2. Rena Kanokogi
Rena Kanokogi was a renowned Jewish-American judo expert, but in 1959, she found that she could not compete because she was a woman. She disguised herself as a man so she could participate in a YMCA judo tournament, and she won, defeating all of her competitors.
After it was discovered that she was a woman, Rena was forced to return the medal she had won. Even with this setback, she did not give up. She was determined, so she traveled to Japan to continue her judo training.