When people talk about Shannon Miller, they usually say she's cute. At four-feet-ten inches and 86 pounds, she may look fragile, but looks can be deceiving. A fierce and determined competitor, Miller made history in 1992 by winning five Olympic gymnastics medals--the most ever won by an American. She followed up that success by reaching the top of her sport, winning the 1993 and 1994 World Gymnastics Championships women's all-around gold medal. Miller was saving her best for last, however, as she earned two more gold medal's as a leader of the "Magnificent Seven" U.S. women's gymnastics team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Shannon Miller was born March 10, 1977, in Rolla, Missouri, but has lived her whole life in Edmond, Oklahoma. Her dad, Ron, is a college professor, and her mom, Claudia, is the vice president of a bank. Shannon began gymnastics when she was five, after receiving a special...