Emily Cook
Aerial Skiing
United States
A few weeks before the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, Cook, one of the medal favorites in the acrobatic sport of aerial skiing, went up in the air during a routine practice jump. Her life would never be the same. A headwind threw Cook off balance, and after a few flips, she crash-landed flat on her skis, destroying her feet. "When I got in the air, I knew I was in trouble," she said. She had fractures and torn ligaments in both feet and had to watch her teammates compete in Salt Lake City from a wheelchair. Rehab took 2½ years, and although Cook, 30, qualified for the Olympics in Torino, she's stronger now; the 2009 season was her best ever. This time around, those feet could land in a much better place: the podium.