LA hometown hero, Rafer Johnson, blazed trails in the 1960 Olympic decathlon and carried the flame in the LA84 Olympics. We honor the life and legacy of this athlete, activist, actor and savior. Rafer’s legacy still shines bright to this day amongst our beloved LA.

Worthy of his nickname, The Greatest, Muhammad Ali burst onto the world stage as the original GOAT at the 1960 Olympics to win Gold at 18. Aside from Ali’s excellence in the ring, he left his mark on the world by sharing his inspirational stories and messages. Hear how even decades later he’s still inspiring local athletes like Deandre Evans.

This LA native is on track to break records - literally. Breanna Clark was the first female, US athlete with an intellectual disability to bring home gold in the Women's 400 meter (T20)* at the 2016 Paralympic Games. Breanna comes from a family of winners! Her mother, Rosalyn Bryant, received a silver medal in the 1976 Olympics… Guess it RUNS in the family.

Dartanyon was born legally blind, lost his mother at 8, and with a difficult childhood, turned to wrestling as a conduit for change. He caught the attention of Team USA judo coach, Eddie Liddie, and within two years of Judo training, Dartanyon won his first bronze medal in the 2012 Paralympic Games. Now a two-time Paralympic Judoka bronze medalist, Dartanyon is an amazing example of gracefully dealing with adversity and a compassionate, powerful, insightful and honorable example of resilience.

Woman, Veteran, Paralympian and so much more. Born in Newark, Kari Miller grew up in Washington D.C., joined the U.S. Army in high school and went to college at the University of Central Oklahoma. As a 22 year old Army sergeant preparing for a promotion to officer, Kari was involved in a very serious car accident and lost mobility in both of her legs. After rehabilitation, she immediately felt a calling to Paralympic sport and found her passion with sitting volleyball. Miller went on to join the U.S. Paralympics Women’s Sitting Volleyball National Team in 2006 and two years later, helped the team earn a silver medal in the Beijing Games.

You don’t need sight when you have a vision. That’s the motto that blind U.S. Paralympian, Lex Gillette lives by. At 8 years old, Lex Gillette started to lose his eyesight. By age 19, he was a silver medalist Paralympic athlete and by 31, this long jumper had won silver in four consecutive Paralympic Games. Lex knew that his calling was standing up on that medal podium and he was determined to use his laser sharp focus to get him there. When speaking about losing his eyesight, Lex says, “It was the biggest blessing.” Additionally, Lex is the only completely blind athlete in the world to ever soar over the 22-foot barrier in the long jump. Lex currently trains at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Center in California.

Four-time Olympian and winner of five Olympic medals, otherwise known as, Evelyn Ashford. Evelyn is tiny but mighty, She was the first to run the 100-yard dash in less than 11 seconds and she did it right here in Los Angeles at the 1984 Summer Olympics. At the age of 35, she competed and won her 4th gold medal becoming the oldest American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field. From the years 1979 to 1985, Evelyn dominated women's Track & Field, particularly the 100 meter and 200 meter races. Evelyn competed in track & field until 1992 and retired to focus on her family life and two children.

Chandra Cheeseborough’s life has been a collection of very fast, very significant footsteps. As a very young girl, she outran “every boy in the neighborhood”. As a teenager, her feet carried her into the track and field spotlight, where she set American records, won Olympic gold medals and international acclaim. This U.S. sprinter was a world champion at the very young age of 16. Chandra Cheeseborough hit her stride in the 1984 LA Summer Games, where she made Olympic history winning gold medals in two relays - held less than an hour apart. Cheeseborough also served as an assistant coach on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team and head coach of the 2009 team at the World Championships. She was inducted into the National Track and Field Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and is one of the youngest members ever inducted into the Tennessee State University Sports Hall of Fame. Chandra is now coaching women’s track and field at Tennessee State University.

Born in Jamaica, Usain Bolt's natural speed was noticed during his formative years in school. Bolt began to focus on sprinting with the help of Pablo McNeil, a former Olympic sprint athlete. Bolt took his first shot at success on the world stage at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, where he won the 200-meter dash, making him the youngest world-junior gold medalist ever. This is where he earned his famous nickname and set the stage to break records and take home Olympic gold. Bolt is an 11-time World Champion, holds the record in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m in both the Olympics and World Championships and won gold in the 100m and 200m in three consecutive Olympics (Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016), a feat no other sprinter in history has ever achieved. It’s no wonder that this eight-time Olympic gold medalist inspires Olympic hopeful and LA resident, Chris Atangana, as he trains to run in the 2021 Tokyo Games.

Born and bred in Inglewood, Jamal Hill was first introduced to swimming at his local YMCA's "mommy and me" swimming classes. By age seven, he was swimming competitively and by age 10, he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a hereditary neurological condition that can result in progressive loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation. Jamal continued to swim through high school and college, believing that only “you have the power to change you”. At just 25, he is ranked number one in the US Paralympic 100 Free and number 22 in the world. Aside from having his sights set on gold at his first Paralympic Games this summer in Tokyo, he's also spearheading Swim Up Hill, an organization focused on reducing drowning rates with a goal of teaching 1 million people how to swim through trainings and a digital swim school platform.

High jumper, Alice Coachman, was the first Black woman from any country to win a gold medal. Growing up with her nine siblings, Alice loved running and created a homemade high jump crossbar with ropes and sticks. It was no surprise that during high school, she was recognized for her natural athletic talent. Alice received a scholarship to Tuskegee University and competed on the track and field team. She made history at the 1948 London Olympics as she leaped to record breaking heights – not only was she the first Black woman to receive gold, she was also the only American woman to win a gold medal at the 1948 Games. Following her success, she finished her degree at Albany State and established the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to help support young athletes and provide assistance to retired Olympic veterans.

Reaching your dreams is possible one leap at a time. Gabby Douglas was born on New Year’s Eve in 1995 in Virginia. She is the first woman of color of any nationality and the first Black gymnast in Olympic history to become the Individual All-Around Champion. At the very young age of 16, she was also the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in both the gymnastic individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics. After 14 years of competitive gymnastics, she tells others, “You have to go out and get it. I’ve lived by that piece of advice to this day. Nothing was ever given to me. I had to constantly keep working and keep fighting, no matter what. I just kept fighting and still continue to fight.”

Andre Shelby played football and basketball in high school before serving in the United States Navy for 18 years. In 2004, he was involved in a motorcycle accident and lost mobility in his legs. This only enhanced Andre Shelby’s competitive fire. He soon found archery and won gold at the 2016 Paralympic Games, as the first African-American archer to compete in the Games. His strategy as an archer and in life is to aim for the best outcome and not pay attention to the score.

Dreams don't work unless you do, and Seimone Augustus is a true testament to hard work and dedication. Seimone played a variety of sports growing up in Baton Rouge. By the fifth grade, "Bitty Basketball" had won her over as she dunked ball after ball on the league’s eight-foot rims and at fourteen years old. She went on to dominate basketball at Louisiana State University, leading her team to major success. Seimone then went on to win gold in the Beijing, London, and Rio Olympic Games. This three-time Olympian is an avid LGBTQIA+ activist, and now as a local professional basketball player, calls Los Angeles her home.