Dara Grace Torres is an American former competitive swimmer, who is a 12-time Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in three events. Torres is the first swimmer to represent the United States in five Olympic Games, and at age 41, the oldest swimmer to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she competed in the 50-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter medley relay, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and won silver medals in all three events.
Carlette Denise Guidry-Falkquay is an American former sprinter who won gold medals in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg. Her individual results include winning the 100 metres title at the 1990 Goodwill Games and a bronze medal in the 60 metres at the 1995 World Indoor Championships.
Pauline Elaine Davis-Thompson is a former Bahamian sprinter. She competed at five Olympics, a rarity for a track and field athlete. She won her first medal at her fourth Olympics and her first gold medals at her fifth Olympics at age 34 in the 4 × 100 m Relay and, after Marion Jones' belated disqualification nine years later, in the 200m.
Grace Jackson is a Jamaican former athlete who competed mainly in the 100 and 200 metres. She won an Olympic silver medal in the 200 metres at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and is a former Jamaican record-holder in the 200m and 400m. She was Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year in 1986 and 1988.
Beverley Lanita Callender is an English former track and field sprinter. She competed for Great Britain at the Olympic Games in Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984, winning bronze medals in the 4 x 100 metres relay in 1980 and 1984. She is also the 1981 World Student Games 100 metres champion.
Kim Simmone Geraldine Jacobs is a female retired British athlete who competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She represented Great Britain at four Olympic Games (1984–96), winning a bronze medal as a 17-year-old at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in the 4 x 100 metres relay. She also won a relay bronze medal at the 1990 European Championships and relay medals at three Commonwealth Games.
Alice Regina Brown is a retired American sprinter. Competing at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics she won two relay gold medals and an individual silver medal. She attended John Muir High School and California State University, Northridge.
Ethelda Marguerite Bleibtrey, also known by her married name Ethelda Schlatke, was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder in multiple events.
Frances Cowells Schroth was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. She represented the United States at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. She won the gold medal as member of the first-place U.S. team in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, together with Margaret Woodbridge, Irene Guest and Ethelda Bleibtrey. The American relay team set a new world record of 5:11.6 in the event final. Individually, she also won bronze medals for her third-place performances in the women's 100-meter freestyle (1:17.2) and the women's 300-meter freestyle (4:52.0).
Jan Margo Henne, also known by her married name Jan Hawkins, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.
Linda Lee Gustavson, also known by her married name Linda McGuire, is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic medalist, and surpassed world record-holder in two events. As an 18-year-old, she was on the United States Olympic team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, a medalist in the three events she competed in.
Susan "Sue" Jane Pedersen, also known by her married name Susan Pankey, is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in two events.
Lillian Debra Watson, commonly known by her nickname Pokey Watson, and later by her married name Lillian Richardson, is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three events.
Gambia took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, China from 8 to 24 August 2008. It was Gambia's seventh appearance in the summer Olympics since its debut in 1984. The Gambia team included three athletes; runners Suwaibou Sanneh and Fatou Tiyana as well as boxer Badou Jack. Jack, a middleweight at his first Olympics, was selected as flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. None of the Gambia athletes progressed further than the qualifying heats.
Beverly "Bev" Kinch is an English former long jumper and sprinter. She held the UK long jump record for 29 years (1983–2012) with 6.90 metres. She is the 1983 Universiade Champion at 100 metres and the 1984 European Indoor Champion at 60 metres. She also represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
Susanne Jean Atwood is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in two events.
Pernille Blume is a Danish former swimmer specializing in sprint freestyle events. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics she was the gold medalist in the women's 50 metre freestyle and won a bronze medal in the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay where she swam the freestyle leg of the relay in both the prelims and the final. She also competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the 50 metre freestyle.
The 100 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the first edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 100 metres has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. The 100 metres is considered one of the blue ribbon events of the Olympics and is among the highest profile competitions at the games. It is the most prestigious 100 metres race at an elite level and is the shortest sprinting competition at the Olympics – a position it has held at every edition except for a brief period between 1900 and 1904, when a men's 60 metres was contested.
Maria "Marie" Dollinger-Hendrix was a German track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events and the 800 metres. She represented Germany at three consecutive Olympic Games: 1928, 1932 and 1936.
Doris Frema Wiredu is a retired Ghanaian female track and field athlete who specialised in 100 metres. She won a gold medal in the 1984 African Championships in the event, and two silvers in 100 metres and 400 metres events in the 1985 edition. Her personal best in 100 metres was 11.75, set in 1985. She also competed for Ghana in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as part of Ghana's 4×100 metres relay women's team, which finished 5th in its semi-final heat, without progressing to the final round.
