LEONTIEN VAN MOORSEL-ZIJLAARD

• Country: The Netherlands
• Date of birth: 1970-03-22
• Birthplace: Boekel
• Height: 165 cm
• Weight: 65.0 kg
• Disciplines: track, road
• Olympic Games (6 medals: 4 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

Dutch cycling legend Leontien Van Moorsel had already racked up an impressive collection of Olympic and world titles before stepping out of the saddle for good in 2004 when she left the Athens Games in a blaze of glory.

While the Sydney Games in 2000 represented one of her finest achievements where she won three gold medals, a silver and set a world record, it was on the streets of Athens four years later where she remarkably overcame a heavy fall in the road race to outclass the field in the time-trial and put the finishing touches on a career that featured titles at every level.

On top of that blistering ride to the time-trial gold, her fourth career Olympic gold, she even added a consolation bronze in the track cycling individual pursuit. She left a gaping hole in a sport where she will be remembered as one of the all-time greats.

 

KELLY HOLMES

• Country: Great Britain
• Date of birth: 1970-04-19
• Birthplace: Pembury
• Height: 162 cm
• Weight: 55.0 kg
• Discipline: 800m, 1500m
• Olympic Games (3 medals: 2 gold, 1 bronze)

Kelly Holmes stamped her name in the sporting history books in spectacular fashion at the Athens Olympics in 2004 when she came out of nowhere to win the extremely rare double of 800m and 1500m gold.

First in the 800m race, she just got to the line first in a fierce sprint, edging her good friend and the favourite Maria Mutola who cruelly finished fourth behind Hasna Benhassi of Morocco and Slovenian Jolanda Ceplak in a thrilling burst to the line. The look of joy and shock on the face of Holmes was one of the most memorable images from Greece and the confidence she gained carried into the 1500m race which she won with confidence and style to cap a rare double. Bookmakers offered odds of 100 to 1 and her feat was described by one commentator as the greatest moment in British athletics.

 

INGE DE BRUIJN

• Country: The Netherlands
• Date of birth: 1973-08-24
• Birthplace: Barendrecht
• Height: 178 cm
• Weight: 60.0 kg
• Disciplines: freestyle, butterfly, relays
• Olympic Games (8 medals: 4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)

The glamorous Inge de Bruijn swept all before her in 2000 smashing 11 world records including three at the Sydney Olympics as she outclassed all comers in a rampage of titles and records in the 50m and 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly.

Testament to her brilliance is the fact that two of those world records she set at Sydney, the 50m free and the 100m butterfly, are still standing ahead of Beijing Games.

De Bruijn was 27 at the time of the Sydney Games where she formed part of triumvirate of Dutch heroes with Pieter van den Hoogenband surprising Ian Thorpe by snatching gold in the men’s 100m and 200m freestyle, while cyclist Leontien van Moorsel-Zijlaard also won an impressive three gold medals.

 

BIRGIT FISCHER

• Country: Germany
• Date of birth: 1962-02-25
• Birthplace: Brandenburg (GDR)
• Height: 173 cm
• Weight: 68.0 kg
• Disciplines: K1, K2, K4, straight racing
• Olympic Games (12 medals: 8 gold, 4 silver)

With her eight gold medals kayak colossus Birgit Fischer is Germany’s most successful ever Olympian, not to mention a breath taking 27 world titles. At 42 years old, Fischer proved she was still at the top by winning the K4 500m Olympic race at Athens in 2004. But the bid for the magical nine titles just escaped her when she finished second in the K2 500m. Only four athletes have won nine Olympic gold, Paavo Nurmi (athletics), Soviet Larissa Latynina (gymnastics) and Americans Mark Spitz (swimming) and Carl Lewis (athletics). Fischer though just fell short in her bid.

Since her first kayak pairs title at Moscow back in 1980 she has won at least one title at each Olympics and would have amassed an even greater gold haul had her former East Germany not boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

 

JENNIFER THOMPSON

• Country: United States
• Date of birth: 1973-02-26
• Birthplace: Dover
• Height: 176 cm
• Weight: 69.0 kg
• Disciplines: freestyle, butterfly
• Olympic Games (12 medals - 8 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)

Jenny Thompson did not win the elusive individual Olympic title in her career but her haul of 12 medals including 8 gold (all in relays) is now a new American record for swimmers.

She badly wanted an individual gold at Sydney 2000 in either her specialty 100m freestyle or 100m butterfly races. However, she could only manage third and fifth, respectively.

Athens in 2004 was another chance to end her career with this one missing achievement but her two silver medals in Greece (4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley) took her past Shirley Babashoff and into the American history books.

At the 2003 world championships in Barcelona, she won the 100m butterfly, silver in the 100m free and bronze in the 50m free as well as two relay golds. All that despite her 30 years. (AFP)