Top 5 Cinderella stories in sports this decade

4) Kayla Harrison: 2012 London Olympics

Kayla Harrison after winning gold at the London Olympics

The first woman to win Olympic gold in judo for the United States, Kayla Harrison is a resounding figure of inspiration.

At a tender age, this judoka had to live through sexual abuse at the hands of her judo coach for years. Shaken and traumatised after the disclosure, she was compelled to move to Boston from her home in Ohio.

That episode, however, couldn’t dampen her spirits or her passion for the sport. An indomitable Kayla returned from the doors of suicide and trained harder than ever to rise through the ranks and clinch gold in the 78kg category at the 2010 World Judo Championships in Tokyo.

In 2012, her Olympic aspirations looked in jeopardy with a medial collateral ligament tear, just months before the Games would kick off in London. Unstoppable as she is, Kayla Harrison defied all odds once again, to regain her fitness on time and subsequently win the coveted gold medal as the world cheered in admiration and amazement.