Anna Meares: Meare-acle

Just months after breaking her neck in a horrific track cycling accident, Australian cyclist Anna Meares stood atop the podium at the 2008 Beijing Olympics proudly wearing a silver medal that signified more than just second place.

Meares path to the Beijing Games had not been an easy one. Just 2mm separated Meares from life in a wheelchair or life as a successful Olympian. A heavy fall during a track meet in Los Angeles left Meares with a cracked vertebrae and an Olympic dream in tatters.

But the resilient Meares wouldn't give up. The inspirational Aussie continued training, despite being confined to a stationary bike, and turned her Olympic story into one of the greatest comebacks in Australian Olympic history.