Mia Hamm
1996–1998: Atlanta Olympics and 100th international goal

Hamm was a key part of the U.S. team at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta; this was the first Olympic tournament to include women's soccer. The U.S. faced Denmark in their first preliminary round match. Hamm scored a goal and served an assist to Tiffeny Milbrett to lead the U.S. to a 3–0 win. The team defeated Sweden 2–1 next at the Orlando Citrus Bowl. After tying China 0–0 in their final preliminary round match, the U.S. finished second in Group E. Defeating Norway in the semi-finals, the team faced China in the final. Hamm played despite having foot and groin injuries, suffered during team training and the match against Sweden. Although she was carried off by stretcher in the final minute, her team won their first Olympic gold medal with a 2–1 win witnessed by 76,481 fans in the stadium – the largest crowd for a soccer event in the history of the Olympics and the largest crowd for a women's sports event in the United States.

The 20 goals scored by Hamm in 1998 were the highest annual total of her international career. She also provided 20 assists. On September 18, she scored her 100th international goal in a friendly match against Russia in Rochester, New York. The same year, she led the U.S. to the first-ever Goodwill Games gold medal. Hamm scored five of the team's seven goals at the tournament, including two during the championship match against China.
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