FILE – In this July 27, 2021 file photo, Simone Biles, of the United States, watches gymnasts perform after she exited the team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo. Biles and Naomi Osaka are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
FILE – In this July 25, 2021 file photo Naomi Osaka, of Japan, inspects her racket during a tennis match against China’s Zheng Saisai at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, Japan. Osaka and Simone Biles are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
FILE – In this July 14, 2021 file photo, Simone Biles walks to her gate for her flight to the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo as United Airlines employees wave flags during a send-off event for the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team at the San Francisco International Airport. Biles and Naomi Osaka are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
FILE – In this July 23, 2021 file photo, Japan’s Naomi Osaka holds the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, Japan. Osaka and Simone Biles are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
FILE – In this July 27, 2021 file photo, Simone Biles, of the United States, performs on the vault during the artistic gymnastics women’s final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo. Biles and Naomi Osaka are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
FILE – In this July 27, 2021 file photo, Simone Biles, of the United States, talks with her coach after performing on the vault during the artistic gymnastics women’s final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo. Biles and Naomi Osaka are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
FILE – In this July 27m 2021 file photos, gymnasts from the United States, Simone Biles, center, Jordan Chiles , right, and Sunisa Lee cheer Grace McCallum as she performs on the floor during the artistic gymnastics women’s final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo. Biles and Naomi Osaka are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
FILE – In this July 26, 2021 file photo, Naomi Osaka, of Japan, adjusts her racket during a second round tennis match against Viktorija Golubic, of Switzerland, at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, Japan. Osaka and Simone Biles are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
FILE – In this July 27, 2021 file photo, Naomi Osaka, of Japan, reaches for a shot by Marketa Vondrousova, of the Czech Republic, during the third round of the tennis competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, Japan. Osaka and Simone Biles are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
FILE – In this Sept. 8 2020 file photo, Naomi Osaka, of Japan, wears a protective mask due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, featuring the name “George Floyd”, while arriving on court to face Shelby Rogers, of the United States, during the quarterfinal round of the US Open tennis championships, in New York. Osaka and Simone Biles are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye.
NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka. Simone Biles. Both are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever know. Both have faced major career crossroads at the Tokyo Games. Both cited pressure and mental health.
The glare is even hotter for these Black women given that, after years of sacrifice and preparation, they are expected to perform, to be strong, to push through. They must work harder for the recognition and often are judged more harshly than others when they don’t meet the public’s expectations.
So when New York city resident Natelegé Whaley heard that Black women athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics were asserting their right to take care of their mental health, over the pressure to perform a world away, she took special notice.
“This is powerful,” said Whaley, who is Black. “They are leading the way and changing the way we look at athletes as humans, and also Black women as humans.”
Being a young Black woman — which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform — entails much more than meets the eye, according to several Black women and advocates who spoke to The Associated Press.
The Tokyo Games show signs of signaling the end of an era — one in which Black women on the world stage give so much of themselves that they have little to nothing left, said Patrisse Cullors, an activist and author who co-founded the Black Lives Matter movement eight years ago.
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