Former U.S. Olympic Gold Medalists Who Are Unrecognizable Now

Every two years, athletes from around the world gather to compete at either the Summer or Winter Olympics, vying for gold in about every sport imaginable. The event makes for an exciting two weeks, with spectators across the globe taking a vested interest in sports of which they don't know the rules and athletes they've never heard of before. However, the love for the athletes doesn't dissipate after the Games end. 

The Olympians who win gold become celebrities, appearing on Wheaties boxes, attending the ESPYs, and toting their hardware to various interviews. The shininess of the glory wears off eventually, but the impact the gold medalists have on their sports and public consciousness remains. These former U.S. Olympic gold medalists may be unrecognizable now in appearance, but the stories of their athletic victories haven't stopped being told.

Before there was Michael Phelps, there was Mark Spitz. The athlete only swam in two Olympic Games — Mexico City in 1968 and Munich in 1972 — but he made a major splash at both, walking away with two gold medals, a silver, and a bronze after his first games, and a whopping seven golds after his second. The man was unstoppable in the pool, and he's still one of the winningest Olympians of all time, with just two other athletes ahead of him in the all-time individual gold medal count, and a handful tied with him, including Katie Ledecky.

Spitz retired from competitive swimming after the Munich Games, but he remained part of the sports world through broadcasting and other television gigs. He tried to qualify for the 1992 Games, but he finished a couple seconds short of the required time, officially marking the end of his swimming career. These days, Spitz keeps a relatively low profile, but still keeps his eye on the Olympics, particularly swimming. 

Like most people in the world, Spitz was impressed by Phelps' incredible Olympic run, but the OG swimming champion does believe one day someone will surpass his successor's greatness. "The bottom line is, records are made to be broken. There will be somebody, someday that will rise to the occasion, perhaps. Maybe not in my lifetime or even Michael Phelps' lifetime," Spitz told CNN Sports of Phelps' performance in the 2008 Beijing Games in which he broke Spitz's record of most gold medals won in a single Games.

One of the handful of athletes who sit with Mark Spitz at nine gold medals in the all-time individual medal count is Carl Lewis. The sprinter ran at the 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympic Games, ending his run with nine gold medals and one silver. His decorations are far beyond the Olympic Games, though, as he notably medaled heavily throughout his time competing at the World Championships. After retiring from athletics, Lewis pursued an acting career, and in 2011 he made a bid for the New Jersey state senate. These days, Lewis coaches track for his alma mater, the University of Houston. "I never would have thought, I've never wanted to coach and here we are. And I'm in my 10th year, I started in my 50s. And in my 10th year, being able to mentor these young people, great kids," Lewis told NBC Insider.

While you don't hear from some Olympic athletes anymore, Carl Lewis is still involved in the Games. He contributed to a broadcast at the 2024 Paris Games, and he was at the Games watching some of the athletes he coaches. He's also happy to offer advice to anyone with an interest in athletics. "If you can keep it slow, keep it simple, go to college, focus on getting a degree — because that's for your future and that's your generational wealth — let yourself develop, and then as time comes to you, make those next steps," Lewis told Olympics.com of his advice to young athletes.

The United States has historically had more success at the Summer Olympic Games than the Winter, but there are plenty of American Winter athletes who've represented their country well and brought home shiny hardware. During the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Winter Olympics, the United States was cheering for Apolo Ohno, the legendary speed skater who ended his Olympic tenure with two gold medals, two silver, and four bronze. His post-Olympics career has been quite similar to many of his peers, as he's taken on some acting roles and lent his skating expertise to broadcasting gigs for multiple Olympics.

Though Ohno isn't quite as popular as he was while he was on the ice himself, he's still considered one of the best to ever skate and made a major impact on the sport. For example, at the 2026 games, United States speed skater Jordan Stolz competed for the second time, earning two gold medals and one silver. In interviews prior to the game, Stolz said he knew he wanted to become a speed skater the first time he saw Ohno compete in the Olympics. Ohno was in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and showed nothing but support for the athlete he inspired. "Nobody can corner like [Stolz] — his physical ability to manage the sheer G-forces in the corner are astonishing ... there is no equal. Absolute precision in terms of execution," Ohno wrote on X.

Tara Lipinski has had a stunning transformation. The legendary figure skater only competed at one Olympics — the 1998 Nagano Games — but she made an indelible mark on her sport by winning gold at just 15 years old. To this day, she's the youngest athlete to ever win Olympic Gold in figure skating, and her win is still revisited when Olympians take the ice. At the time Lipinski was skating, the Olympics only allowed amateur athletes to compete, and shortly after the 1998 Games, she decided to become a professional skater, rendering her ineligible for future Olympics. Lipinski skated professionally for a few years, but retired from the sport in 2002 and has since made a living primarily as a broadcaster.

Much of Lipinski's broadcasting has been done in tandem with fellow Olympian Johnny Weir. The duo is known for their banter, largely driven by their close friendship. In 2026, the two took their friendship to a new platform — the popular reality TV series "The Traitors." While Weir was eliminated just before the finals, Lipinski made it to the final Banishment Ceremony. Despite their close friendship, the skaters went most of the game without disclosing to other contestants just how close they were. "I really think we would've been gone right away [otherwise] ... It's really hard with a duo. So we felt strongly we wanted to play that game and we didn't know if it was gonna work," Lipinski told Entertainment Weekly of her and Weir's strategy.

When discussing great female athletes, Jackie Joyner-Kersee definitely comes to mind. The track and field athlete was a force at the Summer Games, participating in four Olympics from 1984 to 1996 and taking home three gold medals, one silver, and two bronze. Notably, Joyner-Kersee didn't just run — she participated in long jump and the heptathlon, a two-day event that includes 100-m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-m run, long jump, javelin, and 800-m run. Joyner-Kersee's time as an Olympian was marked by great physical success, but the athlete has noted how much mental toughness she had while competing. 

The 1984 Games didn't go as she would've liked, so Joyner-Kersee worked to become as confident in herself as possible. "I wanted to be the toughest one out there, and for the next four years, I trained that way because I doubted myself. My coaches and teammates believed in me more than I did! So, when I went into '88, I was ready to give my all," Joyner-Kersee told the BBC.

Joyner-Kersee has been successful outside of athletics, too. She founded the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which supports kids in athletics and academics. She's also been featured on television and in movies, and supports modern athletes, like Olympic track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, owner of the women's 400-m hurdles world record. Joyner-Kersee is a record holder in her own right, too — she's still got the second-best long jump in women's history.

The world has been spoiled with Simone Biles competing at three Olympic games (Simone Biles might even go for gold at the 2028 LA Olympics). It's uncommon for gymnasts to even make the team that many times, let alone be a medal contender. It's far more common for gymnasts to be like Mary Lou Retton, former United States Olympian who had an unbelievable showing at the 1984 Summer Games. Retton won a gold medal, two silver, and two bronze that year, but never competed at another Olympic games. Since her medal-winning performance, Retton has stayed present on television, and has appeared in some movies. Notably, Retton appeared in the 1988 Christmas film "Scrooged," and was a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2018.

Not everything has been so positive for Retton, though. In 2025, the athlete was arrested for a DUI in West Virginia. Two years earlier, Retton was hospitalized due to a rare form of pneumonia. Retton got over the illness, but not without some scares. "This is serious, and this is life, and I'm so grateful to be here. I am blessed to be here because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support," Retton told Hoda Kotb on "Today" in 2024 after being released from the hospital. During the interview, Retton was still on oxygen, and her family took to the internet to raise funds to cover her medical bills.

Andre Agassi is one of the greatest tennis players to ever play the sport. He became a professional tennis player in the mid-80s, and about 10 years later, became an Olympian. Agassi competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, taking part in both singles and doubles. In the latter, he and his partner finished ninth, but in the former, Agassi won gold, adding another laudable accomplishment to his already illustrious resume. Agassi played tennis professionally for another 10 years after winning gold, though he never competed in another Olympics. The tennis champ's legacy was officially sealed in 2011 when he was voted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Agassi is still very much part of the tennis world, notably as a broadcaster for events like the French Open, but much of his time since retiring from tennis has been focused on business ventures, including investing in a water park and his sports entertainment company. Another passion of Agassi's is pickleball. The former tennis professional is now a pro pickleballer. Though going from tennis to pickleball may seem like a natural transition, Agassi noted that it wasn't that easy. "There was a lot I had to unlearn, but some things came instinctively. I grew up with a racket in my hand, and in this case it's a paddle, so I'm going to make good contact. But the blood pressure, it's hard to find a place to put it when you're out there on the pickle court," Agassi told Fox News.

Prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics, the last time the United States men won gold in ice hockey was at the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake Placid. The U.S. defeated the Soviet Union in what was quickly dubbed the "Miracle on Ice" game, and it was none other than Mike Eruzione who scored the game-winning goal. The moment is still important for both Eruzione and hockey fans. "People come up to me to this day and will say, 'I remember where I was when we won.' And I always go, 'We? I didn't know you were on the team.' But that's what that moment meant. If you believe in something, and you are willing to work for it, you can accomplish it, and our team exemplified that," Eruzione said on "60 Minutes" (via Fox News).

The Olympic qualifications were different for most of the 20th century than they are now. Professional athletes weren't allowed to compete for decades, and when Eruzione played on Olympic ice, he did so as an amateur. Many of his Olympic teammates went on to play in the NHL, but Eruzione wasn't drafted, and instead, began a career as a broadcaster. Today, Eruzione works for Boston University as the Director of Special Outreach and is involved in both Olympic and youth sports. In 2026, the former Olympian traveled to Milan and was able to see the United States' gold-medal game.

Sugar Ray Leonard is a boxing icon. He won gold at the 1976 Montreal Games, and believed he was finished competing at the time. "I'm finished. I've fought my last fight. My journey has ended. My dream is fulfilled. Now I want to go to school," Leonard said in 1976, per the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum. But after some family tragedies, Leonard altered course and went on to have a boxing career that few rival. Since ending his boxing career, Leonard has still been relevant in media, finding acting work in both television and film, as well as working as a boxing analyst for a variety of networks.

Leonard is still revered in the boxing world, and his approach to the sport is still of interest to athletes across disciplines. Leonard's given name is Ray, but he's gone by Sugar Ray as an athlete, using the latter as an alter ego. "I didn't talk about this for years because people thought I was crazy, but it was just a matter of who's showing up today. Before a fight, when I'm in the dressing room, I look in that mirror, and I can determine who's gonna win the fight. For the most part, I would see Sugar Ray, the tough guy, but there were times I saw Ray the civilian, the guy who was so quiet, shy, introverted," Leonard said of his alter ego in an interview with The Talks.

The United States Women's National Basketball Team has been elite for decades. Their 5x5 team has won gold in 10 of the 12 Olympics it's competed in, with its first gold medal coming in 1984 at the Los Angeles Games. On that team was Kim Mulkey, a bona fide legend in the women's basketball world. Mulkey's Olympic win came the summer after she graduated from Louisiana Tech, where she won two national championships. The WNBA had yet to be created, so after the Olympics, Mulkey's playing career ended, and she went on to coach her alma mater. Mulkey then coached the Baylor women's team, whom she led to three national titles, for just over 20 years before returning to her home state to coach LSU, whom she led to another national title.

Aside from the national titles, Mulkey has been responsible for coaching multiple WNBA stars, like Brittney Griner and Angel Reese, and she's one of the winningest coaches in the NCAA. And Mulkey does it all to make her home state proud. "​​I wanted to make the state proud, not just LSU people. I wanted all the people in the state to be proud of the flagship university, whether you're an LSU fan or not," Mulkey told the LSU Reveille of her choice to coach in Baton Rouge.