Lost & Found

MICHELLE AKERS

In the four years since she retired from international competition, Michelle Akers, one of the most influential players in women's soccer history, has made an easy transition from the playing field to a quiet life on the farm. On her eight-acre spread in Chuluota, Fla. (pop. 1,921), she cares for her husband's three children from a previous marriage, looks after her four impatient horses and spends little time thinking about the sport in which she became a household name.

Akers, 38, was the catalyst of the U.S. women's national team that won the World Cup in 1991 and '99 plus the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. The striker-turned-midfielder remains the leading scorer in Women's World Cup history with 12 goals.

Her career ended prematurely because of a host of ailments, including more than 10 surgeries and chronic fatigue syndrome. When Akers later sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for refusing to pay for two operations (shoulder and knee procedures in 1999), she reached a settlement with the help of her future husband, lawyer Steve Eichenblatt. The couple were married last August, and Akers welcomed Eichenblatt's children—Jordan, 13, Max, 10, and Sari, 8—into her life. As for the farm they purchased in September, Akers is most excited about the tranquility it offers. "It's quiet and very beautiful," she says. "There are a lot of places to ride and get lost."
—Kayleen Schaefer

ERIC HEIDEN

Even his own patients are oblivious to his past. When Eric Heiden, an orthopedist for the NBA's Sacramento Kings and WNBA's Monarchs, operated on the left knee of Monarchs guard and former Olympian Ruthie Bolton-Holifield in 1998, "She didn't know who I was," says Heiden, "just that I was there to help her. I liked that."

In another lifetime, as a U.S. speed skater in the 1980 Winter Olympics, Heiden won all five gold medals in his sport. Today he is at the UC Davis Sports Medicine Clinic, teaching three days a week and performing surgery two days. His wife, Karen, a hand specialist, is also on the faculty there. The couple live in Sacramento with their two children, Zoe, almost three, and Conner, turning one. "I have no interest in being a celebrity," says Heiden, 46. "It's tough to live up to what people want you to be; I'm just as proud of what I do now as I am of what I did earlier in my life."
—Brian Cazeneuve

JOAN BENOIT SAMUELSON

When she needs a break from her hectic life, Joan Benoit Samuelson retreats to the gardens outside her house in Freeport, Maine. "They're just so relaxing and peaceful," says Benoit Samuelson, 47, whose days are filled with motivational talks, in-store appearances, board meetings for nonprofit organizations, growing vegetables for a food bank and organizing her annual People's Beach to Beacon 10K.

Married and the mother of two, Benoit Samuelson still competes in road races. But inside the house there are no signs of a former marathon world-record holder (2:22:43) and Olympic champion (1984). "I keep my gold medal in a drawer with window cranks and batteries and Christmas ornaments," she says. "Occasionally the drawer swells because of the weather, and I can't get into it at all."
—Jaime Lowe