- André Biernath
- BBC International Department
Image source,Getty Images
American sprinter and neurobiologist Gaby Thomas won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
One foot in the training ground, one foot in the laboratory: this is the daily routine of some female athletes in the Tokyo Olympics. This summer, they proved themselves in the gymnasium, on the road track and the stadium track.
What they face is a unique challenge: competing for medals and records at the highest level, while at the same time developing their own research career.
In the just-concluded Olympic Games, there were such seven women. Their achievements included not only athletic records but also academic achievements.
1. Anna Kiesenhofer-Austria
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Kissenhofer’s gold medal in the road bike event is one of the biggest upsets in the Tokyo Olympics.
The 30-year-old Austrian cyclist is far from being a favorite in the women’s road race in Tokyo.
But without the support of a coach and professional system, she won the gold medal and created one of the biggest upsets in this Olympics.
The Austrian put aside her nearest rival, the current world champion and Dutch driver Annemiek van Vleuten, so far away that the latter thought she was the moment she crossed the finish line. Champion, and celebrate wildly.
The 2021 Olympic champion is also a mathematician and holds degrees from the Vienna University of Technology and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
She is currently engaged in research and teaching at the Lucerne University of Technology in Switzerland.
2. Hadia Hosny-Egypt
Image source,Reuters
Hadia Husni (left) is an Olympian, scientist and politician.
Tokyo may already be the last Olympic Games for Hosni.
After being out of the badminton women’s doubles group match, the Egyptian player hinted that he might retire.
“This is likely to be my last Olympic Games. Traveling to participate in all the events and maintaining a good world ranking is a very stressful thing,” the official website of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) quoted Said the Egyptian.
Hosni will continue her academic career-she is an assistant professor at the British University in Egypt.
She holds a master’s degree in biomedicine from the University of Bath and a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Cairo in Egypt. She researched and published a thesis on dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat many diseases. .
Husni’s schedule will also be full of political affairs, because she is also a member of the Egyptian Parliament.
3. Gabby Thomas-United States
Image source,EPA
Gaby Thomas (right) is a good sprinter, but she also wants to study racial inequality in medical services.
The 24-year-old American Gabrielle Thomas (Gabrielle Thomas) is already a well-known name in track and field sprinting-she is the third fastest runner in the history of women’s 200 meters.
Known as “Gabi” by everyone, she won the bronze medal in this project in Tokyo.
However, between training and competition, Thomas also studied neurobiology and global health at Harvard University.
Thomas is studying for a master’s degree in epidemiology and health management at the University of Texas in Austin, USA.
Her focus is on racial inequality in access to medical services in the United States.
4. Charlotte Hym (Charlotte Hym)-France
Image source,Reuters
Dr. Sim failed to qualify for the finals of the Skate Street Competition.
At the age of 12, Charlotte Sim, who lives in Paris, was attracted to skateboarders near her home.
“Looking so cool, I want to be like them,” the 28-year-old said to the official website of the International Olympic Committee.
Sim finally came to the Olympics to participate in the skateboarding competition, but when she came to Tokyo, she was already a doctor of neurology.
She studied how mother-fetal speech affects the development of newborn babies’ motor skills.
It’s a pity that Dr. Sim has already been out of the preliminaries of the skateboarding project.
5. Louise Shanahan-Ireland
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Shanahan participated in the women’s 800-meter race in Tokyo.
The 24-year-old Irish runner has a clear goal in mind: she is going to be shortlisted for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, success came unexpectedly early. She won the 800-meter ticket for the Tokyo Olympics, but ultimately failed to qualify in the first round of preliminaries.
The 2024 competition goal is still there, but the Irishman has now focused on scientific research-she specifically studies quantum mechanics.
After graduating from Cork University in Ireland, Shanahan is currently studying for her Ph.D. at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
Her main research direction is medical physics: she develops devices that can improve cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“I like to have two careers at the same time, because when things don’t go well in the laboratory, I can tell myself that I am a runner and everything is fine,” Shanahan once told the Cambridge Independent before the Tokyo Olympics ( Cambridge Independent) said.
“Now, if I perform poorly on the track and field, I can always think of myself as a quantum physicist.”
6. Nadine Apetz-Germany
Image source,Reuters
When Apez is not fighting his opponents in the ring, he is studying the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
The moment he embarked on the Tokyo Olympic arena, Apez had already made history: she became the first representative of Germany’s Olympic women’s boxing.
However, the 35-year-old has a short Olympic experience: she lost to India’s Lovlina Borgohain in the first women’s welterweight competition.
The German, who has won medals in European competitions and World Boxing Championships, now wants to focus on her other career.
She has a master’s degree in neuroscience at the University of Bremen in her hometown, and her next goal is to complete her doctorate at the University Hospital of Cologne, Germany.
What Apez is studying is a technique called deep brain stimulation, which uses electrical or electromagnetic currents to stimulate gray matter in certain areas.
This treatment has great potential and may help patients with Parkinson’s disease (Parkinson’s disease) in the future. This is a degenerative disorder that affects movement and muscle nerves.
“Preparing for the Tokyo Olympics is very stressful. After I return from Japan, I will concentrate 100% on my research,” Apez told the IOC website.
7. Andrea Murez-Israel
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Murez has a degree in biology from Stanford University.
Andrea Murez, born in California, USA, is 29 years old and graduated from the Department of Biology at Stanford University.
However, swimming allowed her to participate in the water sports of the Maccabiads, a four-year sporting event in Israel.
The well-behaved Murez decided to move permanently to Israel and represent the country.
At the Tokyo Olympics, the athlete, biologist and future doctor participated in four swimming competitions: 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, and 4x100m mixed relay.
Her best results came from the relay event, and Israel ranked eighth in the final.