Get Inspired! 4 Olympians to Watch in Beijing

With the Beijing Olympics right around the corner, there is the usual hype, controversy and politics that have become synonymous with the games. And while there will be some compelling stories, showdowns and drama - there will be a select few athletes for whom the road to Beijing was that much more challenging. Hopefully these stories will inspire you.

Dara Torres, USA

This will undoubtedly be one of the biggest stories of the games this year. At 41 years of age - a dinosaur in terms of Olympic athletes, Torres will compete in her 5th Olympics (that's not a misprint - 5 freaking Olympics!). To put it into perspective, she was the oldest swimmer on the US team in the 2000 games! This will be Dara's 2nd comeback after having taken a 7 year break at the age of 33 and again after the birth of her daughter in 2006. She dabbled in the masters' swimming circuit and after dominating, was encouraged to make another Olympic run. To add to an already amazing feat, Torres has had 2 surgeries in the past year - one to remove a bone spur from her shoulder and another to repair torn meniscus in the knee.

Natalie du Toit, South Africa

Swimmer Natalie Du Toit's career looked over when she was hit by a car in 2001. Yet just three years later, she won five gold medals at the Athens Paralympics. Incredibly, she will be the first amputee to compete with able-bodied athletes at the Olympics and will represent South Africa in the 10,000 open water race. Says du Toit

It was a freak accident. I went to the hospital and they had to amputate my leg because it started going gangrene eventually. And then I wanted to get back into the pool again, I wanted to get back to life, I wanted to get back to what I knew as life.

The Iraqi sprinter trains on a track while dodging pockmarks left on the track by past mortar fire and sidestepping areas crushed by tanks. She does so in the face of a corrupt sport institution and at a high risk of her own personal safety.

I just shut it all out and keep at it," says the track star, "You see how horrible this track is - and I am not even allowed to use it."

Lopez Lomong, USA

At six years old in 1991, Lomong's family fled Sudan on foot to escape an attack by the Janjaweed militia, spending three days in the wilderness to avoid capture.
Separated from his family when they arrived at the Kenyan border, he spent 10 years at a refugee camp, becoming one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," 3,800 children relocated to the United States. He became a US citizen last July and intends to return the help given him by his adopted homeland by running for the United States in the 1,500m at the Olympics.

A Reason to Watch?

So while it will be exciting to watch the Bolt/Powell/Gay showdown in the hundred, Michael Phelps win his own weight in medals and the US basketball team (whose salaries are worth more than the rest of all other athletes combined) reclaim glory - these are the stories that will truly bring a warm feeling to your heart.