TV.com

Though she didn't win a medal at the '68 Olympics, Cathy Rigby's youthful all-American beauty and remarkable skill brought unprecedented popularity to her sport and helped women gain more attention as Olympians. Women have always struggled for acceptance at the Olympics, and they weren't even allowed to compete in the first Games in 1896. Women weren't formally accepted until 1912, and even now women comprise only 1/3 of all competitors at the Games. As Peggy Fleming had done some ten months before, Cathy's remarkable routines brought audiences to their TV sets. She changed the nature of the sport: Following her lead were other petite gymnasts, such as Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci. Cathy landed on the list of the 25 most influential women in sports, a list compiled by ABC's "Wide World of Sports" for its 25th anniversary.