Maria Michta

A veteran of the 20,000-meter walk, Michta surely has to like her chances of a podium finish in London. Winning U.S. junior silver and bronze in 2003 and 2004, respectively, was Michta’s first taste of major national level success. She followed it up with a 10k bronze at the Pan Am Games in 2005 and a silver at the Pan Am Race Walking Cup over the same distance later that year. With three U.S. indoor titles over 3,000m and three U.S. outdoor 20K golds from 2010-12, Michta is the standout race walker in American athletics. She won the U.S. Olympic trials with a time of 1 hour, 34 minutes and 53 seconds - fastest in the world this year. Fellow Americans Miranda Melville and Erin Gray are likely to challenge for medals in London, having pushed Michta close in the trials, while Greek athlete Despina Zapounidou has the experience to cause problems.