Sports Illustrated and Empower Onyx are putting the spotlight on the diverse journeys of Black women across sports—from the veteran athletes, to up-and-coming stars, coaches, executives and more—in the series, Elle-evate: 100 Influential Black Women in Sports.
Maame Biney is strong, powerful, confident and focused—not just as a two-time Olympic speedskater but as a young Black woman. It was a journey for her to be in the space she is now, a space she now understands she belongs and deserves to be in, but the road was anything but smooth.
Speedskating was a sport that came into her life by happenstance.