Retired Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci overcame many hardships but eventually became the first-ever gymnast to be awarded a perfect score in the Olympics. She was credited for making gymnastics a more popular sport in the international scene, and she went on to become a five-time Olympic gold medalist and a four-time world champion.
Nadia has lived in the US since 1989 and is married to Bart Conner, who was also an Olympic gold medalist gymnast. They own the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, several sports shops, and a production company.
Mark Spitz
American retired competitive swimmer Mark Spitz would not only become an outstanding Olympian and gold medalist, but he would forge on to set world records in seven of his events. He was a nine-time Olympic champion. Only Michael Phelps would break his record of winning seven gold medals during the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Perhaps Mark Spitz could have achieved more before he decided to retire after the Munich Olympics. He was only 22 years old at the time. He tried his hand at show business, worked as a commentator, and focused on his real estate business, and other entrepreneurial projects. He continues to travel around the world to give lectures based on his Olympic experiences.
Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy Kerrigan is a famous former figure skater who won a bronze medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics, and a silver medal in the 1994 Winter Olympics. She also placed third in the World Championships in 1991. But perhaps Nancy Kerrigan will always be mentioned alongside her US rival Tonya Harding, whose ex-husband had orchestrated an attack against her.
The incident became highly publicized as a man hit her with a baton and hurt her knee. This was intentionally sabotaged and missed her chances of winning the figure skating competition. But Kerrigan would recover just in time to participate and earn a medal in 1994. In 2017, she took part in 'Dancing with the Stars', in Season 24. She also appears as a guest on various TV shows.
Aly Raisman
It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that Aly Raisman is a legacy of the Magnificent Seven, for having inspired her to seriously take on gymnastics, although she had started learning the sport when she was only two years old. Her mother used to be a gymnast, too, in high school, but Aly Raisman would become the captain of both the “Fierce Five” and the “Final Five” US gymnastics team in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics respectively.
She won two gold medals and a bronze in London, making her the most decorated athlete at the time. Aly Raisman appeared in a music video featuring Maroon 5, and she finished fourth in the Season 16 of 'Dancing with the Stars', with her partner Mark Ballas.
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.