Eric Shanteau – Swimming, USA

Eric Shanteau swam for the United States in both Beijing and London, earning two gold medals at the London games. He’s the current record holder for the 4×100-meter medley relay in the United States, but this progress was nearly brought to a standstill right before the Olympics in 2008…

On the cusp of his moment of glory, Shanteau was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He chose to compete in the games anyway, opting to hold off and remove the tumor after returning home from Beijing. He now uses his fame to help raise public awareness of cancer.