Kathleen Baker – Swimming, USA

Kathleen Baker has been a decorated competitive swimmer her entire life, most recently winning a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics. In addition to athletic challenges, the 19-year-old has experienced many personal ones, especially her battle with Crohn’s disease…

Baker received this shocking diagnosis at the young age of 12. While doctors said she’d never be the Olympian she aspired to be, she’s proven to the whole world that her illness doesn’t define her— letting hard work and determination be her defining traits instead.