Mia Hamm is largely considered the best female soccer player in history. She played with the U. She won the Women's World Cup in and , and took Olympic gold medals in and Hamm held the record for most international goals scored until June , when her record was broken by fellow American player Abby Wambach.
Largely considered the best female soccer player in history, Hamm played with the United States women's national soccer team for 17 years, building one of the biggest fan bases of any American athlete. The daughter of an Air Force pilot, Hamm moved often with her family throughout her childhood and credits her brother, Garrett, for encouraging her in sports. At the age of 15, Hamm was the youngest soccer player to play for the national team.
In , at the age of 19, Hamm was the youngest team member in history to win the World Cup. They would return to win gold again in In , Hamm set a new record for most international goals scored when she made her th goal for the U. Hamm held that title until June , when her record was broken by fellow American player Abby Wambach. In , Hamm married her college sweetheart, Christiaan Corry.
The couple split in , and Hamm married professional baseball player Nomar Garciaparra in After helping her team win gold at the Summer Olympics, Hamm retired to start a family. In , Hamm founded the Mia Hamm Foundation, which is dedicated to bone marrow research, after her brother, Garrett, died of complications from a rare blood disease called aplastic anemia shortly after the Olympics.
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