You Run Like A Girl - Edition 3

Good evening,

I’m coming up to the end of a long stretch of upheaval (living out of a suitcase, traipsing across borders), so this week’s edition will be short and sweet.

For new subscribers, hello and welcome. I’m Amita and I’m the creator of You Run Like A Girl, a media brand that gives a voice to women in sport. In this newsletter, my goal is to share the most interesting stories I read, watched or listened to about women’s sports.

In this edition:

• 🧗🏽‍♀️ Meet the climber set to the become the first Afghan woman to climb Mount Everest (mountaineering)

• 🎿 Lindsey Vonn’s ‘impossible’ comeback roars on with 2026 Olympics in frame (downhill skiing)

• 🏀 South Carolina makes Dawn Staley highest-paid coach in women’s college basketball (basketball)

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Meet the climber set to the become the first Afghan woman to climb Mount Everest

This spring, 32 year-old Freshta Ibrahimi aims to make history and become the first Afghan woman to summit the highest peak in the world.

Yet while climbing Mount Everest is a massive achievement in and of itself, for Ibrahimi, Everest represents more than a physical challenge. She wants to wave a flag of hope for women living under an oppressive Taliban regime, and forge a path for them to one day follow suit.

Read the full article here. (Credit: Written by Eibhlis Gale-Coleman for Conde Nast Traveler.)

Lindsey Vonn’s ‘impossible’ comeback roars on with 2026 Olympics in frame

Lindsey Vonn has a knee made of titanium and a spirit made of steel.

Following a groundbreaking partial knee replacement surgery, the 40-year-old from Minnesota is back on the World Cup circuit, looking to push the boundaries of what’s truly possible for an elite athlete in this day and age. Already a 3-time Olympic medallist and winner of 82 World Cup races, she’s now aiming to do what many call impossible: make a comeback as a viable competitor in a high-risk sport where no woman has ever won a top-flight race after the age of 34.

By coming out of retirement, Vonn joins the growing ranks of pro athletes who competed into their 40s (think Tom Brady and Serena Willams). And while it’s still too early to book her ticket to Italy, Vonns’ early results should serve as a testament to both the advancements in medical technology and the indomitable spirit of an athlete unwilling to let age or injury define her limits.

Read the full article here. (Credit: Written by Bryan Armen Graham for The Guardian).

South Carolina makes Dawn Staley highest-paid coach in women’s basketball

On Friday, Dawn Staley received a contract extension from the University of South Carolina that will make her the highest paid college women’s basketball coach of all time, at a total value of about $25m.

Staley, a five-time Coach of the Year winner, has led the South Carolina Gamecocks to six of the last nine Final Fours. The team NCAA won titles in 2017, 2022 and 2024, and are currently ranked second in the AP poll.

Yet even with Staley’s raise, parity with the men’s side is far off. Her salary still lags behind the top coaches in men’s college basketball. According to a USA Today database of coach salaries, Staley’s new salary would have trailed the salaries of 16 men’s basketball coaches from the 2024 season.

Read the full article here. (Credit: Written by Chantel Jennings for The Athletic).