‘a woman did this’ and males trying to convince themselves they could hit it as hard.
Lioness Chloe Kelly: Female athletes have to overachieve to be accepted By Lauren Taylor PA When Lioness Chloe Kelly stepped up to take a penalty kick against Nigeria in the World Cup last year, she had no doubt she could hit it at a remarkable speed. It was 69mph – more powerful than any shot recorded in the men’s Premier League that season (West Ham’s Saïd Benrahma clocked one at 66.6mph), according to Sport England. “I knew when I stood up that I would hit it with such conviction because I’ve worked so hard practicing those penalties,” said the 26-year-old forward, who also plays for Manchester City. However, only one in six (17%) of Brits thinks that record was set by a female player, according to new research commissioned by Doritos. “It doesn’t surprise me,” Kelly said, also remembering all the videos that surfaced on social media of members of the public trying to hit a ball harder.“In the videos it was always
“It’s a little disappointing to see because we’re professional athletes and we work so hard every day. It can have a negative impact on women [the questioning] did they really hit it those heights?” To celebrate that amazing shot and Kelly’s achievements in football, a 2,774 sq ft mural of her has been unveiled in her hometown of Manchester, with the aim to challenge people’s personal biases. Shockingly, out of the 240 public statues of sportspeople in UK, only three of them are of female athletes; former England footballer Lily Parr, two-time Wimbledon champion Dorothy Round and Olympic pentathlon winner Lady Mary Peters. As a female athlete, “there’s definitely a lot more pressure to do well – and to overachieve, really, to be accepted. It’s always you have to do something amazing to be recognised – which is crazy”, said Kelly, who scored the winner in the Euros 2022 final to give England the trophy. The image of her taking her shirt off and celebrating in her sports bra after the goal against Germany has become synonymous with female empowerment in football.
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