JOHN AMIS—AP

Melanie Roach, 33, Weightlifting

In a sport known for its super-strong athletes, Melanie Roach may seem small next to her competitors. She is just over 5 feet tall and weighs 117 pounds. But looks can be deceiving: Roach can lift 238 pounds over her head. At the U.S. National Championships in 1998, she became the first American woman to hoist twice her body weight. She also became the No. 1 ranked U.S. lifter, and seemed well on her way to the 2000 Olympics. But a serious back injury sidelined her lifting career, and Roach decided to put her muscle behind raising a family.

The mother of three never gave up her Olympic dreams. In 2006, after successful back surgery, she won her seventh national championship and has since regained the top spot. "If I had made the team in 2000, I wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much as I do now," Roach said after making the 2008 team.

--By Sean Gregory