Hamm, Devers Share Women’s Award Soccer Star, Sprinter Best U.S. Female Athletes

Soccer sensation Mia Hamm dedicated the award to her deceased brother, who inspired her to play sports.

Sprinter Gail Devers is determined to win an unprecedented third straight gold medal in the 100 at the 2000 Olympics.

Monday, they shared the honor of Sportswoman of the Year at the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 18th annual dinner.

Hamm, the leading scorer of the 1996 gold-medal-winning U.S. soccer team, was chosen in the team category. Devers, a two-time gold medalist at the Atlanta Games, won in the individual category.

Hamm dedicated the award to her parents and her older brother Garrett, who died in April of a rare blood disorder, aplastic anemia.

“I think he probably was the best athlete in the family,” said Hamm, 25. “But because of his illness, his senior year in high school, he couldn’t play sports. When he was at the Olympics, I saw all the joy in his eyes just watching me compete.

“When I think my training is hard, I think of what he had to go through every day. It keeps things in perspective. You can’t devalue the importance of sport and the importance of what it can do for other people.”

Hamm is a member of the U.S. women’s national team, which won the U.S. Women’s Cup tournament this year and is preparing for the Women’s World Cup in 1999.

She has more than 100 appearances for the U.S. team, which had won 30 straight games prior to a 3-1 loss Thursday to Germany. Hamm was the youngest to play for Team USA at age 15, and the youngest (19) on the team that won the inaugural World Cup in 1991.

The ultimate team player, Hamm reluctantly accepts the title of the best female soccer player in the world.

“For me, my team is everything,” she said. “This award should have them all standing up there, not just myself.”

Hamm said the country is ready for a women’s professional soccer league, which is scheduled to start play in the spring of 1998.

“We won the world championship in 1991, and when we came off the plane at JFK (airport), there were four people there to greet us,” she said. “One was a media person. At the Olympics, it was unbelievable the number of media just at our games. I think it shows how much women’s sports has grown.”

A record 76,481 fans watched the U.S. beat China 2-1 for the soccer gold in Athens, Ga.

“There’s definitely an audience,” she said. “Young girls want to see female role models.”

Devers overcame near-crippling Graves’ Disease to win gold medals in the 100-meter dash in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. She joined Wyomia Tyus, the 1964 and 1968 gold medalist, as the only woman to successfully defend the 100-meter title.

In Atlanta, she also ran a leg on the gold-medal-winning 400-meter relay.

“I want to keep going,” said Devers, 30. “The 2000 Olympics is definitely in my plans right now. It’s a goal of mine to get three back-to-back golds.”

She also wants to make up for two disappointing Olympic finishes in the 110 hurdles. Devers fell at the last hurdle while leading at the 1992 Games, and missed a bronze by .01 seconds in 1996.

“I always wanted the hurdles,” Devers said. “It just didn’t happen. I’m the type of person who believes everything happens for a reason. I figure that has to be my motivation. Had I won both of those in 1992 (100 dash and 110 hurdles), I can’t say that I’d still be in the sport.”

In August, Devers won the women’s 100 at the World University Games in Catania, Sicily. Earlier in the month, she anchored the winning 400 relay in 41.47 seconds, the second-fastest ever, at the world championships in Athens, Greece.