The greatest Olympic athlete from every U.S. state

Georgia: Gwen Torrence

Sport: Track and Field

Olympics: Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, and Atlanta1996

When an athlete wins a total of five Olympic medals, the backstory usually isn’t said athlete being reluctant to pursue their talent. This was the case with Gwen Torrence, as she had other desires when she was offered a scholarship to Georgia University. Torrence had to be goaded by her parents and coaches to take advantage of the opportunity. She wanted to head to beauty school but eventually relented because of a different reason: “my main aim was to be close to Herschel Walker.”

That isn’t always the best reason to choose a school but things worked out. Once Torrence was at school, she did attack her training and it paid off in the form of three Olympic appearances. She missed the medal stand in 1988 but won two golds and a silver in her next Games. That set the stage for her final Olympic competition that just so happened to be in Atlanta, Georgia. Even in the face of massive pressure to perform on what amounted to a home-field advantage, Torrence brought home a gold and a bronze medal.

Aside from the Olympics, Torrence represented the United States in many international competitions. This included the Pan American Games, Goodwill Games, and Indoor & Outdoor Wolrd Championships. Torrence was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and later fulfilled her dream of having a career in beauty as she opened her own salon in 2010 in Atlanta. She remains an influential figure in women’s track and field.

Honorable Mention: Wyomia Tyus, track and field in Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968