Olympians are hot. It’s a simple fact! They’re incredibly motivated, inconceivably healthy and quite literally at the top of their game. If we’re throwing it back to the very beginning of this beloved competition, they’re essentially the modern version of Greek gods.
And they’re well aware of it, too. A few Olympians have turned to OnlyFans in recent years to make some extra cash on the side of their sporting career. As British diver Jack Laugher told The Telegraph recently: “Obviously, I’ve got what people want. I’ll happily cash in on that. I’m a bit of a hustler and I want a bit more money if I can.”
But these Olympians come and they go. It’s hard to keep tabs on all the talented athletes, and by the time four years have passed, we’ve often forgotten who we were so captivated by at the last Olympic games, let alone the one before that, or before that. Remember when we were all really into Chris Hoy? No? Well, it happened.
So who is the next Tom Daley? Or Jessica Ennis? Or Ryan Lochte? For the Paris Olympics 2024, here are 12 of the athletes we can’t get enough of.
1. Jules Bouyer
The 22-year-old French springboard diver had everyone’s Speedos in a twist yesterday over the sight of him wearing his own tight trunks. You think we’d all know how to be normal about swimmers in the Olympics competing in their little pants by now, but we just don’t.
A home favourite and part-time model, Bouyer is hoping to take home the gold medal when he competes in the final of the men's synchronised 3m springboard on Friday. Bon chance, France!
2. Sunisa Lee
This US gymnast may have been slightly overshadowed by the return of Simone Biles, but Sunisa “Suni” Lee is very much a star in her own right. Lee is the 10th most-decorated American female gymnast with multiple world championships and three Olympic medals under her belt.
The 21-year-old is set to thrive at the Paris Olympics, despite being recently diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease. That’s pretty hardcore. And to top it all off, she recently became a campaign star for Kim Kardashian’s underwear brand, Skims.
3. Ashleigh Johnson
Another American standout is Ashleigh Johnson, the first Black woman to ever play on the US women’s water polo team. Nicknamed “Ayay”, she’s now a two-time Olympic champion, a Lacoste ambassador, and is widely considered one of the best goalkeepers in her field.
At a height of 6 foot 1 and with a degree from Princeton, she’s the real deal.
4. Thomas Ceccon
This Italian backstroke champion has already gone viral for his looks at the Paris 2024 Olympics, namely for displaying his toned V-line abdominal muscles beneath his rather cropped Italia jersey as he lifted his arms in celebration on Monday 29 July.
This is the sluttiest thing a man can do pic.twitter.com/CX1aV2RDk7
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) July 29, 2024
Or, as one Australian news site put it, “Wardrobe malfunction thrills Olympic fans”. The swimmer was thrilled with his win, telling Italy's Rai television: “Ever since I was a kid I knew I could win this medal and today is that day.
5. Alica Schmidt
German relay runner Alica Schmidt is expected to leave many Olympics viewers a little winded when she appears on screen for the 4x400m relay. The 25-year-old is a formidable runner, and a bit of a fashionista too, thanks to her Boss and Tiffany & Co ambassadorship positions.
With a face that looks as if it was crafted by AI, you can expect her pristine ponytail and surprisingly stylish German running kits to be all over social media when she competes.
6. Noah Lyles
This American sprinter has got it all: speed, style (see: his painted nails that said “Icon” at the opening ceremony) and buckets of confidence. ““I don’t feel the pressure because I’m just having fun,” Lyles told reporters of his mental state. “All I gotta do is be me. I constantly tell kids all the time, ‘Be yourself.’ And if people see me as being corny, shoot, I’m corny. But guess what? I’m winning while being corny.”
Even though Jamaican athlete Kishane Thompson clocked a faster time this year, 26-year-old Lyles insists that he's the fastest man in the world right now. Only time will tell, as we wait to see him compete in the preliminary round on 3 August.
7. Dina Asher-Smith
The newly established GOAT of British women’s running is Dina Asher-Smith. Beloved by basically everyone, 28-year-old Asher Smith is currently Britain’s fastest woman. Brits can expect to see her winning smile, medal or not, on 2 August as the women’s 100m gets underway.
Asher-Smith herself has said she’s confident of her medal-winning abilities, telling Sky News she’s in an “incredible place” at the moment. “For me I want to get to Paris and put together a race that’s worthy of getting on a podium,” she said. Who knew someone called Geraldina could be such a stunner!
8. Leon Marchand
France is not letting us down as a host nation this year, with an abundance of gorgeous and talented athletes on the lineup. This includes the so-called “face of the games” Leon Marchand, France’s 22-year-old swimmer who’s currently under the watchful eye of Michael Phelps’s former coach, Bob Bowman.
Marchand has already broken an Olympic record and secured one gold medal at the Paris games with the 400m individual medley, but there’s still more to come. Make like the French and yell “Allez allez!” at your TV screen, maybe Marchand will hear you.
9. Teddy Riner
Another member of the easy-on-the-eyes French contingent is Teddy Riner, the 35-year-old judo expert (or “judoka”) with eleven World Championships and three Olympic medals under his belt - which is 6th dan and black, FYI.
For a look at his judo skills, keep your eyes peeled on 2 August, when he’s set to compete in the Men's +100kg round of 16. Riner is considered by many to be the greatest judoka in history, and unlike many of the other athletes on this list, he’s not too young for us to feel weird about fancying him. Hurrah!
10. Gabriel Medina
It would be a little ridiculous to go through a list of hot Olympians and not include a surfer, wouldn’t it? Well, Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina is your man on the board for this Olympics - or off the board, it seems, as Medina’s just gone viral for a “perfect” image of him levitating above the water, a metre away from his also-airborne board.
Moreover, Medina’s performance was near-perfect too, with the 30-year-old successfully taking on Kanoa Igarashi, the Japanese surfer who beat him at Tokyo 2020. And that wave he was levitating over? That landed him a 9.90, the highest scoring wave in Olympic history.
11. Gabby Thomas
The yanks may be our rivals, but for good reason - they do produce some pretty amazing athletes. Among them is sprinter Gabby Thomas. The Harvard University graduate and Skims campaign star already secured a bronze medal in the 200m and a silver in the 4x100m at Tokyo, but at Paris, she means business.
“As I get into the blocks, I’m hyping myself up and thinking: ‘Let’s go, one shot, no second chances’. But once I’m on the line, it’s blank thoughts,” she told The Guardian. “I don’t want to hyper focus on anything. It’s just about reacting to the gun.”
12. Armand Duplantis
Pole vault has never had a reputation for being a particularly fit sport, but Swedish athlete Armand Duplantis is down for the re-brand. Known as “Mondo”, the 24-year-old American-born world-recording holding pole vaulter is a favourite of Vogue Scandinavia, for which he recently posed alongside his influencer girlfriend, Desiré Inglander.
Hailed as a young power couple, the pair have developed a loyal following on social media, as well as via Duplantis’ sporting career. He will qualify for the men’s pole vault event on 3 August, before competing on 5 August, so clear your calendars.
