A Shot At Glory

In what may be her final Olympics, 38-year-old Elaine Youngs, or ?EY,? looks to return to the medal stand. Youngs, originally from El Toro, Calif., won a Bronze in 2004. In 2006, Youngs became the third American woman to surpass $1 million in career earnings. She won more money than any other player on the 2007 AVP Crocs Tour after collecting four victories, including the coveted Goddess of the Beach title. Youngs? latest partner (her third in three years) is former Big Ten Player of the Year Nicole Branagh. Youngs and Branagh joined forces just last year, but they?ve already proven to be formidable foes for the living legends in this sport: Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor.

Tyson Gay is one of the fastest men in America. Seven years ago, he was a lightly-recruited high school sprinter from Lexington, Ky.

At 16, Samantha Peszek has the passion of untarnished dreams, but the lack of history to fully comprehend the pressure that comes with those dreams. From McCordsville, Ind.

Two years ago, Brett Heyl sought to improve his stock within the American kayaking scene - so he packed up everything he owned and moved to Charlotte, N.C.

Triathlete Laura Bennett, from North Palm Beach, Fla., came close to greatness before, narrowly missing out on the Olympics in 2000 and 2004.

Breaking Janet Evans? swimming record last year just shy of her nineteenth birthday secured Kate Ziegler?

119-pound boxer Gary Russell Jr. grew up in the ring?he's been shadowboxing since age two. Growing up in Capital Heights, Md., Gary was coached his entire life by a father who once had his own Olympic boxing dreams. Gary is the youngest member of USA Boxing's Elite Team and the number one amateur international bantamweight champion of the world. He won both the U.S. Championships and National Golden Gloves at just sixteen. Gary is slowly adjusting to life away from Dad and home as part of the USA boxing team. Watch Gary morph from boy to man as he must choose between listening to his father and learning the ways of international fighting.

Three years ago at the University of Arkansas, 23-year-old Wallace Spearmon Jr. was the yin to Tyson Gay?

?A Champion in Balance.? A professional BMX Racer measuring in at 5 foot 5 inches and a buck fifty, Donny Robinson looks the part of the consummate underdog. Originally from California, ?dR? is a BMX national champion, and with the trip to Beijing right around the corner, he?s not planning on slowing down. Donny began at age five at the Napa Valley BMX track, during the summer of 1989. In 1996 he was named as one of "The 10 Hottest Amateurs" and future top Pro BMXers by BMX Plus! BMXdebuts as an Olympic sport in 2008, opening new doors for Donny including additional sponsors and cutting edge training techniques. For a year Donny has lived by these rules: a strict diet, strong faith and plenty of family time.

Athletics can provide order in a sometimes chaotic world. For Daniel Cormier, from Lafayette, La., freestyle wrestling provides a vehicle for stability in a life filled with tragedy. Daniel watched his father get shot to death at a young age and recently lost his 3 ? week old daughter in a car accident. At 25 years-old, wrestling has always been there, providing Daniel the chance to put tragedy aside and measure himself against the world. His year has been rocky. He has had trouble getting down to 211 pounds and failed to make weight at the prestigious Uzbekistan Independence Cup in March. Beijing is likely Daniel?s last shot for a medal, a final chance to find glory despite hardship.