Every track and field athlete has their own struggle, but Gail Devers’ story really stands out. In 1991, doctors told her she was just days away from having her feet amputated. Fast forward a year, and she was back on track, not just competing but winning the gold in the 100 meters at the Olympics, proving she was the fastest woman in the world. But what exactly happened to her?

Her health problems started after the Seoul Olympics, in 1988, where she was a promising hurdler. Out of nowhere, she started losing her hair, gaining weight like crazy, and dealing with migraines, memory loss, and even losing vision in one eye. Doctors said it was just stress, but her physical therapist, Bob Forster, wasn’t convinced. He observed her eyes bulging and advised her to undergo testing for confirmation.

This track and field legend was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and was put on radiation therapy to manage it right away. They also prescribed a drug to help reduce the side effects, but it was banned for Olympic athletes. Rather than risk her career, Gail decided not to take it and kept training, pushing forward even as the risks grew. Soon after, though, her feet started giving her serious trouble—she had painful blood blisters between her toes, on her soles, and her heels.

When she went to a podiatrist, he brushed it off, saying it was just athlete’s foot and giving her some creams, promising it would improve. But it only got worse.

Feeling desperate and frustrated with the pain in her feet despite wearing five pairs of socks for relief, but it wasn’t working. Despite her efforts and discomforts, like swelling feet and an odor emanating from them, along with skin sensitivity that caused bleeding, the podiatrist seemed dismissive, suggesting stress or exaggeration instead. Her confidence shattered as she began to avoid situations because of feeling self-conscious about her condition and describing herself as a “monster.” Despite facing challenges along the way, she managed to continue her training regimen, but she could barely walk.

In March 1991, things took a dramatic turn, for the worse when the pain became unbearable for her to even walk to the bathroom. She had to crawl. As she puts it, “I was crawling to the restroom because I wasn’t walking anymore; it was just too painful. I felt like if somebody touched it, my foot was going to fall off at the ankle.” Upon returning to her bed after crawling from the restroom, Gail noticed an itching sensation. She suspected that she might have developed hives or become sensitive to the carpet.

Within minutes, the itching intensified, and wherever she scratched, her skin began to bleed. Her brother happened to be visiting and took her to a medical center, where doctors told her she was lucky to have come in. They warned that if she had waited two more days (until her scheduled doctor’s appointment), they likely would have had to amputate her foot. It turned out her body was having a severe reaction to the radiation treatment. After adjusting her therapy, Gail finally found relief. Within a month, she was running pain-free and went on to make history the following year in track and field.

Track and field legend’s iconic nails changed the starting line forever

In the 1992 Olympics, Gail Devers secured her championship by triumphantly clinching the 100 meters race in a captivating photo finish. This victory marked the beginning of a career marked by wins, such as her triumph in the 100-meter race at the 1993 World Championships and 1996 Olympics, where she narrowly outpaced Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey on both occasions. Nevertheless, her endeavors in hurdles posed a challenge for her in track and field.

Devers was leading the race in Barcelona but stumbled at the last hurdle and came in 5th place there; later in Atlanta, she finished fourth, just missing a medal chance. But throughout her career, injuries have been a part of her that prevented her from competing in hurdles during 2000 and 2004, but she excelled at the World Championships by winning the 100-meter hurdles title in 1993, 1995, and 1999.

Yet Devers also gained fame for her nails, which hindered her ability to use her fingers at the beginning of races; she had to start the race using her fists instead! Nowadays, this track and field legend is enjoying her life in Guyana alongside her husband and running her own charitable foundation while embracing life to its fullest extent.