At the first modern Olympiad in Greece in 1896, an athletic woman from Syros seeking to improve her fortunes walked 6 miles to Athens in hopes of competing in the marathon.

But women were barred from those first Olympics because Pierre de Coubertin, their founder, believed “an Olympiad with females would be impractical, uninteresting, unaesthetic and improper.”

Though Stamata Revithi was not allowed to compete, she ran the marathon anyway, by herself, the following day. She completed the final lap outside the stadium because officials refused her entry.

Her five-hour, 30-minute finishing time was never officially recognized, and soon afterward she disappeared into the mists of history.

It would take nearly 100 years before women were officially allowed to run an Olympic marathon. It was America that opened the way, in Los Angeles in 1984.

But this year? Well, you might say that this year, the Olympics belonged to the sisterhood.

For the first time in history, the Olympics boasted the same number of female athletes as male athletes.

And American women, especially, have dominated the show. This 315-woman tour de force has won more medals than the American men this year, and more medals than the total won by men and women combined in all other countries except China. As of Saturday, American women had 63 medals to 45 for the men, including 23 golds compared to 11 for the men. 

And you know what? This is the fourth consecutive Summer Games in which women have carried the team, going back to 2012: London, Rio, Tokyo and now Paris.

Without a doubt this year, America’s biggest stars have been its women.

“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been nothing short of extraordinary, showcasing the incredible talent, determination, and confidence of the women athletes of Team USA,” U.S. Olympic & Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland said in an email Saturday. 

Simone Biles completed an extraordinary comeback to become the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport, collecting gold medals in women’s artistic individual and team all-around events, and the women’s vault, as well.

Katie Ledecky became the most decorated female Olympian in U.S. history after winning two more golds, a silver and a bronze, pushing her overall medal total to 14. Her nine gold medals also ties her with Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina for most Olympic gold medals won by a women. Latynina won nine golds between 1956 and 1964.

Colorado native Mallory Swanson scored the winning goal for the U.S. women’s soccer team in their gold medal victory over Brazil, which came 12 years after they won their last gold. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record in repeating as gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdle.

Sprinters Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson brought gold home for U.S. women in the 4×100 relay.

Like Babe Ruth pointing to the spot in the stands where he would hit a homerun, long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall pointed to spot in the sandpit that she hoped to hit before her jump. And then she hit it, winning gold.

Jennifer Valente, who attended University of Colorado

Colorado Springs, won cycling gold with her team.

With a thrilling 90-yard run in the very last seconds, the U.S. women’s rugby team snatched the bronze medal away from Australia.

There’s also gold-medal wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt, weightlifter Olivia Reeves, swimmer Torri Huske, fencer Lee Kiefer and cyclist Kristen Faulkner.

Columnist Christine Brenan of USA Today pointed out wisely to an interviewer that not only are more women competing and winning than ever, but our country is looking at female athletes in a whole new way.

“Not only are they the greatest in the world, athletically,” she said of the American gymnasts, “but they truly are a symbol of what we have been discussing as a nation in terms of how we look at women and young girls.”

Brenan notes that all these triumphs by American women come after a long national conversation about how we look at women and body image, the issue of eating disorders, anorexia and mental health.

“These are conversations that we have had at the very top elite level of sport, but we have also had those conversations in our kitchens with our daughters and nieces and granddaughters and just having much more awareness, frankly, of those issues over the last, say, 10 or 15 years,” Brenan said.

“And look at the result, a team that America cares and the world cares so much about, led by the great Simone Biles, the gymnastics team. We were so used to seeing them look so thin. We’d hear about the injuries, the horrors, of course, of the — Larry Nassar, the sexual assault scandal.

“We have dealt with all of this, and look at the result now. You have got these women, as you said, the Golden Girls, perfect name for them, in their 20s. Simone Biles is 27. This is an age that would never have been on the radar screen 20 years ago in gymnastics. And yet here we are now.”

NBC seized the moment, too, featuring equal coverage of men’s and women’s sports in prime time.

Why is the U.S better at this than any other nation?

Despite all the criticism it has endured lately, Title IX still deserves the lion’s share of credit for this remarkable turnaround.

“Seeing young stars dominate their sports is both inspiring and a testament to the impact of Title IX,” Hirshland said. “Their performances are a reminder of how far we’ve come and the boundless potential that still lies ahead. We couldn’t be prouder of their achievements and the example they set for future generations of athletes.”

In the 50 years since Title IX passed, women went from having a fraction of the Olympic medal events of men to carrying the team, despite still having fewer medal opportunities.

The 1972 law prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs such as sports.

In the early 1970s, around 50,000 men went to universities on sports scholarships, compared to around 50 women. At high schools, only 1 girl in 27 played any kind of sports. Today that number is 2 in 5.

Since 1972, there has been a 545% increase in the percentage of women playing college sports and a 990% increase in the percentage of women playing high school sports.

Title IX has developed into a mindset now, massively increasing women’s opportunities in sports and providing equal access to fields, training equipment, scholarships, and more.

Today’s Olympic stars have played sports their whole lives, never having to give their opportunities or resources a second thought.

And more people are watching them than ever. Deloitte forecasts that in 2024, for the first time, women’s elite sports will generate revenue that surpasses $1 billion — a 300% increase on the industry’s evaluation in 2021.

Why does this kind of parity matter? What’s so important about women playing sports as much as men?

Because sports teaches all of us, men and women alike, how to play well with others, how to push ourselves beyond our own limits, how to reach our full potential, how to strive relentlessly for excellence in something.

Eighty percent of female Fortune 500 CEOs played sports in their formative years. The number rises to 91% for women in leadership roles, and 93% for those earning $100,000 or more.

It also matters because all these stars will be beacons for the next generation of girls, who will see even greater possibilities ahead for themselves because of what the American women have accomplished this year. 

“I hope I can inspire just one girl to have the courage to take her dream, the courage to step into uncertainty,” wrestling champ Hildebrandt told ABC News.

This moment means that fifty years after Title IX was passed, and 128 years after Stamata Revithi’s lonely, rebel run, the sisterhood finally has its moment in the sun.