Update: Jul. 17, 2006

Her coach said she was “just a little girl,” but on July 23, 1996, at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 4-ft. 9-in. gymnast Kerri Strug became a big hero. Despite a sprained ankle, she launched into one last vault and stuck her landing to win the U.S. women’s gymnastics squad its first-ever team Olympic gold. A decade later, Strug, 28, thinks of that day “constantly,” she says. “Atlanta changed my life.” A Stanford grad, she works at the Justice Department in Washington, helping get federal funding for youth-oriented groups like Boys & Girls Clubs. She’s still in touch with some of her ’96 teammates: in November, she’ll be a bridesmaid in Dominique Moceanu’s wedding. Strug coaches at gymnastics camps each summer and may coach full-time “once I’m settled.” She also speaks at charity events, recounting how she pushed through pain to help her team grab gold. “Dreams do come true. It’s not just a cliché,” she says. “I lived it, and now I can share that message.”