Carly Patterson

Winning in the 2004 Athens Olympics became Carly Patterson’s ticket to the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. This was the first time an American won in the all-around competition in an Olympics that was not boycotted. Her interest in gymnastics began all the way back in 1994 after she attended a cousin’s birthday party in Baton Rouge. She then started competing internationally at the tender age of 14 years old.

After the Olympics, she was forced to retire due to a health condition that was previously undetected. Her doctor and health insurance provider warned her that if she ever wanted to walk properly in the future, she had to quit gymnastics and focus on rehabilitation. While that devastated her, she managed to keep herself busy after retirement. What she’s doing now is attending gymnastics-related events and expanding her motivational speaking career, inspiring others to pursue their goals. She might even be conducting online classes on the various subjects now that there is limited movement.