What happened to US Olympic star Summer Sanders?

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 31 years since Summer Sanders put her stamp on American athletics. She had a dazzling performance in the pool in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and swam her way into the hearts of the public. Sanders has used this as a springboard to dive into a host of other opportunities later in life.

Summer Elisabeth Sanders’ story begins in Roseville, California, just north of Sacramento. It seemed pretty clear from an early age that she was going to achieve great things in the water. Sanders was able to swim a lap as a three year old, and was on a competitive swim team when she was four.

She was something of a prodigy growing up, and would attend Stanford University to remain local. While swimming for the Cardinal swimming team, Sanders won swimming championships in six different events, and was also extremely successful on relay teams as well. She was destined for greatness outside of campus walls, only spending two years there.

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Many people might forget that Sanders could have been a household name four years earlier. She just missed qualifying for the 1988 Olympics, but was putting together a remarkable resume. Sanders took home three gold medals at the 1990 Goodwill Games, and won a silver medal in the 1989 Pan Pacific Championships.

By the time 1992 rolled around, Sanders was one of the names to watch in swimming. She did not disappoint, as she won two gold medals in the 200 meter fly and the medley relay. In the process, Sanders also set two world records. Little did people know that this performance would catapult her into public fame that would last a lifetime.

It only made sense that Sanders would get opportunities to appear on shows broadcasted on NBC, since that was the network which had the Olympics. She would become a co-host of NBA Inside Stuff, a popular show amongst children in the 1990’s. She also was a contributor to the Today Show, and also appeared on other major network programs.

Children who grew up in the late 1990’s will also fondly remember Sanders as the host of a Nickelodeon game show called Figure It Out. The program would feature children with extraordinary talents, and Nickelodeon actors and actress would have to guess what that special skill was. The celebrities would have slime dumped on them for incorrect guesses.

Sanders has used her voice to motivate girls to play sports at an early age. In recent years, she’s appeared on We Need To Talk, a show that promotes conversation about women’s sports amongst legendary female athletes and executives. Sanders has also been active in communicating the importance of physical activity as a way to stay healthy for everyone in society.

Sanders has been married twice, first to former Olympic swimmer Mark Henderson, and then to former Olympic skier Erik Schlopy. Sanders and Schlopy have two teenage children. These days, Sanders likes to stay in shape by running, but also enjoys relaxing downtime at the beach with her family.