Now she is an example and an inspiration, the first woman athlete to return to form after being stricken by breast cancer and perhaps the first athlete of either sex to compete at an elite level while undergoing chemotherapy. They were so thankful. She hopes that her decision to train during chemotherapy will send a message to others with breast cancer. I want to tell women, 'Go to the gym, exercise. It helped me so much to have goals.
Much work lies ahead.
Still not Engquist, she says. She is, in fact, someone stronger, someone better. The voices followed Vanessa Atler into Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium in September and dissolved into a trail of giggles. Her gymnastics performances are a unique blend of polish and propulsion, and she has a grin that seems to end on the back of her neck. She also just may be the world's best vaulter and is a threat to win a medal on the beam and floor in Sydney.