Mary Lou Retton is a five-time Olympic medalist and was the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in an Olympic Games. Born in Fairmont, West Virginia, Retton burst onto the gymnastics scene by winning the American Cup in 1983. At the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games, she was locked in a battle with Ecaterina Szabo of Romania for the all-around gold medal. Trailing with two events to go, Retton received perfect scores on the floor exercise and vault to win gold by 0.05 points. She was the first American to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic competition and would go on to win four additional medals (two silvers and two bronzes) at the Los Angeles 1984 Games. 

John Naber is a five-time Olympic medalist and former world-record holder in multiple swimming events. The Evanston, Illinois, native was the most decorated Olympian at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games, winning four gold medals, each in world-record time. He won five total medals at the Games, becoming the first swimmer in history to earn two individual medals on the same day of Olympic competition. Naber was named the 1977 James. E. Sullivan Award winner as the nation’s top amateur athlete. He would later serve as the president of the U.S. Olympic Alumni Association, as well as an Olympic flag bearer and three-time Olympic torchbearer. 

Peggy Fleming is a former American figure skater from San Jose, California, who won the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games Grenoble 1968 and five consecutive U.S. championships. Fleming earned the only gold medal for the U.S. in Grenoble. She amassed a number of additional titles during her athletic career, including three world titles from 1966-68. Fleming was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press and remained involved in the world of skating upon her retirement from the sport by becoming a figure skating analyst and commentator for ABC Sports. 

Brian Boitano is a three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist in figure skating. Known for pushing the technical envelope of men’s skating, Boitano developed a signature jump, the “Tano Triple,” that no other competitor could perform against him. Entering the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games, Boitano was one of two favorites to win gold. After a nearly flawless free skate, Boitano won the gold medal in a 5-4 split against longtime rival Brian Orser. Boitano turned professional following the Games, winning 10 straight competitions, including five world professional championship titles. He has since had his own cooking television show and appeared in multiple other television shows and films.

Dorothy Hamill is an American former figure skater who won the gold medal at the Innsbruck 1976 Olympic Winter Games. The Chicago native began skating on a pond behind her grandparents’ home and started winning figure skating competitions by the age of 11. She won two world championship silver medals in 1974 and 1975 before claiming the gold medal at the Innsbruck Games. Known for her short bob hairstyle, Hamill was nicknamed “America’s Sweetheart” and is credited with inventing several new figure skating moves, such as the "Hamill Camel." The figure skater won an Emmy Award for her role in “Romeo & Juliet On Ice,” and would later buy out and run the Ice Capades. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and has since launched a national campaign called BeWisER+ about Breast Cancer.

Erin Popovich is a three-time Paralympian and 19-time Paralympic medalist, including 14 gold medals. A native from of Little Rock, Arkansas, Popovich attended Colorado State University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree and competed competitively against able-body athletes on the Rams swim team. Her swimming career took off at her first Paralympic Games, where she won three gold medals and three silver medals, while setting four world records at the Paralympic Games Sydney 2000. She had another breakout performance four years later at the Athens Games, winning seven gold medals in seven races, including three world-records and four Paralympic Games records. A two-time winner of the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability, she was also named the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year in 2005.

Spencer Haywood is an Olympic champion, winning the gold medal as part of the men’s basketball team at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games. The Detroit native attended Trinidad State Junior College in Trinidad, Colorado, where he averaged 28.2 points and 22.1 rebounds per game. His incredible college performance helped earn him a spot on the 1968 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team, where he led the team in scoring en route to gold. Hayword went on to play professionally for both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association. He would make four NBA All-Star Teams and won the NBA champion for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980.