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1945-
First athlete to win gold in the 100-meter dash in back-to-back Olympic Games

Tyus ran right into track and field history.  Tony Triolo

Until the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, 19-year-old Wyomia Tyus had been overshadowed by her Tennessee State teammate Edith McGuire, whom she had never beaten in a race. Like most African-Americans in her time and place (rural Georgia), being overshadowed was nothing -- she was accustomed to much worse treatment. On the track, however, she could not be ignored. In Tokyo, Tyus improved her personal best in the 100-meter dash from 11.5 to 11.2, winning the final by two yards. Four years later, at the Mexico City Games, competition was stiff. The 100-meter final matched four of the five most recent world-record holders. A determined Tyus -- out to prove she wasn't over-the-hill at 23 -- set a world record (11.08) to become the first runner, male or female, to win consecutive Olympic sprint titles. Tyus finished her career with three golds and a silver from two Olympic games.

They said it: "My father used to tell us, 'You will have to work twice as hard to get what you want.'" --Tyus

-- Susan Brody

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.

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