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Use the menu below to read our biographies of the century's greatest sportswomen and then tell us who you think should be No. 1. Also, be sure to check out our expanded home page and our new issue which is on newsstands now.

39. Amy Van Dyken, Swimming

1973-
First American woman to win four gold medals at one Olympic Games

Van Dyken could breathe easy after a win. Richard Mackson
As a child growing up in Englewood, Colo., Amy Van Dyken suffered from asthma so severe she could hardly climb a flight of stairs without collapsing. She was unable to play tag or basketball. Even laughing was painful. When Van Dyken was six, her doctor suggested that she take up swimming to improve her lung capacity. Though progress did not come quickly -- Van Dyken could not swim the length of an Olympic-sized pool until she was 13 -- with patience and determination, she slowly began to see improvement.

In high school, Van Dyken became a state champion and a favorite of college recruiters. Wanting to attend school away from home, she chose the University of Arizona. While there, Van Dyken won a silver medal in the 50-yard freestyle at the 1993 NCAA championships but, unsatisfied with her overall progress, decided to transfer to Colorado State. At the 1994 NCAA Championships, Van Dyken won gold in the 50-yard freestyle and went on to be named NCAA Swimmer of the Year. After spending the 1993-94 school year at CSU, she left to train full time with the U.S. national team.

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, 23-year-old Van Dyken piled up gold, winning the 400 medley relay, the 400 freestyle relay, the 100 butterfly and the 50 freestyle. The woman whose early medical troubles had forced her to develop a fiercely intense poolside demeanor would eventually become a fan favorite for her bubbly attitude and self-deprecating humor. "This is a victory for all the nerds," she said after winning the 50 free in Atlanta. After the Games, Van Dyken returned to CSU to finish her studies and graduated in 1997. The following year, Van Dyken picked up three gold medals at the world championships and thenunderwent shoulder surgery to repair torn cartilage. At age 26, Van Dyken is currently training for the 2000 Olympics with the USA Swimming Resident Team in Colorado Springs.

They said it: "If you could bust inside Amy's head in the moments before the race, it might be frightening what you would find." -- John Mattos, Van Dyken's coach at Colorado State

-- Gil Lopez

Athletes were selected by Sports Illustrated For Women, Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI editors, writers and correspondents who considered the athletes' on-field performance and achievements, plus their contributions to women's sports. Because athletic achievement was a key criterion, women whose contributions were made solely in administration and coaching are not included.