Janet Evens, born on August 28, 1971, in Fullerton, CA. A famous swimmer started swimming at the age of 2, has a legendary distance freestyle metals and world records. At the age of 15, she is already such a good swimmer, breaking metals, and breaking world records.
At the age of 15, Janet Evans broke the world record in the 400m, 800m, and the 1500m distance freestyle. One year later in the Olympics in 1988, Janet won 3 gold medals in three of her races which is the 400m and 800m freestyle and 400m individual medley also the first back to back Olympic titles. “At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Janet swam in both the 400 meters and 800-meter freestyle but failed to medal. The highlight of those Games came at the Opening Ceremonies, where she passed the Olympic Flame to Muhammad Ali. She retired from competitive swimming at the end of the Atlanta Games” (Janet Evans Biography).
”Between 1986 and 1995, Janet Evans won 25 out of 27 major international races at 400m and 22 out of 23 at 800m. Her world record for the 800m freestyle lasted through four Olympic Games until it was finally broken at the 2008 Beijing Games.” (Janet Evans). In high school, Janet Evans was so good at swimming and won so many titles when she was in high school she went into the hall of fame that that is really
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Her first book, "Janet Evans' Total Swimming", was published in 2007 and offers fitness programs, workouts, and proper swim techniques to readers. In 2008, Janet starred on NBC's reality show Celebrity Circus. Her career as the motivational speaker began at the age of sixteen and has turned her into one of the most requested keynotes in the country.”(Janet Evans Biography). Now Janet Evans a retired athlete, she is now has a husband named Billy with 2 kids named Sydney and
You might think that a woman with a pedigree and resume as impressive as this would have had a smooth ride all along. Not so. Says Janet, "I went through a great deal of pain from about sixteen to nineteen and a half… Pain that I really wouldn't wish upon anyone." During those years, challenging years for anyone, Janet released two albums, Janet Jackson (1982) and Dream Street (1984). She spent a difficult and lonely year away from her family in New York while appearing in "Fame," and by the time she was nineteen, had been through a divorce after a short-lived marriage to James DeBarge of another somewhat less famous singing family, the DeBarge Family.
The athlete I chose is Natasha Watley. She is a professional softball player and the first African-American female to play on the USA softball team in the Olympics. She’s a former collegiate 4-time First Team All-American who played for the UCLA Bruins, the USA Softball Women’s National Team, and for the USSSA Pride. She helped the Bruins will multiple championships and also holds numerous records and one of the few players to bat at least .400 with 300 hits, 200 runs, and 100 stolen bases. She’s also the career hits leader in the National Pro Fast pitch. She won the gold medal in the 2004 summer Olympics and a silver in the Beijing Olympics. She was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
When most people think of Texas legacies they think of Sam Houston or Davy Crockett, but they don’t usually think of people like Jane Long. Jane Long is known as ‘The Mother of Texas’. She was given that nickname because she was the first english speaking woman in Texas to give birth.
Florence Griffith Joyner was born December 21, 1959, in Los Angeles, CA. Known as the World's Fastest Woman for her standing World Record times in the 100 and 200 meter events, Florence Griffith Joyner, elevated women's track to a new level with her three gold and one silver medal-winning performances in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. Growing up in Los Angeles, Joyner's career was launched in 1964, at age five, when Joyner's father challenged her to catch a jack rabbit, the fastest creature on the sand of the Mojave Desert. She was determined to meet the goal and she did.
Cheryl Miller was truly a pioneer in women's basketball. She played her high school days at Riverside Polytechnic High school where she was a four year varsity letter winner and led her team to a 132-4 record. In 1981, she was awarded the Dial Award for the national high school scholar athlete of the year. She is named an All-American 4 times by Parade Magazine. She was the first player, male or female, to accomplish this feat. She averaged 39 points and 15 rebounds all throughout high school. She even owns the record for the highest amount of points scored in a basketball game by any male or female with 105 (Breaking News). Even in her career at the University Of Southern California (USC) she accomplished amazing things. She is sixth all time in NCAA history in career points with 3,018. She is third all-time in rebounding with 1,534 (Breaking News). She also has two NCAA titles as well as two tournament MVP's in both of those years. She holds eight records at USC. She also has three Olympic Gold medals. She is also the first USC player, male or female, to have her number retired. (Breaking News). After a brief stint as a professional basketball player, she went on to take the head coaching job at her Alma Mater. She is now an extremely popular broadcaster for TNT Sports.
Kerri Strug is remembered today for her performance at the 1996 Summer Olympics, but very few people know the rest of her story. Kerri was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. The Strugs were a family of five, and Kerri was the youngest. She had both an older brother and an older sister. Although Kerri had many outstanding accomplishments as a gymnast, her vault on July 23, 1996, earned her a place in gymnastics’ history. Kerri was limping because on her first attempt she fell and sprained her left ankle. After she finished somersaulting through the air, Kerri stuck the landing on one foot and then collapsed in tears. Kerri’s story is one of great courage (“Heart” 12).
In the year of 1928, Ethel Catherwood became a member of the Matchless Six, a group of 6 Canadian women who competed at the 1928 Summer games in the olympics which took place in the city of Amsterdam,the first Olympics to allow female competitors in athletics.She did not only make a world record, she gave more courage to the young women of that particular time.Ethel Catherwood took home a gold medal in high jump, clearing 1.59 metres (5.2 ft).Catherwood also held national titles in javelin throw, but this event became Olympics only in the year of 1932, whereas she retired from competitions a year earlier.When she returned from the 1928 Olympic games, Catherwood was offered a movie contract,but she did not accept the offer of the movie.Instead,Ethel Catherwood decided to take some kind of a business course, and piano study and later on got married got married..Maybe this is why you see young girls/women playing different kinds of sports for their countries.This is what gave them courage and now they are doing it.Finally, this is how
Later, in 2005, Felix became the youngest champion to compete in the Tack and Field World Championships. Just two years later, Felix became the second female ever to win three track and field gold medals at a single World Championship (biography.com).
“I am not the next Usain bolts or Michael Phelps, I am the first Simone Biles,” once said Simone Biles. She worked hard, had determination and strength helped her to become a successful gymnast today. Simone was born March, 14 1997 in Columbus, Ohio. Simone’s childhood wasn't the best, do to her Mother being a drug-addict, she couldn't take care of her kids or herself. So her, her sister and brother went down to Houston, Texas to live with her Grandparents, in fact a couple years later they adopted them! Furthermore into her life as a child.
Receives the Babe Zaharias Award in 1962 (¨ Flanagan¨)Graduates from college (¨ Flanagan¨).Marries longtime boyfriend Robert Eldridge( Flanagan #). Begins teaching second grade(¨ Flanagan¨). Receives the Christopher Columbus Award from Italy(¨ Flanagan¨). Rudolph shared her remarkable story with her 1977 autobiography, Wilma, which was turned into a TV film later that year(¨ Flanagan¨). In the 1980s, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and established the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to promote amateur athletics(¨ Flanagan¨). She died on November 12, 1994, in Brentwood, Tennessee, after losing a battle with brain cancer(¨ Flanagan¨,Pub.). Rudolph is remembered as one of the fastest women in track and as a source of great inspiration for generations of athletes.(¨ Flanagan¨,Pub.). In 2004, the United States Postal Service honored the Olympic champion by featuring her likeness on a 23-cent stamp(¨ Flanagan¨). Named one of America’s five “Greatest Woman Athletes(¨ Flanagan¨,Pub.). In 1993 president Bill Clinton honored her with a national sports award(¨ Flanagan¨,Pub.).The people of Clarksville had a parade to celebrate wilma’s success at the olympic games(¨ Braun¨). During her olympic tour she got to meet John F Kennedy(¨
Diana has also been praised for her career with the USA Women National Basketball team. Being a part of the teams which won the gold medals at Olympic Games in 2004,2008 and 2012. She also has gold medals in her trophy room from the World Cup competitions in 2010 and 2014.
Gabby Douglas was the first African-American female gymnast in Olympic history to become the individual All-Around champion. In the 2012 Olympic Games, she won gold in the team competition and the individual competition. She is a gymnastics phenom. From the beginning of her career to where she is today, she has been a true trooper through everything. Gabrielle Douglas is an inspiration to me and many others because she overcame being homeless,moved in with a new family, and won Olympic gold in gymnastics.
Canada’s most famous female all-around athlete in the 1920s was Fanny “Bobbie” Rosenfeld. Baseball, basketball, fastball, golf, hockey,lacrosse, softball, speed skating, tennis, and track and field were some of the sports that Bobbie played and she mastered all of them (“Bobbie Rosenfeld: One of the Greatest All-Around Athletes”). The first event that put Rosenfeld in the spotlight was the 100-metre sprint that she ran, for fun, in a small track and field meet in 1923. During the meet she came first in the race, beating Rosa Grosse, the leading Canadian champion. She beat her again at another meet and made the world record for that event. In the same year she was Toronto’s tennis champion (Rosenberg). Bobbie Rosenfeld continued her career by participating in a provincial track and field competition in 1925. She placed first in discus, shot put, 220-metre dash, low hurdles and long jump. In the 100-metre dash and javelin she came second (Library and Archives Canada). By that time she was the Canadian record holder for the 440-metre relay, standing board jump, discus, javelin and shot put. Rosenfeld’s greatest achievements were in, the first Olympics that allowed women to participate in track and field events, Amsterdam in 1928. She was a member of the Matchless Six, the Canadian women’s track and field team. This team did an outstanding job in the 400-metre relay; as a result they placed first and broke the previous record, becoming national heroes. In addition to the relay Bobbie won the silver medal in the 100-metre dash. The most memorable was the 800-metre race, one that Bobbie had not trained for. During the race she could have finished in third place, however she let her teammate finish before her and as a re...
Lungs burning, muscles screaming out in pain, the symphony of cheers reduced to a mere whisper, the rush of water like a typhoon in your ears. The body in the lane next to you, the moment they become your sister or brother, the moment they become your worst enemy. The hundredths of a second ticking by as if they are trying to race you; they will seal your fate. An entire world reduced to nothing but a black line, the path to success, the road to the all important goal: getting a P.R. “I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time,” Michael Phelps, an Olympic gold medalist, once stated. This is the life of a swimmer. We train hard to swim hard, and we swim hard for ourselves and ourselves alone. We push past our own limits to reach out to our dreams, and then we push harder to grasp them.
Catherine (Cathy) Astrid Salome Freeman was an Aboriginal- Australian Olympian and a gold medallist, renowned for her incredible achievements in competitive running. She was the first Aboriginal to represent Australia in the Olympics and was a legendary athlete.