The World’s Most Powerful Women: August 18

Cyclist Laura Trott made Olympic history this week, becoming the first British woman to get four gold medals at the Games.

Trott, who entered the record books after winning the six-discipline track cycling event known as the omnium, was all over the British newspapers yesterday. After becoming champion in Rio, she was crowned a “golden girl” by the Telegraph and the Daily Mail, and even called “Wonder Woman” by i News. The BBC referred to her feat of winning two gold medals in Rio—and two at the London Games four years ago—with a tongue-twisting “Trott’s terrific triumph.”

Aside from her Olympic prowess, Trott has become known for spreading the message that participating in sports can help young girls build their confidence. An ambassador for the popular #LikeAGirl campaign of P&G’s Always brand, Trott has said she would like “to encourage and inspire girls everywhere to keep playing” and “never quit.”

Trott’s performance in Rio helped bring her country’s medal tally to the top tier of the global rankings table. A medalist with an important message. How inspiring—for young girls and women alike.

@laurascohn

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

Better late than never
The members of Belgium's female 4x100-meter relay team will be getting a gold medal from a race they ran eight years ago. Now that a reanalysis of a doping sample from Russian sprinter Yulia Chermoshanskaya has tested positive for steroids, the gold medal the Russians won at the 2008 Beijing Games will be handed to the Belgians, who initially won a silver.
AP

Another burkini ban?

In other Belgian news, there is talk about banning the burkini in the small country. Following the recent move by the mayor of Cannes to prohibit the full-body swimsuit favored by religious Muslim women, and bans elsewhere in France, Belgian authorities are weighing whether to follow suit.

De Standaard

Afghani coders

Meet tech entrepreneur Roya Mahboob, the software developer who created centers in Afghanistan to teach girls to code. Mahboob, a member of the 2013 Time 100 list of influential people, is now working on the training site EdyEdy, as well as a business that will export Afghan tea and coffee to the U.S. and the Middle East.

Wired

THE AMERICAS

Tough at the top

If Hillary Clinton wins the White House, will a "new age of public misogyny" follow? That's the contention of this piece, which makes the point that much like President Obama's rise to the White House did not alleviate racial tensions in the U.S., a Clinton victory could lead to "in-your-face sexist drivel." Separately, Time reports that Clinton is treading cautiously amid the stumbles of Donald Trump.

Atlantic

A clean sweep

Three women from the U.S. Olympic team made history by claiming all three medals in the 100 meter hurdles event. Americans Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin told gold, silver and bronze, respectively, at the Rio Games. After checking the scoreboard, Rollins sweetly explained, "I knew that I got the gold but I just wanted to make sure that my other teammates got their medals, as well."

New York Times

Quizzing careers

What if you had a quiz that could help set you on a career path that best suits your personality and abilities? Fortune's Valentina Zarya reports the startup Pymetrics, co-founded by entrepreneur Frida Polli, wants to equip employers with such a tool.

Fortune

Going global

How entrepreneur Nicole Sahin's company, Globalization Partners, got to $17 million in revenues in just four years. Her company, which helps companies hire overseas, has a management team that's entirely female, is ranked sixth on Inc.'s 5000 list, and does business in 130 countries for more than 100 clients.

Inc.

ASIA-PACIFIC

A splash outside the pool

As I mentioned last week, Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui, who got the bronze in the 100-meter backstroke, has gained fame in Rio for a series of interviews that went viral. Now she's making news outside the pool, by attracting more than 11 million views to an hour-long broadcast she created on the Chinese live-streaming platform Inke.

CNN