Body of Work: The Top 20 Fitness Icons

The Pied Piper: Mia Hamm

It's hard to believe she turned 40 this year, the intense, quicksilver soccer forward with a dark ponytail who helped put women's sports on the map. In 1996, in front of the largest crowd ever assembled for a women's sporting event, Mia Hamm led the U.S. women's national team to its first-ever Olympic gold medal. By the time she retired in 2004, she led had her team to two World Cup championships and two Olympic golds and scored more goals -- 151 -- than any other soccer player in history, male or female. But most important, Hamm was the poster girl for millions of soccer-playing little girls who wanted to be like Mia: strong, passionate, and not afraid to sweat. And she is still paying it forward, having joined with former teammates Kristine Lilly and Tisha Venturini Hoch to create the Team First Soccer Academy. "We want to share our experiences playing at the highest level by helping girls reach their own potential in soccer and in life," Hamm says.