Marlen Esparza

Regardless of her performance in London, Esparza will go down in the U.S. amateur boxing history books. Besides being a six-time national champion, she became the first American female boxer ever to qualify for an Olympics with a dominant second-round victory at this year's world championships. Esparza has had her eye on London for quite some time, having moved up in weight in 2010 so she would qualify as a flyweight - one of only three divisions being contested in the Olympic debut of women's boxing. She won six straight national titles before sitting out this year's championships following her triumph at the U.S. Olympic Trials in February, defeating Tyrieshia Douglas 32-17 in the final. Two months later, she would win her weight class at the continental championships. Esparza, one of the most experienced boxers headed to the Games, was a bronze medalist at the 2006 worlds and claimed gold at the 2008 Pan Am Games. A former high school student body president who graduated in the top 2 percent of her class, Esparza turned down an invitation to attend Rice University so she could focus on boxing, but plans to attend college after the Olympics. Known for her stamina in the ring, Esparza has been trained by police officer Rudy Silva since she was 12 years old.