At the opening ceremony of the Paris Games, a female knight in gleaming silver armor, draped in the Olympic flag, made a grand entrance on a white horse. Riding across the Seine River with the flags of competing nations fluttering behind her, she was strength and elegance incarnate.

Team China compete during the team acrobatic routine of artistic swimming at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Saint-Denis, France, Aug. 7, 2024. (Xinhua/Xia Yifang)

Her courageous and graceful demeanor was merely a precursor to the resilience, glory and embodiment of the Olympic spirit displayed by a pantheon of female athletes who have dazzled the world in the past 10 days. However, it's not just their outstanding performances and skills that have captured spectators' attention, but also their elegant makeup, intricately styled hair, and even artistically painted nails — juxtaposing not only the unique power, but also the delicate beauty of women athletes.

While it's commonplace to see women shining on the Olympic stage today, little over a century ago, they were not even allowed to compete. Their journey to reach this sporting pinnacle has been long and arduous — more akin to a marathon than a sprint — and it began in Paris in 1900, when women competed in the Olympics for the first time.

Now, a century-and-a-quarter later, Paris is again laying down another Olympic milestone for female athletes. The International Olympic Committee has ensured that approximately half of the 10,500-athlete quota are women — meaning that Paris 2024 is the first time in history an almost equal number of men and women are competing at a Summer Games.

The final registered numbers released by the IOC show that 5,712 male athletes and 5,503 female athletes are on a quest for gold this year, compared to the just 22 women and 975 men who participated in 1900.

"In Paris, we are seeing the results of the enormous efforts made by the Olympic movement and female trailblazers come to fruition. This is our contribution to a more gender-equal world," said Thomas Bach, IOC president.

In Paris, for the first time since its inclusion in the Olympic program in 1984, the women's marathon will conclude the athletics schedule and highlight the achievements of female athletes just before the closing ceremony. For Paris 2024, this is especially significant as the marathon route will honor the historic Women's March of 1789.

Cassandre Beaugrand from France, the world's top-ranked triathlete, won the women's individual triathlon gold medal at the city's Pont Alexandre III on July 31.

"To do it in front of our crowd was something that had to be done, and I still can't believe it," she said, "I'm happy that my mentality was on point today and, ultimately, my greatest strength."

From swimming in the Seine, to biking along the Champs-Elysees, Paris has so far offered a breathtaking backdrop for female athletes to deliver stunning performances.

Remarks about the Games from Yu Jia, a commentator for Chinese national broadcaster CCTV, have struck a chord on Chinese social media.

"You should be able to see the immense beauty in their performance. Their bodies are forged from steel, their spines etched with courage and their blood infused with freedom. Each athlete embodies adventure, defiance, and fearlessness," he said. "In such competitions, both a girl's heart and a knight's spirit can coexist."

Yu emphasized the significance of the event, noting that "you never know where in the world a young girl might be watching, dreaming of one day standing on such a stage".

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