DeeDee Trotter, Olympic Champion and Owner of Taste of Gold Bakery

DeeDee Trotter, Olympic Champion and Owner of Taste of Gold Bakery, exploded on the Elite Track and Field scene in 2004. That year, she would win the prestigious NCAA title and become an Olympic finalist in the 400 meters, finishing fifth overall. Her Olympic debut was capped by a gold medal in the 4x400m relay, and she concluded the year ranked fourth in the world. DeeDee is a three-time World Champion in the 4×400 meter relay, a three-time 400 meter U.S. Champion, and a three-time Olympian, accomplishments that rank her amongst the greatest female athletes in the world.

Shortly after the 2008 Olympic games, DeeDee would have a knee surgery that would ultimately set her back three years, and many thought her career was over and done with. Trotter continued to push on despite her inability to compete at the level she once achieved with grace and ease. She set her sights on the 2012 London Olympics and refused to take anything less than a victory back home. Step by step, she climbed her way from the bottom to the top, having the most consistent season of her entire career and once again earning a chance at the Olympic gold. In London, Trotter unleashed her inner warrior on the track to clinch her first individual Olympic medal, bringing home the bronze in the women’s 400m race. She would also lead the United States 4x400m relay to a Gold medal, giving her team an almost 10-meter lead over the entire field as the USA’s first leg.

DeeDee has been sharing her motivational message all over the world. She uses her personal experiences as a 400 meter sprinter and her journey to the Olympic podium to motivate others to pursue and achieve their dreams. DeeDee believes that encouraging others to believe in themselves is one of her greatest gifts and purpose of her life.

After competing 13 years as a professional athlete, DeeDee pursued her dream of becoming a professional pastry chef. At the age of 39, she graduated from the art institute of Atlanta with a perfect 4.0 GPA, which earned her Valedictorian and Top Pastry Students honors. Deedee is now living her dream as the Head Pastry Chef at one of the top golf clubs in Atlanta and she is also the Executive Chef of her own bakery, cleverly named “Taste of Gold”!