Jacqueline Kersee
In recognition of her track and field success, Jacqueline Kersee was named “The Greatest Female Athlete of All Time” by Sports Illustrated. Her world record for heptathlon still stands, and she is also an accomplished long-jumper. She is an Olympic-caliber athlete despite being very asthmatic. She has competed in and won three gold medals, one silver medal, and two bronze medals in four Olympic Games (Seoul, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Atlanta). Jackie Joyner-Kersee has transitioned into philanthropy and established the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation.
Shannon Lee Miller
As early as the age of five, Shannon Miller began training in gymnastics. When she wanted to broaden her horizons intellectually, she would go to Moscow. She was the de facto team leader of the “Magnificent Seven” athletes that won America’s first Olympic gold medal. She has won more Olympic gold medals than any other American gymnast in history with a total of seven. She won a total of 16 medals between the Olympics and the World Championships, including five at the 1992 Olympic Games, making her the most successful American gymnast of all time until Simone Biles surpassed her. In 2011, she was diagnosed with a serious illness, but after seven months of treatment, physicians declared her healthy again.