Best Woman Athlete by Birth State

A member of five world-championship teams, Strug was the youngest member, at 14, of the 1992 U.S. bronze-medal-winning Olympic gymnastics team. Her defining moment came at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when she clinched the gold medal for the U.S. by landing her final vault attempt on a sprained left ankle.

Worthy of consideration: Michele Mitchell and Yuliana Perez.