Here’s What The Fiercest Female Olympic Athletes Are Taking On Now
It takes a lot of strength, determination, and skill to become an Olympian but these female athletes proved themselves to be the best of the best. But what happens after the closing ceremony? From the Fierce Five to figure skaters, here's what the most incredible female Olympians are up today.
Shawn Johnson East Is A Family Woman
In 2008, Shawn Johnson graced the Olympic stage as part of the US Women's Gymnastics team. During the Beijing Games, she won a gold medal on the balance beam and three bronze medals, one for floor exercise, one for the team event, and one for the all-around.
Johnson is now married to NFL player Andrew East. The couple has a daughter and, in 2021, had their second child, a baby boy!
Lindsey Vonn Moved On To Television
Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn was the lady to beat during the 2010 and 2018 Olympic Games. During the former, she left Vancouver with one gold and one bronze medal. And in Pyeongchang, she once again won bronze.
Now, Vonn has turned her sights to television. In 2019 HBO released Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, a documentary chronicling Vonn's journey as a World Champion and Olympian. In 2020, Vonn hosted The Pack, a dog competition series.
Dominique Dawes Has A Lovely Family
Dominique Dawes, aka Awesome Dawesome, won gold as part of the 1996 Magnificent Seven gymnastics team. The three-time Olympian also won three bronze medals and was an all-around senior National Champion.
Dawes has since moved on from gymnastics and has branched out to Broadway, appearing in Grease as Patty Simcox. Now, she is happily married to teacher Jeff Thompson. The two have four children together, including a set of twins, Dakota and Lincoln.
Aly Raisman Was On Dancing With The Stars
Aly Raisman was the captain of two Olympic gymnastics teams, 2012 Fierce Five and 2016 Final Five, winning gold in both of the years' team events. All in all, Raisman has the privilege of saying she's won six Olympic medals, three gold, two silver, and one bronze.
After retiring from competition, Raisman found herself on a few different television shows, including Dancing with the Stars, where she and her partner, Mark Ballas, finished fourth.
Shannon Miller's Working For Her Two Foundations
Shannon Miller is the most decorated U.S. female gymnast in Olympic history. At the 1992 Summer Games alone she won five medals, three bronze, and two silver. Then, at the 1996 games in Atlanta, she won two gold medals as part of the Magnificent Seven.
Now, she spends her time working at both the Shannon Miller Lifestyle and the Shannon Miller Foundation. Both foundations are designed to help fight against childhood obesity.
Tara Lipinski Is Living Her Broadcasting Dream
Figure skater Tara Lipinski made history when she won Olympic gold at the age of 15. As a skater, she won every competition she ever performed in, including the World Championship and Grand Prix Finals.
After retiring from competition in 1998, Lipinski went into sports broadcasting, calling the career her "second dream." She's been lucky enough to be an analyst at the Winter Games, giving her professional insight on the figure skaters' skills.
Candace Parker Is Still Making History As A Basketball Player
Professional basketball player Candace Parker made her way to the Olympic stage in both 2008 and 2012. She helped Team USA win gold both of those years. But Parker is more than an Olympian; she is also the second female to ever dunk during a WNBA game.
As of 2021, Parker has found a new home with the Chicago Sky. According to Parker, she couldn't be more thrilled with the move since it allows her to play close to home.
Ashley Wagner Traded Her Figure Skates For Broadcasting
Ashley Wagner is a figure skater who won bronze in the team event during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. She is also the winner of five Grand Prix events, a Four Continents champion, and a World Championship silver medalist.
In 2019, Wagner opted to hang up her skates, retiring from competition to become a figure skating broadcaster. She was the color commentator during the 2020 European Figure Skating Championships.
Chloe Kim Is Now A Masked Singer
During the 2018 Winter Olympics, Chloe Kim won gold at the snowboard halfpipe event, becoming the youngest female to do so. At the time, she was 17. After making history at the games, Time magazine named her one of the year's most influential people!
She's still snowboarding but has also ventured into entertainment. In 2020, Kim participated in the singing competition show The Masked Singer, making it all the way to the semi-finals.
Simone Biles Is Still Competing
Simone Biles' first Olympic appearance was in 2016, at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. There she won four gold medals and one bronze. Between that and her multiple World Championship wins, it didn't take long for Biles to become to most decorated American gymnast, with a total of 30 medals.
Most recently, in 2021, Biles has been making her way through history, landing a Yurchenko double pike on vault, a trick that had never before been performed during competition. She will be competing for Team US during the 2021 games.
Jennifer Kessy Is Now Coaching
Jennifer Kessy was a beach volleyball player who was partnered with April Ross during the 2012 Summer Games in London. They wound up winning silver, getting beaten by May-Treanor and Welsh Jennings.
Even after retirement, Kessy didn't stray far from the sand. Currently, she is the coach of her former teammate, April Ross, and her new partner, Alix Klineman. Under her coaching, the ladies won the first FIVB tournament of 2018.
Gracie Gold Is Still Competing
With a last name like Gold, it was only a matter of time before Gracie Gold made her way to the Winter Olympics. Competing in the 2014 games, Gold, unfortunately, didn't win, but she did walk away with a bronze medal in the figure skating team event.
Gold is still in the figure skating circuit, having qualified to compete in the 2020-2021 season. In 2021, she placed 13th at the U.C. Championships.
Lolo Jones Competed Once Again In 2020
Lolo Jones made it to the 2008 Summer Games, competing for Team USA in the 100-meter hurdles. She was favored to win the event but tripped over the second to last hurdle, finishing the race in seventh.
After a three-year hiatus, Jones decided to try her hand at an indoor race. In 2020, she competed in the Mississippi College Season Opener, winning both the 100 Meters Hurdles final and the 100 Meters Dash final.
Gabby Douglas Competed In A Dance Show
Gabby Douglas was part of both the 2012 and 2016 US Women's Gymnastics teams, winning gold both years in the team event and a personal gold in the 2012 Games' all-around.
While Douglas no longer competes, she's still showing off her moves! In 2020, she competed in the Masked Dancer, a spin-off of the popular Masked Singer competition series. Once again, the Olympian proved victorious in a competition (and it wasn't gymnastics!)
Dara Torres Is Working For A Charity Organization
Dara Torres is a force in the water, having competed at five Olympic Games during her swimming career. During those games, she walked away with 12 medals: four gold, four silver, and four bronze.
She announced her retirement from competitive swimming after the 2012 Olympic Trials. She placed fourth, just missing the cut for Team USA. Outside of the pool, Torres is involved in the foundation of Princess Charlene of Monaco, a charity organization.
Allyson Felix Qualified For The 2021 Olympics
Allyson Felix is a track and field sprinter who has competed in four Olympic Games. She's a six-time Olympic gold medalist, a three-time silver medalist, and isn't looking to slow down anytime soon.
In fact, in 2021, Felix qualified for Team USA once again, coming in second during Olympic Trials in the 400 m individual event. As of right now, Felix has no plans on competing in a sixth Olympic Games.
Kerri Walsh Jennings Has Made TV Appearances
No one makes beach volleyball look as easy as Kerri Walsh Jennings. There's a reason why she made Team USA a solid four times, winning gold in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics and bronze during 2016.
Since her time on the sand, Walsh Jennings has made a few television appearances on reality shows, including Celebrity Wife Swap, Hell's Kitchen, and even as a guest star on the hit show CSI: Miami.
Misty May-Treanor Has An Honored Co-Chair Position
Misty May-Treanor was partners with Kerri Walsh Jennings during the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics. Considered "the greatest beach volleyball team of all time," May-Treanor walked away from the four Games with three gold medals.
Most recently, in 2018, May-Treanor was honored with a co-chair position on then the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. She also is a wife to Matt Treanor and a mom to three children, a daughter, Malia, and twins, Mele and Mia.
McKayla Maroney Is Focusing On A Music Career
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, McKayla Maroney stunned the world as part of the Fierce Five, the US Women's Gymnastics team. Maroney walked away with a gold medal in the team event and a silver in the vault at the games.
After retiring from competition in 2016, the former Olympian switched gears, focusing on a music career. In 2020, she released her first single, "Wake Up Call," followed by "COVID-19 Lockdowns."
Natalie Coughlin Is All About Family
Swimmer and three-time Olympian Natalie Coughlin is one of the most decorated females in the history of the games, having won 12 medals during 2004, 2008, and 2012. Her success on the Olympic and World stages has earned her the World Swimmer of the Year Award.
Coughlin stopped competing in 2015 and has since moved her time and energy towards her growing family. She married swim coach Ethan Hall in 2009, and the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Ozzie, in 2020.
