Dutch track star Fanny Blankers-Koen took home four gold medals at the London Summer Olympics in 1948. A devoted mother of two, the fair-haired beauty was nicknamed "the Flying Housewife" by the British press.

The ultimate underdog story belongs to Wilma Rudolph. The 20th of 22 children, the Tennessee native contracted polio as a child. Determined to overcome her handicap, Rudolph joined her high school basketball and track teams. Ten years later, she was a world-class athelete. Rudolph scored three gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome…despite a sprained ankle.

At the tender age of 14, wide-eyed Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci captured hearts and gold medals (five, to be exact) at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Her routine on the uneven bars earned an unprecedented 10.0. Ironically, the scoreboard was unequipped to handle a perfect score, so her marks showed up as a 1.0.

Illinois native Jackie Joyner-Kersee (pictured here in 1985) dominated the women's heptathlon and long-jump events. Over the course of her Olympic career, she racked up three gold medals, two silver, and two bronze. Duly impressed, Sports Illustrated annointed Joyner-Kersee the greatest female athlete of the twentieth century.

Olympic gold medalist Steffi Graf (pictured here in 1995) is widely consided one of best female tennis players in history. She also happens to be no slouch in the looks department. To the surpise of no one, the svelte German blonde (a.k.a. "Fräulein Forehand") caught the eye of tennis stud Andre Agassi at a 1992 Wimbeldon banquet. The couple wed in 2001. Game, set, match indeed.

Dynamic duo Venus and Serena Williams celebrate their gold medal win in doubles at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Of breaking down the sport's racial barrier, Venus has said, "It's been a journey. For women of color, for my family. It's one dream coming true after another."

Our Lady of 1,000 Dribbles, Mia Hamm kicks into action at the 2004 Athens Summer Games. The American soccer star holds the record for the most international goals scored by any male or female athlete of the sport.

U.S. Beach Volleyball's Kerri Walsh and Misty May savor the sweet taste of victory (mixed with sand, no doubt) after roundly defeating Brazil in the women's gold medal match at the 2004 Athens Games. If we had abs like those, we'd be jumping for joy, too.

One of the next generation of Olympic beauties, Allyson Felix is all smiles after winning the gold medal in the women's 200-meter finals at the Olympic trials in Oregon last month.

Yowser. Swimmer Amanda Beard takes it off for a good cause: PETA. The racy ads have been causing quite the stir in Bejing's Olympic Village. But Beard doesn't see what the big deal is. "Nothing is showing in the picture. So that's pretty mellow, for me," shrugs the onetime Playboy centerfold.