US Women’s National Team Legend Mia Hamm Named To US Olympic And Paralympic Hall Of Fame Class Of 2022 – U.S. Soccer

CHICAGO (June 6, 2022) Two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Womens World Cup Champion Mia Hamm will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced the Class of 2022 today, who will be honored and inducted in a ceremony held Friday, June 24, at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. The class of 2022 is made up of eight individuals, two teams, two legends, one coach and one special contributor.

One of the most prolific scorers in world soccer history, Hamm helped lead the U.S. Womens National Team to gold at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, the first Olympics to feature womens soccer, and again at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens to close out her historic career. Hamm also captured silver with the USA at the 2000 Olympics while winning the World Cup in both 1991 and 1999. The 1996 Olympic Team was inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2004 while fellow USWNT legend Kristine Lilly was inducted into the Hall of Fame as an individual in 2012.

In addition to Hamm, the Class of 2022 inductees include Natalie Coughlin (swimming), Muffy Davis (Para alpine skiing and Para-cycling), David Kiley (Para alpine skiing, Para track and field, and wheelchair basketball), Michelle Kwan (figure skating), Michael Phelps (swimming), Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing), Trischa Zorn-Hudson (Para swimming), the 1976 Womens 4x100 Freestyle Relay Swimming Team, the 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, Gretchen Fraser (legend: alpine skiing), Roger Kingdom (legend: track and field), Pat Summitt (coach: basketball) and Billie Jean King (special contributor).It's a distinct honor to welcome the class of 2022 into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame and to celebrate their remarkable individual and team achievements as representatives of Team USA, said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. Induction into the Hall of Fame adds to the tremendous legacies of these great athletes and teams, and also memorializes the contributions of those members of the team behind the team who dedicated themselves to helping Team USA achieve success on and off the field of play.

The class of 2022 has represented the United States as athletes at a combined 27 Olympic and Paralympic Games, tallying 129 medals, including 86 golds. There are also two new sports or sport disciplines added to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, with Muffy Davis as a Para-cyclist and the 2002 sled hockey team. Pat Summitt and Billie Jean King become the first female inductees in the coach and special contributor categories, respectively.

National Governing Bodies, alumni, current athletes and additional members of the Olympic and Paralympic community were invited to nominate eligible athletes. From there, a nominating committee comprised of individuals from the Olympic and Paralympic movements narrowed it down to a set of finalists. The class of 2022 was determined by a voting process that includes Olympians and Paralympians, members of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic family, and an online vote open to fans. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame was one of the first national sports halls of fame to include fan voting as part of its selection process, and this year, more than 432,000 votes were cast across all platforms.

This will be the 17th class inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, bringing the total to 168 inductees (individuals and teams). The first class was inducted in 1983 and the most recent class was inducted in 2019. Find the entire list of Hall of Fame inductees here.

The distinguished class of 2022 includes:

Billie Jean King (special contributor): Billie Jean Kings influence and playing style elevated the state of womens tennis beginning in the late 1960s. King won 39 major titles in her career, competing in both singles and doubles. In addition to coaching the Olympic gold-medal-winning 1996 and 2000 U.S. womens tennis teams, King captured a record 20 Wimbledon titles. She was one of the founders and the first president of the Womens Tennis Association, was part of a group that founded World Team Tennis, and she also founded the Womens Sports Foundation to support women in sport around Title IX, which continues to have a massive impact on Olympic and Paralympic sport. King is the first woman inducted into this category.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place June 24 and will be hosted by NBCs Mike Tirico. The event will not be open to the public, but a livestream will be available.

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US Women's National Team Legend Mia Hamm Named To US Olympic And Paralympic Hall Of Fame Class Of 2022 - U.S. Soccer