Sir Steve Redgrave was a master of the sweep rowing discipline, and as an athlete, he was as consistent and hard-working as he could possibly be. His record is a testament to his efforts, which makes it doubly impressive considering he had suffered from a medical condition for most of his career.
Regardless of the sport, he is considered the fourth most decorated among British Olympians. He’s competed in five Olympics and won gold medals every time. He is the greatest rower in Olympic history, and in 2011 he was given the “Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award” by BBC.
Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristi Yamaguchi started to figure skate at a very young age. She earned her first international gold medal at the 1990 Goodwill Games when she was only nineteen. She moved to Edmonton to train while taking up Psychology at the University of Alberta.
Yamaguchi’s first Olympic gold medal came during the 1992 Winter Olympics. By that time she was already a world champion, and she won another gold in 1992 in Oakland. She’s now an author of children’s books, and occasionally she appears on NBC as a skating analyst.
Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi first drew attention to the sport of tennis for his “image is everything” style. He quickly rose to the ranks as a young athlete, but his skills had tremendously improved in 1995 under the tutelage of his new coach Brad Gilbert. This is the year he would first become ranked no.1 in the world.
Many regard him as the best serve returner in the history of tennis. His best performances have been fueled by his rivalry with Pete Sampras, as they were considered the best players of their generation- Sampras being the greatest server, in contrast to Agassi’s superb returner skills. He retired in 2003 and has been married to Steffi Graf since 2001.
Dominique Dawes
Dominique Dawes dazzled the world audience when she became the first black person to clinch a gold medal in the Olympics in gymnastics. She had been a member of the US national team for a decade, and she eventually became the first black woman to have won an individual Olympic medal (artistic gymnastics).
Known as “Awesome Dawesome,” she was a member of the extremely talented group “Magnificent Seven,” which had brought home the first-ever gold medal in the team event at the 1996 Summer Olympics. She is employed by the US government as a sports adviser.
Edwin Moses
Edwin Moses thrives in a competitive environment, so much so, that even after his retirement as a track and field athlete, he would go on to excel in bobsledding, winning the bronze in the 1990 World Cup.
Moses won gold medals at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics in the 400 m hurdles event. Along the way, he has set world records four times. Being such a consistent performer, Edwin Moses won 107 consecutive finals competitions. He is a strong advocate for random illegal substance testing and has helped significantly in reforming Olympic eligibility rules.