogers hailed the high standard of competition in the hammer throw event and praised her rivals who finished second and third on the podium, while also paying tribute to all her fellow athletes, saying that these "incredible women" are changing the way that people view powerful women in sport.
"I feel like I'm such a fangirl for all of my fellow hammer throwers. That's because they're such amazing, beautiful, wonderful, lovely women. And I think we're in a pretty cool place in women's hammer throw where not only are all the women who are currently competing like, not just some of the best in the world, but some of the best in history. But they are also, like some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. And they have these crazy incredible careers that they're having too also -- very smart, very accomplished -- but doing these amazing careers to support their throwing careers as well," she said.
"I think you couldn't have a better group of women, especially to represent a sport that is changing the way that people, especially young women and girls, view what it means to be a strong woman in sport. So I think we have a pretty world-class group of lovely ladies out here representing the hammer throw pretty well," said Rogers.
Olympic champion hails hammer throw competitors for changing way people view women in sport
South Korea's Constitutional Court on Friday removed President Yoon Suk-yeol from office by upholding his impeachment, which has ignited passionate reactions across the nation, as South Koreans express both celebration and frustration over the decision.
While anti-government protesters view the outcome as a step toward restoring public trust, supporters of Yoon see it as a blow to democratic principles.
Among those welcoming the decision is Kim Keon, an anti-Yoon protester, who believes the ruling is an opportunity for national reflection.
"I think the Constitutional Court made a very obvious and rightful decision, and I feel that this ruling could help restore order and trust in our society. I also hope this decision won't just be seen in terms of who won or lost, but rather as a chance for our society to start paying attention again to areas we may have overlooked for too long," said Kim.
Another protester, Lee Sang-Joon, described the moment as historic, emphasizing a fresh start for the country.
"I believe this is a truly significant moment for South Korea to rise again. However, this is not the end of everything but rather the beginning of something new. We firmly believe that this marks the start of a new chapter in our country's history - one that will be remembered with pride. This is an incredibly joyful moment. Thank you," he said.
Not everyone agreed with the decision. Some supporters of Yoon believe this ruling undermines the will of the people.
"As a citizen, I find this result absolutely unacceptable. It was a unanimous decision, but if you look at the details, there are claims in some circles that testimonies or evidence may have been fabricated," said Woo Dong-Gyun, a supporter of Yoon.
"I can no longer trust any public officials in South Korea, and I feel that the legislative, judicial, and executive branches are all meaningless. From my perspective, I can only see this as proof that the country is corrupt, and I want to make it clear that I have no trust or faith in anyone in public office," said Lim Hwa-Sup, another Yoon supporter.
With emotions running high, the nation now prepares for a presidential election to select a new leader which must come within 60 days.
South Korea's constitutional court upheld the impeachment motion by the National Assembly over his short-lived martial law imposition.
Moon Hyung-bae, acting chief of the court, read a ruling on Yoon's impeachment, saying it was a unanimous decision of eight justices.
The conservative leader officially lost all presidential power, becoming the country's second sitting president to be forcibly removed from power following former conservative President Park Geun-hye's ouster through impeachment in 2017.
Yoon became the third president to be impeached by the National Assembly in the country's constitutional history. Late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun was reinstated in presidency after impeachment by the National Assembly in 2004.
South Korea faces divided reactions as Constitutional court upholds President Yoon‘’s impeachment
