[media-credit name=’NICK PENZENSTADLER/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]Nearly 200 women in the University of Wisconsin community had breakfast at Memorial Union Wednesday with a world-renowned Olympian who spoke to inspire female professionals working in a male-dominated society.

Suzy Favor Hamilton joined the professional women as part of the "Perspectives for Success" lecture series sponsored by the Small Business Development Center, a business solutions office under the School of Business.

"She is one of Wisconsin's legends, a three-time U.S. Olympian and ranked in the top three in the U.S. running from 1989 till 2002," Joan Gillman, former SBDC director said. "She attended Stevens Point Senior High school, was named a top 100 high school athletes of the century and is the winningest female collegiate athlete ever."

After capturing several high school titles, UW recruited Favor Hamilton, who dominated the collegiate track scene until she graduated and signed a professional deal with Reebok.

From an early age, Favor Hamilton said she fell into running naturally and aimed to stay on par with her male counterparts.

"I was the kid when I was younger who wouldn't let someone tell me I couldn't do something because I was a girl," Favor Hamilton said. "I would always prove them wrong."

After her illustrious career on the track, Favor Hamilton traded her spikes in for a business suit and began selling real estate with her husband, whom she met on a blind date her freshman year at UW.

Hamilton recently shifted her focus when she was hired by Badger Sports Properties, where she literally "sells the Badgers" and the multimedia rights associated with athletic teams.

Gillman noted significant advancement for women in the business world since the lecture series' inception in 1986.

"We've come a long way," Gillman said. "But we have a long way to go to get our salaries the same as the guys and get into the Fortune 500 and executive boards."

Working in the sales field with an all-male office, Favor Hamilton said her competitive edge shines through in her business skills.

"[A]thletics has helped me with my professional career — no doubt, the work ethic I gained from my running I carry into my job every single day," Favor Hamilton said. "I loved being on the line and thinking anybody could win, anybody in that office could get that big deal."

At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Favor Hamilton said she was competing on an injured hamstring and was 100 meters from the finish — and a gold medal — when the muscle tightened to the point where it pulled a piece of her bone apart.

Favor Hamilton also spoke on the emotional toll competing in the Olympics took on her and the life-changing effect of the injury.

"I just felt like I had let everybody down; it was so devastating, I totally lost perspective," Favor Hamilton said. "I was very depressed after that race, then talked to a sports psychologist, my life changed. It made me realize how wonderful the world was."

Jodi Oster of UW sports medicine, who attended the event, said she enjoyed Hamilton's message.

"It was inspirational," Oster said. "I liked her positive personality and that she shared her life experiences to show how she got where she is."