After each Olympics, a group of athletes emerge as names you’ll always remember. Thanks to their unbeatable performances, jaw-dropping finishes, and inspiring attitudes, they show us what a true Olympian looks like. Here are some of our favorite U.S. women in Olympic history.
Kerri Strug, 34
Strug first made history as the youngest Olympian at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona. Then, in one of the most moving moments of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, she landed her final vault on a badly sprained ankle—helping the U.S. gymnastics team take home gold for the first time in history. Today, Strug works for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and travels the world for special events, cheering on young athletes.
Jennie Finch, 31
As a pitcher for the U.S. softball team, Finch led the team to gold in 2004. In 2008, she and the U.S. Olympic team suffered two devastating blows: First, a heartbreaking loss in the Olympics to Japan in the final game; then, facing the vote to eliminate softball from future Olympics. Finch currently conducts softball camps across the country and has her own softball academy in New Jersey. She also wrote her first book, “Throw Like a Girl,” in 2011.
Amy Van Dyken, 39
Swimmer Van Dyken tallied four gold medals at 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, becoming the first American woman to do so in one Olympics. She followed it up with two more in 2000. Now, she has a national radio show on Fox Sports Radio with former MLB pitcher Rob Dibble, and will be covering the Olympics for Fox Sports and FoxSports.com.
Shannon Miller, 35
As one of the most decorated American gymnast of all time, Miller’s accomplishments go on and on: She won five Olympic medals in 1992, and two more in 1996. She’s also the only female athlete to be introduced into the US Olympic Hall of Fame—twice. In 2010, she launched her company, Shannon Miller Lifestyle: Health and Fitness for Women, along with a series of fitness books, cookbooks, and fitness. In 2011, she launched the Shannon Miller Walk-Fit program: a free online tacking and incentive program targeted to the Jacksonville community. She’ll be working as an analyst for Yahoo! Sports at the London Olympics.
Julie Foudy, 41
Foudy was a three-time Olympian on the women’s soccer team—winning gold in 1996 and 2004, and silver (or as she says, “white gold,” in 2000). She also won two FIFA Women’s World Cups—in 1991 and 1999. She now works for ESPN as a soccer analyst, features reporter, and co-host, and in 2006 launched The Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy, a week-long soccer camp for girls that emphasizes leadership skills.
Lisa Leslie, 40
The standout center racked up some impressive titles in the WBNA (among them, leading the Los Angeles Sparks to back-to-back Championships, taking home her third WBNA MVP trophy in 2006—oh, and, also becoming the first woman to slam-dunk in a professional game). After winning gold with the U.S. women’s basketball team in Beijing in 2008, Leslie became the first team athlete to become a four-time consecutive gold medalist. She announced her retired from the WBNA in 2009, and is now the founder and owner of the Lisa Leslie Basketball and Leadership Academy, and covers the Lakers for ABC, and basketball and the Olympics for NBC.
Summer Sanders, 39
Sanders won four medals in swimming at the 1992 Barcelona Games. After retiring from the sport, Sanders hit the television waves, as a host of programs like NBA Inside Stuff and Nickelodeon’s Figure it Out (she was the first female game-show host), and a Olympic analyst and correspondent for NBC during the 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2010 Olympic Games. She currently hosts Yahoo! Sports award winning web series Elite Athlete Workout and will be their Olympic host and analyst at the 2012 Games.
Rebecca Lobo, 38
The 6-foot-4 center remains one of the best-known female basketball players of all time. Lobo went from being part of the University of Connecticut’s first undefeated National Championship team in 1995 to the youngest member of the gold-medal winning U.S. women’s basketball team at the Olympic games in Atlanta. She then went on to play seven years in the WBNA, retiring in 2003. She now works as a commentator for ESPN.
Laura Wilkinson, 34
In one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history, Wilkinson, starting in eighth place and with a broken foot, came from behind to win the 2000 Olympic platform gold medal. She has also won the 2004 World Cup and the 2005 World Championships, becoming the only woman in history to win all three coveted world titles in platform diving. Now she is working to build a new training facility for her community near The Woodlands, Texas, through her organization, The Laura Wilkinson Foundation.
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