In 2015, Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova to claim her sixth Australian Open title. It also marked her 16th consecutive victory over the Russian pro-tennis player. This photograph shows Serena Williams in 2007 as she celebrates winning a point against Sharapova.
This was the year she would start with renewed vigor, challenging herself to rise up in the rankings once more. She was unseeded in the 2007 Australian Open tournament after dropping to number 81 in the world rankings, regarded as out of shape. She ousted Maria Sharapova in the tournament, marking the start of her journey back to the number one spot.
CARL LEWIS
Carl Lewis has set many world records in track and field, winning sixty-five consecutive competitions in ten years, and earning ten Olympic gold medals, and so much more, in fact, he went on to be voted as the “World Athlete of the Century” and “Sportsman of the Century by track and field organizations.
Lewis’ winning moment is captured in this photograph, as he celebrates during the Summer Olympics on Aug. 8, 1992. He set another world record, this time in the 4x100m relay. He ran the final leg in just 8.86 seconds—a record that would remain unbroken until 2007.
FLORENCE GRIFFITH-JOYNER
The famously controversial track and field athlete achieved her suspiciously good record and was accused multiple times of using PEDs. She does go down as one of the most tested athletes in sports history! Not once did she fail. Her 200m time in the 1988 Olympics still has yet to be challenged.
The closest anyone has come was Allyson Felix at the 2012 Olympics, and even she was well short with a time of 21.69.
ALAN AMECHE
As the Heisman Trophy winner in his senior year, Alan Ameche was signed up by the Baltimore Colts the following year to start his professional football career. In spite of his overwhelming potential, he only played from 1955 to 1960, limited by an Achilles tendon injury.
Alan Ameche may have only played for a relatively short period in the NFL, but he could always look back to the day in this picture where he played and scored a touchdown during overtime play of the 1958 NFL Championship Game. The New York Giants’ defensive back, Jim Patton, is seen trying to stop Ameche who would continue to plow his way through. Sports historians would refer to this as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
JIM BROWN
Jim Brown’s eyes burn in this photograph as he perforates Philadelphia’s defense. It was taken on Nov. 29, 1964; just a year before he would retire from pro-football. When he called it quits, he had already shattered most of the NFL’s major rushing records.
Jim Brown was the AP NFL MVP three times. He averaged more than a hundred yards per game throughout his eight-year career. In 2002, he was hailed as the greatest pro-football player ever.