Nine athletes who faced Olympic-sized barriers

    On Feb. 11, women’s ski jumping will make its Olympic debut. Competitors will go airborne, medals will be given and another barrier will be crossed. The Olympics always have been about breaking barriers -- and barriers of discrimination are a disconcerting subtext to this year’s games.
    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation in 2013 banning information regarding homosexuality for minors. Gay-rights activists recoiled at the law’s wording, which they believe will prohibit any public expression of their rights. Ironically, only six Olympians – all from other countries -- have actually come out as gay or lesbian, according to The Palm Beach Post. 
     Even so, President Barack Obama appointed gay and lesbian athletes to the U.S. presidential delegation to the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23. Brian Boitano, the 1988 gold medalist in figure skating, and Caitlin Cahow, a two-time Olympic medalist in women’s hockey, will represent the country as part of the delegation. Tennis legend Billie Jean King, who was to attend the opening ceremony as part of the delegation, pulled out citing the failing health of her mother, who died Feb. 7.
     But long before gay rights became an issue, other athletes crossed barriers of race, gender, religion and ethnicity. Here are nine:

1. Madge Syers, Great Britain
     While hard to believe, figure skating was once dominated by men. In 1902, when there were no women’s championships, Madge Syers entered the all-male World Championships. No rule prevented her from doing so, writes James Hines in “Figure Skating, A History,” (University of Illinois Press; 2006). Syers competed against Ulrich Salchow [yes, that Salchow, as in the famous Salchow jump]. She finished in second place. 
     During the 1908 Olympics in London, Syers became the first woman to win a gold medal in figure skating. She and her husband also entered the pairs skating event and won bronze. She died of heart failure in 1917 at 35.

2. Babe Didrikson, U.S.  
    Arguably the star of the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, Didrikson won the javelin throw, the 80-meter hurdles and a prominent place in the spotlight. Americans love winners. But everyone could see that Didrikson was not a girly girl. She was all muscle -- serious muscle -- and had short, boyish hair.
    Didrikson ably conquered many sports and had a highly successful career in professional golf after the Olympics. But she was undoubtedly ahead of her time and took criticism for her supposed unladylike behavior. She married George Zaharias, a professional wrestler, and feminized her appearance. But golfer Betty Dodd was actually Babe’s primary partner during her final years of life, according to the book "Babe, The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias," by Susan E. Cayleff (University of Illinois Press; 1996). 
    After a battle with cancer, Didrikson Zaharias died at 45 in 1956.  

3. Jesse Owens, U.S

4. Ralph Metcalfe, U.S.

5. Marty Glickman, U.S.

6. Sam Stoller, U.S.

    The grandson of slaves, Jesse Owens won four gold medals during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin – victories viewed not just as a triumph of athleticism, but as a political statement as well. “Adolf Hitler had intended the Berlin Games to be a showcase for the Nazi doctrine of Aryan supremacy,” recounted The New York Times in its obituary for Owens, who died at 66 in 1980.
    Owens and his teammates showed the Nazis that race was no barrier to Olympic superiority. Even so, American Olympic officials had limits on their willingness to confront Hitler’s bigotry.
    Owens had not been scheduled to run in the relay, the Times recalled. “Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller [both Jewish] were, but American Olympic officials … wanted to avoid offending the Nazis.”
    They replaced Glickman and Stoller with Owens and Ralph Metcalfe, both African-American. (Owens told coaches that his teammates deserved a chance to run, according to reports. His objections went unheeded.)
     The relay team won handily, and Hitler reportedly refused to congratulate the African-American athletes. In recent years, the account of Hitler's snub has been disputed. But Owens put the incident into perspective this way, according to The New York Times:
     "When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I couldn't ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. Now what's the difference?"
     Glickman later became a noted sports broadcaster. An HBO documentary about his life, Glickman, is available on DVD. He died in 2001 at age 83.
     Stoller returned to University of Michigan for the 1937 season and won the Big Ten 100-yard dash. He died in 1985 at 69. 
     After the games, Metcalfe (also an Olympian in 1932) taught political science and coached track at Xavier University in New Orleans. He served in the Army during World War II and then moved to Chicago, where he became involved in politics. He served as a member of the U.S. House from 1971 to 1978, the year of his death. He was 68.

7. Oscar Pistorius, South Africa

8. Wojdan Shaherkani, Saudi Arabia

9. Sarah Attar, Saudi Arabia

    In 2012, Pistorius became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics. Originally banned from the competition, the South African appealed the decision and won a spot at the London Olympics after doctors testified that his prosthetic legs did not give him an unfair advantage.
    His life story took a tragic turn the following year, when he was accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend, South African model Reeva Steenkamp. The 27-year-old Pistorius is scheduled to stand trial in March. 
    In another notable first, Saudi Arabia sent two women to the London games that year. The decision to field women athletes was controversial in that country. Both women had to compete with heads covered.
    Wojdan Shaherkani, then 16 and a judo competitor, became the first Saudi woman to compete in the Olympics. A black skullcap covering her hair, she stepped onto the mat and swiftly lost during an elimination match. Sarah Attar, then 19 and a junior at Pepperdine University, competed in the 800-meter race, but she was eliminated too.
    Some gold-hungry Olympians have been known to sulk when they get silver medals, but the two Saudis brought a refreshingly sportsmanlike attitude. After losing, both commented about their pride in representing their country.
    The New York Times noted another broken barrier. The 2012 Olympics were the first time every country competing sent at least one woman to the games.

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