Dominique Dawes is the perfect example of what hard work can do. Training seven hours a day, seven days a week, she has made herself one of the best gymnasts in the United States and in the world. In 1994 Dawes became only the second woman--and the first African American--to win every competition at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. In 1996 she was one of the "Magnificent Seven" who helped the U.S. women win their first ever women's team gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. She truly had earned his nickname, "Awesome Dawesome."

Growing up

Road runner

Dominique Dawes was born November 20, 1976, in Silver Spring, Maryland. She was the second of three children of Don Dawes, a health products salesman, and his wife, Loretta. Her parents separated in 1993, and now Dawes visits her father on Sundays. Even at a young age, Dawes was very active. "At...