Lisa Leslie, Nastia Liukin are finalists for U.S. Olympic, Paralympic Hall of Fame class
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie, Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin and Apolo Anton Ohno, the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history, are among the finalists for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame class of 2019.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee will officially announce the finalists Monday as voting opens at TeamUSA.org/Vote and continues through Sept. 3.
Finalists include some of the biggest names to reach the podium in their sports: beach volleyball (Misty May-Treanor), women’s hockey (Angela Ruggiero) and Paralympic swimming (Erin Popovich and Trischa Zorn). The list of finalists also includes Anne Donovan, a two-time Olympic gold medalist as a player who later coached Team USA to gold in 2008. Donovan died last year at age 56.
The 1996 U.S. women’s basketball team that dominated in Atlanta is among three teams on the list of finalists. Leslie averaged 19.5 points (156 total points) on the ’96 team, which still stands as a USA Basketball record. The women were largely credited for launching the WNBA and for inspiring a future generation of stars.
Fifteen Olympians, nine Paralympians and three teams made the list of finalists. The class that will be inducted will be cut down to five Olympians, three Paralympians and one team. In addition to the public vote, athletes plus officials from national governing bodies and others who are part of the Olympic family will choose the inductees.
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“It is a privilege to introduce these deserving finalists for induction into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame,” said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the USOPC, in a statement. “They represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement and personal excellence, both on and off the field of play. We honor them and are pleased to memorialize their legacy as America’s most inspiring athletes and teams.”
The class of 2019 will be announced Sept. 23 and the induction ceremony will take place Nov. 1 in Colorado Springs.
The full list of finalists:
Olympic athletes – Gary Anderson, shooting; Greg Barton, canoe/kayak; Laura Berg, softball; Anne Donovan, basketball; Lisa Leslie, basketball; Nastia Liukin, gymnastics; John Mayasich, ice hockey; Misty May-Treanor, beach volleyball; Jonny Moseley, freestyle skiing; Apolo Anton Ohno, short track speedskating; Mark Reynolds, sailing; Angela Ruggiero, ice hockey; John Smith, wrestling; Dara Torres, swimming; Brenda Villa, water polo
Paralympic athletes – Cheri Blauwet, track and field; Candace Cable, track and field, Nordic skiing, alpine skiing; Muffy Davis, cycling, alpine skiing; Bart Dodson, track and field; Greg Mannino, alpine skiing; Erin Popovich, swimming; Marla Runyan, Para track and field, Para-cycling, Olympic track and field; Chris Waddell, alpine skiing, track and field; Trischa Zorn, swimming
Teams -- 1996 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team; 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team; 2010 U.S. Olympic Four-Man Bobsled Team
Olympians
Gary Anderson, a self-taught sportsman from Nebraska, won gold at consecutive Olympics in 300m three position rifle in 1964 and 1968, setting world records at both Games.
Greg Barton is the most decorated U.S. Olympic canoe/kayak athlete in history. He won four Olympic medals from 1984 to 1992, including two gold in Seoul.
Laura Berg won gold at three consecutive Olympics beginning in 1996. An outfielder who played in college at Fresno State, Berg hit .368 at the 2004 Athens Games as the Americans won gold.
Anne Donovan won Olympic gold as a player and coach of USA Basketball. She was a member of the U.S. teams that won gold at the 1984 and 1988 Games and later became head coach of the Americans who won gold in 2008. Overall she won 10 gold medals and two silvers in FIBA and Olympic competition as an athlete. Donovan died at age 56 in 2018.
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie returned to Team USA for the 2008 Beijing Games after giving birth to daughter Lauren. She holds the record for most points scored in a single game at the Olympics with 35 against Japan in 1996. And she also holds the record for most points scored with 488 in four Olympics.
Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin tied the record by an American when she won five medals at a single Games in 2008. In Beijing she won three silver (team, balance beam and uneven bars) and a bronze on floor exercise. Liukin, who serves as an analyst for NBC Sports, also won nine medals at world championships.
John Mayasich is regarded as one of the best amateur hockey players in U.S. history. After starring at Minnesota, Mayasich was part of the 1956 Olympic silver medalists. In 1960, his slap shot was converted for a goal which proved to be the winner in a 2-1 victory against Canada.
Misty May-Treanor won three consecutive gold medals with Kerri Walsh-Jennings between 2004 and 2012. The two had an amazing run together, winning 21 consecutive Olympic matches during one hot streak.
Jonny Moseley is the 1998 Olympic champion in men’s moguls. He’s known for his signature trick, The Dinner Roll, a 720-degree horizontal spin that made him one of the pioneers of his sport.
Apolo Anton Ohno is the most decorated American in Winter Olympics history, with eight medals in three Games. The 12-time U.S. champion retired from competition after the 2010 Olympics, where he won a silver and two bronze medals.
Mark Reynolds is a three-time Olympic medalist in sailing. He has two Olympic gold medals and a silver – all in the star class. Reynolds began sailing at age 4 with his father, James Reynolds, a world champion who teamed with Dennis Conner in the star class.
Four-time Olympic medalist Angela Ruggiero was part of the USA’s first women’s team to win Olympic gold, in 1998 in Nagano. During her career, Ruggiero accumulated 208 points as part of Team USA.
John Smith was considered one of the top amateur wrestlers in the sport. He won Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling in 1988 and 1992. Smith was a two-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, where he had a record of 152-8-2. He has coached the OSU Cowboys for nearly three decades.
Dara Torres became the first American to swim in five Olympics when she made a remarkable comeback to qualify for the 2008 U.S. team at age 41. She won Olympic silver in the 50 free in Beijing and two relay medals to tally 12 overall for her career. She is the oldest Olympic swimming medalist in history.
A four-time Olympian in water polo, Brenda Villa won gold in 2012 to complete a full set of Olympic medals (gold, 2 silver, bronze). A former standout at Stanford, Villa also played on three U.S. teams that won three world championships.
Paralympians
Cheri Blauwet, a three-time Paralympian and wheelchair marathon champion, won seven medals at the Paralympic Games, including gold in the 800 meters in 2004.
Candace Cable is the first American woman to win medals in both the Summer and Winter Paralympics (12 medals overall, including eight gold). In 1984 she competed in the first wheelchair racing event in Los Angeles. She also competed in Alpine and Nordic ski racing at the Winter Paralympics.
Muffy Davis is a seven-time Paralympic medalist in cycling and Alpine skiing. She won gold medals in three cycling events at the 2012 London Games.
Bart Dodson won eight gold medals at the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona in track and field. He won in distances from 100 meters to 5,000 plus competed in two relays.
Greg Mannino, a five-time Paralympic ski team member, won 22 medals in Paralympic and world championship events.
Erin Popovich won seven gold medals in swimming at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. She came back four years later and added four gold and two silver to her collection in Beijing.
Marla Runyan won four golds at the Barcelona Paralympics in 1992, winning races in the 100, 200 and 400 plus the long jump. In 2000, she made the Olympic team in the 1,500. She finished eighth. She transitioned to become an elite marathon runner and later raced in the 5,000 at the Athens Olympics.
Chris Waddell competed in four Winter Paralympics, winning 12 medals in mono skiing, and three Summer Paralympics. In Sydney, he won a silver medal in the 200.
Swimmer Trischa Zorn is the most decorated Paralympian in history, winning an astounding 55 medals in seven Paralympic Games. Zorn was unbeaten in every individual race from 1980 until 1992.
Teams
1996 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team: The Americans cruised to an 8-0 record at the Olympics, rolling to a dominant 111-87 victory against Brazil for the gold. The team was led by Lisa Leslie, who scored 29 against Brazil, Katrina McClain and Sheryl Swoopes. The success of the ’96 team helped launch the WNBA.
1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team: The Americans twice beat Canada en route to winning gold in Nagano. Cammi Granato was part of the team that outscored opponents 36-8.
2010 U.S. Olympic Four-Man Bobsled Team: The late Steven Holcomb led the team dubbed the Night Train to the USA’s first four-man gold in 62 years. Steve Mesler, Justin Olsen and Curt Tomasevicz were also part of the historic run in Vancouver.