While other Olympians would make single, short appearances in the Olympic Games, Dara Torres would be the first competitive swimmer to represent the US in five Olympics (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008). Throughout her career, she’s become a 12-time Olympic medalist and the oldest member of the US Olympic team.
Dara Torres was forced to retire after she suffered knee problems. She would’ve wanted to be part of the Olympic team in 2012, but announced her retirement after the trials. She started a career in modeling and has worked for various networks as a reporter.
Jacqueline Kersee
Sports Illustrated magazine ranked Jacqueline Kersee “The Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time” following her achievements in track and field. She specializes in the heptathlon, where her world record still stands, and in the long jump.
Despite her severe asthma, she has persevered as an elite athlete. In four Olympic Games (Seoul, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Atlanta) she has earned three golds, one silver, and two bronze medals. She is now an active philanthropist and the founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation.
Shannon Lee Miller
Shannon Miller began her gymnastics lessons when she was five years old. During those times she would travel to Moscow to expand her learnings and experience. She was unofficially the leader of the Magnificent Seven that brought home the first-ever gold medal to the US. With a total of seven gold medals, she is the most decorated gymnast to ever come from the US.
Before Simone Biles broke her record, she was the most decorated gymnast in US history with a total of 16 medals from the Olympics and World Championships; five of them, from the 1992 Olympics alone. She was diagnosed with a severe medical condition in 2011 but was cleared by her doctors after seven months of treatment.
Apolo Ohno
The US discovered its youngest champion in short-track speed skating when Apolo Ohno clinched the US National Championship at the age of 14. He held the title from 2001 to 2009 and became an eight-time medalist in the Winter Olympics. In his prime, he became the face of the US short track, the most decorated American Olympian, too, at the Winter Olympic Games.
After he retired in 2013, Apolo Ohno became a motivational speaker, and he started his own nutritional supplement business. He joined the 'Dancing with the Stars', competition in 2007 and won.
Cathy Freeman
At the age of 16, Cathy Freeman became the first Australian Indigenous person to receive a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games. She was trained by her stepfather when she was only five years old, competing in various events like the 100 m, 200 m, and the long jump. But her main forte was in the 400-meter event.
She won a gold medal in the 2000 Olympic Games and a silver in Atlanta in 1996. Her 400 m record of 48.63 makes her one of the fastest women in the world. She decided to retire in 2003 to spend quality time with her family and founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation in 2007.