Aly Wagner Fights Her Way to Olympic Soccer

While my prior post addressed the pain of an Olympic soccer player losing his shot at glory due to physical injury, I now turn to the more upbeat story of Aly Wagner, who has overcome physical obstacles so that she can play on the Olympic soccer team.

Ms. Wagner was out of commission for most of 2007 due to a "double sports hernia" and the resulting surgery. She recovered just in time to qualify for Team USA last month. Now she is feeling good, and ready for the Beijing Olympics, which are only a few weeks away.

Aly Wagner struggled with the pain of her injuries and uncertainty as to whether she would make it to Beijing. "It was the most mentally challenging thing I've been through," she said.

But now she is ready to go, and says, "I feel confident what I can bring."