A future Olympic gold medalist was once the slowest kid in the pool. “I hated swimming,” Allison Schmitt tells USA TODAY Sports. Schmitt wasn’t even 10, and she was ready to quit.

After her swim, the mother-of-two soaked up the sun on the shore. Allison wrapped a towel around her body and put on a cap to protect herself from the sun. Wearing minimal makeup, the popular TV ...