Marion Jones

The 1999 season again brought Jones consistent victories in the 100-meter and 200-meter, until she was forced to withdraw from competition because of back spasms while running the 200-meter during the World Championships. Seeking four gold medals in that competition, she brought home only one gold and one bronze.

As the time neared for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Jones announced to the press that she wanted to win five gold medals, one in each event she entered. The news made headlines around the world, because no woman had ever won five golds in a single Olympics. (American swimmer Amy Van Dyken became the first woman to win four gold medals, in the 1996 Games.) NBC promised to cover Jones's quest "like a miniseries."