An American track and field icon in the 1990s, Gail Devers celebrates her 50th birthday today.

The three-time Olympic gold medallist endured a horrific battle with the autoimmune disorder, or raves disease, in the early ‘90s only to go on and win 100m gold at the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996.

Devers was officially diagnosed in 1990. The thyroid gland problem resulted in her losing her hair in clumps, her weight dropping dramatically and her movement greatly hampered.

Doctors considered amputating her feet at one point but Devers’ health started to improve and just 19 months after her diagnosis, she was winning a photo-finish 100m in Barcelona.

Devers never won an Olympic medal in her primary event, the 110m hurdles. She finished her career with nine World Championship golds.

Apart from Devers, here are more sports stars birthdays on this day:

1965: Laurent Blanc, former France and Paris St Germain coach who won the World Cup as a player in 1998 (51).

1981: Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Argentinean rugby union back-rower for Toulon and the Pumas (35).

1983: Chandra Crawford, Canadian cross-country skier, who won gold at the 2006 winter Olympics (33).

1985: Chris Eagles, former Manchester United, Burnley and Bolton winger, currently with Accrington Stanley (31).