Donna de Varona at the Tokyo Olympics inspired my enthusiasm for women's Olympic swimming. (Check-out the fabulous picture of her at the link to: "Olympics swimming.")

Later, I became fascinated by the Olympics' gymnastics competition. I loved it this year because of the performances of #Gabby Douglas and #Aly Raisman. That was on top of loving the women's swimming, especially Missy Franklin's races.

In Winning the Race for Choice? We Need Missy "the Missile" Franklin's Gold-medal Strategy for RH Reality Check and On the Matter of Gabby Douglas's Hair, or for That Matter, My Kinky (Jewish) Hair for Huffington Post Style, I wrote about Douglas and Franklin, two women who embody the characteristics I most admire: grit, discipline, intelligence and a commitment to a cause larger than themselves.

#Chris Jansing shared their stories, and those of these Olympics' other great women, in a piece #Brian Williams aired last night, which he summed-up this way:  "Strong is the new pretty."

Best wishes.

Rebecca Sive

Labels: 2012 Olympics, Aly Raisman, Chris Jansing, Donna de Varona, Gabby Douglas, Huffington Post Style, Missy Franklin, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, rh reality check