Give ‘em the recognition they deserve
It is so exciting to read pieces featuring our world-class local athletes in here in Kona and see our friends’ achievements highlighted. Still, I was disappointed to see the recent coverage of the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii race continue to prioritize men’s athletics over women’s.
As a Kona resident, I found the most exciting story of the day to be that one of our own, Bree Wee of Kona, brought home gold. The headline, focusing on the men, read instead that “…Justin Riele comes out on top again.” For a West Hawaiian audience, it seems far more relevant and interesting that Bree won her race than that Riele, of San Francisco, won his.
Following the discussion of Riele’s victory, the article went on to describe David Wild’s fifth place finish. Wild is an elite athlete who has trained extraordinarily hard for this race and for this impressive finish. But Wee didn’t get fifth place, she won.
Even accounting for the fact that there were more entrants in the men’s division than in the women’s, Wee’s first place finish puts her in a higher percentile in her field. The amount of training and commitment she has dedicated to this achieve this should go without saying.
Wild deserves to be celebrated for his successes. That said, I am disappointed that Wee’s photo was not featured and her inspiring story and performance, and even any acknowledgment of a women’s race, were left to the end of the article.
We are lucky to have both these athletes (and many more) among us in Kona reminding us what’s possible. I personally owe a debt of gratitude to both for inspiring me to run and stay active. I hope that in the future, in return, we can make sure that they each get the recognition they deserve.
Jonathan Simonds
Kailua-Kona
^
Concerning Trump
I share the frustration with the Republican party that Ms. Hughes expressed in her May 31 letter. In fact, I do not see that the country has a viable Republican party anymore. Those calling themselves Republicans in the Congress, and many in the general population, are simply in support of authoritarian rule.
They support the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that former President Donald Trump, the perpetrator of this lie, should be installed as president.
This dire threat to the democratic system in this country may be weakened by the court system, which in New York is close to prosecuting Trump and the Trump organization for financial fraud. It was a mistake of Biden to prevent the Justice Department from prosecuting Trump for insurrection after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capital. Let’s hope now that the court in New York can mitigate that error.
Mike Keller
Kailua-Kona
^
Letters policy
Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be edited for style and grammar. Longer viewpoint guest columns may not exceed 800 words. Submit online at www.westhawaiitoday.com/?p=118321, via email to letters@westhawaiitoday.com or address them to:
Editor
West Hawaii Today
PO Box 789
Kailua-Kona, HI 96745