USA Olympic greats: Where are they now?

Before Michael Phelps there was Mark Spitz. Before Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix? Michael Johnson and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

With the Olympics in full swing, we wanted to take a look at the top 10 Olympic athletes who had their days in the sun and soaked up every moment in the spotlight. But with the kliegs now shining on a new crop, what are the ones who paved the way up to?  

Michael Johnson, track and field

Then: Once the fastest man on the planet, Johnson took gold in both the 200-meter and 400-meter dash at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. He also broke his 400-meter time at World Championships in 1999.  

Now: Johnson, 48, is married with a son he coaches in the sport in addition to scores of other aspiring track athletes.
 

Lisa Fernandez, softball

Then: Her skills on the softball mound fueled three straight gold medals for the USA Olympic team and put the team on the map. Fernandez still holds the Olympic record for strikeouts, as she sat down 25 in a rout of Australia at the Summer Games in Athens.

Now: Living in Long Beach, Calif., Fernandez is going into her 18th season as the assistant softball coach at UCLA, her alma mater.

Dan Gable, wrestling

Then: Despite suffering a neck injury, a mild concussion and a tweak in his knee, Gable captured the gold medal in 1972 without allowing a single point.

Now: Gable is now an accomplished author who just wrapped up a cross-country signing tour for his book “A Wrestling Life,” which chronicles his Olympic moment in addition to a 20-year run that found him become the greatest wrestling coach in NCAA history at the University of Iowa. 

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, track and field

Then: Google "Heptathlon" and you’ll have an idea of what this great track and field athlete won… twice, her first at the 1988 Summer Games followed by gold again in Barcelona in 1992.

Now: In a timely move ahead of the Summer Games in Rio, Joyner-Kersee joined cable giant Comcast as a spokesperson for its "Internet Essentials" program aimed to increase “digital literacy” and provided Internet at a lower cost to consumers.

Jenny Thompson, swimming

Then: Before Katie Ledecky there was Jenny Thompson, who can lay claim to 11 Olympic medals overall, eight of them gold in multiple events.

Now: Thompson, now Jenny Cumpelik, spends her days at her anesthesiologist practice in Portland and is a mother of two.

Mary Lou Retton, gymnastics

Then: America’s sweetheart and first female cereal box poster child won a gold medal despite fracturing her ankle at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Now: Retton, 48, is a mom who travels as a "fitness ambassador," giving motivational speeches and serving as a spokesperson across the country.

Greg Louganis, diving

Then: Men’s Olympic diving was all Louganis at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Games, as he became the first and only diver to take both the springboard and platform gold in consecutive games. It was his dive at the 1988 Games in which Louganis hit his head on the board, spawning the tale that became the centerpiece around HIV and AIDS after Louganis revealed he tested positive for the disease.

Now: Louganis resurfaced (pun intended) in 2014 with an HBO documentary entitled “Back on Board.” He still has his hands in the USOC game, serving as a mentor for the U.S. diving team in addition to being an activist for HIV awareness and LGBTQ rights.

Florence Griffith-Joyner, track and field

Then: The phenom known as “Flo-Jo” still holds the women’s 100 (10.49) and 200 (21.34) world records. Mind you, this is a mark she set in 1988.

Now: Flo-Jo mysteriously passed away in 1998. She was 38. To this day, coroners have theories, but no one doc can put a firm handle on what accurately took the life of this great champion.

Mark Spitz, swimming

Then: Spitz became the first athlete to win seven gold medals at the same Olympics. He was never able to replicate that feat in subsequent games, but in 1972, Spitz was king of the pool.

Now: A much different-looking Spitz appeared on the "Today Show" in July, telling NBC’s Natalie Morales: “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. Well, old Olympians just never sort of die, they just sort of fade away."

Marion Jones, track and field

Then: Jones famously won three gold and two bronze medals at the 2000 Summer Games in Australia, only to have them stripped after her infamous Balco scandal where she admitted to doping and the use of steroids.

Now: Jones, 40, has remained relatively quiet since her release from prison in September 2008. The only thing to go on is that the beleaguered track star is looking for resurrection by way of the Marion Jones "Take A Break" initiative, however it appears the website hasn’t been updated since early 2011, so it’s anyone’s guess what Jones is up to these days.