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1935-
Two-time Olympic medalist, five-time national champion

Albright soared on and off the ice.   Hy Peskin

Few skaters have ever combined athleticism and artistic grace as successfully as Tenley Albright. The daughter of a prominent Boston surgeon, she received her first pair of skates at the age of eight. In 1952, Albright surprised the skating world by winning the first of five consecutive national titles and capturing the silver medal at the Oslo Olympics. The following year, at age 17, she became the youngest woman to win a world championship. Determined to be known as more than just a skater, Albright enrolled in pre-med classes at Radcliffe College in 1953. She approached her studies with the same determination that had made her an Olympic champion. She managed to balance a heavy curriculum with her preparation for the 1956 Olympic Games in Cortina, Italy. Albright often began her day with a pre-dawn skating practice, and then found time for ballet lessons, classes and studying. Just 10 days before the 1956 Games, Albright hit a rut on the ice while training and severely cut her right ankle. Her father rushed to the scene to repair the damage himself. Albright was able to mask considerable pain to skate at Olympics with her usual grace. Not only did she win gold, she also became the first female U.S. figure skater to win both a world championship and an Olympic gold medal. Albright retired from skating in 1957 in order to attend Harvard Medical School. Following in her father's footsteps, she became a surgeon. Albright practices general surgery in Boston and is engaged in blood plasma research at the Harvard Medical School. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the U.S. Olympic Committee, the American Cancer Society, the American College of Sports Medicine, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and the U.S. Figure Skating Association Hall of Fame.

They said it: "The one thing I want to be able to do after it's all over is say 'that was my best'. It's better to lose that way than to win with something less. But it's fun to win, isn't it?" --Albright

-- Richard Deitsch

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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