Dominique Moceanu was the youngest member of the “Magnificent Seven” US gymnastics team. She injured herself during the trials but was petitioned on the team on account of her strong scores during the Nationals. She was awarded a gold medal for the team event.
Most of us remember her for substituting for Kerri Strug who had to vacant her slot and compete in the final round of the team event. Moceanu’s career had been riddled with various injuries, but she would compete one more time in the 2000 Olympics held in Sydney. She retired thereafter and is now a coach and author.
Summer Sanders
As a competitive swimmer, Summer Sanders specialized in the Butterfly and the Individual Medley. She only competed once in the Olympics in 1992 in Barcelona, where she won four gold medals.
Her popularity after the games helped her land a job as a commentator for CBS Sports, NBC, and MSNBC where she covered various sports events. This would serve as a kickstart to a more prosperous career in television, as she would also make various appearances on many networks such as being the first female host of Nickelodeon. She is married to Olympian skier Erik Schlopy, and they have two children.
Sir Chris Hoy
It’s funny how movies can seem so trifling to us at times without knowing how it subconsciously nestles in our minds and grows. Sir Chris Hoy, the most decorated Olympic cyclist of all time with six golds, actually decided to be a cyclist after he watched the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. He was only six years old, and as a teenager, he was ranked as high as ninth in the world in BMX cycling.
He moved up to track cycling, where he rose to prominence in the Olympics as a six-time champion and an eleven-time world champion. He retired after the 2012 London Olympics and is now involved in motorsports.
Ian Thorpe
Ian Thorpe is arguably Australia’s most popular athlete of all time. He grew up in a sporting family and has naturally inherited his parents’ competitiveness. When his sister broke a wrist, Ian Thorpe would go along with her to the pool where she was advised to swim to recuperate from her injury.
At 14, Thorpe was the youngest male to ever represent his country in the world championships. He is nicknamed “Thorpedo” for his speed, and that would catapult him to the world stage- winning five Olympic gold medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and a total of 11 world championship golds throughout his career. He is now an active philanthropist and was awarded for his efforts in promoting indigenous people's rights.
Shaun White
If rhythm plays a vital role in becoming a world-class athlete, Shaun White should be a source of his own material as a musician, and it should push him to always be at his best as a professional snowboarder and skateboarder. As an Olympian, Shaun White has won three gold medals; holding the most number by a snowboarder.
He’s won ten Espy Awards and has earned more gold medals in the X-Games than any competitor. Shaun White plays the guitar for Bad Things, an electronic rock band. He also makes appearances in television and films such as Friends with Benefits.