Five-ring circus: Top 5 Summer Olympic sensations of the last 25 years

The Summer Olympics are considered the world's greatest stage for athletes to showcase their talent. From the track to the pool and the hardwood to the balance beam, the Games have produced some of sports' most memorable moments.

Each Olympiad brings new stories of triumph and perseverance, with athletes continually pushing the limits of human performance and achieving feats once thought impossible.

In the latest installment of our Olympic Eras series, we celebrate five of the greatest summer Olympic athletes this millennium.

Part 1: International standouts
Part 2: Canadian legends
Part 3: Winter wonders
Saturday: Greatest American heroes

Signature performance: Wu completed her collection of medals in the individual 3-meter springboard by winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics.

Why she's here: With her seven Olympic medals, including five golds, Wu is diving's most decorated female athlete. Her Olympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games started on a high note, as she won gold for China in the synchronized 3-meter springboard event and silver in the individual 3-meter springboard.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Wu earned another synchronized gold in the 3-meter springboard event and bronze in the individual 3-meter springboard. Her performance helped solidify China's dominance in diving.

London was Wu's true coming out party, achieving the elusive individual gold, in addition to adding another synchronized gold to her collection. She returned for her final Olympics at the 2016 Rio Games but didn't participate in the individual event due to a leg injury. Despite the issue, she captured another gold in synchronized springboard. At age 30, that win made her the oldest diver to earn an Olympic gold medal.

Wu also owns 14 world championship medals, including a record seven in 3m synchro with different partners.

Signature performance: At the London Games, Walsh Jennings and her partner Misty May-Treanor earned their third consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball.

Why she's here: Walsh Jennings is perhaps best known for her role in one of the most dominant pairings in women's beach volleyball history, distinguished by their 112-game win streak.

She made her Olympic debut at age 22 at the 2000 Sydney Games, competing in indoor volleyball and finishing fourth with the U.S. team. Moving to beach, Walsh Jennings found her stride alongside May-Treanor in Athens, where they won gold without losing a single set throughout the tournament.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor repeated their gold-medal performance, again going undefeated.

The pair achieved an unprecedented three-peat in London. In all, they accumulated 21 Olympic wins together, losing only one set - in the London preliminaries.

After May-Treanor retired, Walsh Jennings, by then 38 years old, continued her Olympic career in Rio, this time partnering with April Ross. The duo fought their way to a bronze medal. The semifinal loss was the only match Walsh Jennings dropped in her Olympic beach volleyball career. With four medals, Walsh Jennings is the Olympics's most decorated beach volleyball player.

Signature performance: Wambach's 112th-minute goal in the Olympic final against Brazil secured gold for the United States in 2004.

Why she's here: Wambach led the United States women's soccer team to two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup title in 2015. Her Olympic debut in Athens was unforgettable for soccer fans, with Wambach scoring the game-winning goal in extra time.

Wambach couldn't compete in Beijing due to a leg injury sustained in a pre-Olympic match, but the team still won gold despite her absence. Wambach returned to the Olympic stage in London, where she scored five goals in six games as the U.S. topped the podium again.

Her prolific goal-scoring ability and leadership on the field defined her international career. Wambach amassed a record-breaking 184 goals in 255 appearances for the United States national team, making her the all-time leading goalscorer in international soccer until Canada's Christine Sinclair surpassed her record in 2020.

Signature performance: The women's basketball final at the 2020 Tokyo Games was Taurasi's last contest with longtime teammate Sue Bird. The 90-75 victory over Japan secured the Americans' seventh consecutive Olympic gold.

Why she's here: Taurasi has been a fixture on the Olympic hardwood since Athens. Her five Olympic gold medals in basketball equal another American hoops legend: Bird. But Taurasi gets the nod over Bird after being named to the Paris Olympics roster, giving her the chance to add a sixth gold to her collection at age 42.

To put Taurasi's longevity into perspective, she was an Olympic teammate with Dawn Staley in 2004 and has also played under Staley, who coached the Americans in Tokyo.

In Taurasi's Olympic debut, the United States went undefeated to win Olympic gold. She helped the squad continue that run throughout the four following Games, extending the U.S. women's basketball team's Olympic winning streak to 55 games.

Taurasi is also one of just 12 women to have won every major competition in women's basketball: a world championship, Olympic gold, an NCAA title, and a WNBA championship (three with the Phoenix Mercury).

Signature performance: Kenny's sprint to push for keirin gold in his final Olympic race is remembered as one of the biggest rallies of his career.

Why he's here: By both total medals and gold medals, Kenny is Britain's most successful Olympian. He made his Games debut in Beijing, winning a gold in the team sprint and a silver in the individual sprint. In the team sprint, his trio set a world record of 42.950 seconds.

In London, Kenny further cemented his place in the sport by winning two gold medals, one in the individual sprint and another in the team pursuit, with his team breaking their own record with a time of 42.600.

In Rio, Great Britain again broke the team sprint world record and won its third consecutive gold medal. Kenny also won gold in the individual men's sprint and men's keirin.

His team missed defending its medal in Tokyo, settling for silver and marking Kenny's first loss in an Olympic final. However, the medal sealed his legacy as Britain's most decorated Olympic athlete. Kenny added one more gold to his total at the same Games in the keirin.

Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.