ANGELO TAYLOR EMBODIES THE PERSEVERANCE that is synonymous with the Olympics. He has traveled from the mountaintop of his sport to the bottom and back, reclaiming the elite status he held eight years ago as a gold medalist in the Sydney Games. He arrives in Beijing with something to prove, looking to cap his remarkable journey with another Olympic triumph.

 
A Star Is Born

Born on December 29, 1978, Angelo began his furious rise to the upper echelons of track's elite by placing second at the NCAA championships in 1997, and winning the title in 1998 while attending the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also won a silver medal at the U.S. National Championships in 1998.

Taking his speed to the international stage, Angelo's success continued. He won bronze in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1999 World Championships (a feat he would accomplish three years in a row), and took gold as part of the men's 4x400-meter relay team.

Chosen as a member of the 2000 U.S. track team, Angelo shocked the world at the Sydney Olympics, winning gold in the 400-meter hurdles and as a member of the 4x400 men's relay squad. His finish in the 400-meter hurdles is regarded as one of the best in Olympic history, and it announced to the world that Angelo Taylor was a name to remember for years to come.

 
Injuries Before Athens

After a gold medal at the 2001 World Championships, it seemed as though it was only a matter of time before Angelo was having another gold medal placed around his neck in Athens, the sight of the 2004 Summer Games.

He did not run as well as expected, and was diagnosed with stress fractures in both his shins shortly after the games. Taylor was floored when doctors told him he must take a full year off from training and competing.

In 2006 he fell further from competition, when legal troubles landed him three years of probation, and more time away from the sport he loved

"I didn't know if I would run track again because of the injuries," Taylor said in a recent interview with Reuters. "I lost a lot of respect among non-athletes. On the Web and on chat groups they thought I was all washed up."

 
The Road to Redemption

Working a full-time job as an electrician, Taylor decided to get back into training full-time, with his eyes on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

"It was tough mentally and physically. I was working an eight-hour job and even then I had to go training and then go home and deal with my two kids. I didn't get much sleep," Taylor said.

He ran his way back to respectability, and the top of the world rankings, one race at a time.

In 2007 he won the U.S. outdoor championship in the 400 meters, and gold in the 4X400 relay at the World Championships. He showed he is once again ready to chase his Olympic dreams by finishing third at the U.S. Olympic trials in the 400-meter hurdles, the third time he has qualified for the Games in the event.

 
The Journey Continues

Angelo comes to Beijing having worked his way back to the world-class level he knew eight years ago. But after a long, arduous road, his perspective is a little different.

"I definitely want to win Olympic gold. Those are my goals. But if I don't I'm fine with that. I already got two gold medals. A lot of people run their whole career and don't achieve what I've achieved," he said.

Some may define Angelo based on his performance in Beijing, but he allows his journey itself to define him.

"I feel like I've already bounced back," he said.