The Olympics are just around the corner! At the Olympics, medal winners like Tom Daley, Dina Asher-Smith, and Max Whitlock are always the stars.
But did you know? The Olympics have attracted Hollywood's biggest stars even before they became superstars.The likes of Jason Statham, Caitlyn Jenner and even Vera Wang were all decorated Olympic athletes or worked their way to glory before embarking on very different career paths.
participate Hello! Here are some Olympians you probably wouldn't have expected…
Jason Statham
Action star Jason Statham is best known for movies such as: consumables, snatch And that fast and furious In the franchise, Jason attempted to qualify for the Olympics twice as a diver.
The action hero competed in the Olympic qualifiers in 1988 and 1992.“It's a bit disappointing not to have made it to the Olympics,” the star said in 2016, despite representing the country at the Commonwealth Games and other diving competitions.
Vera Wang
Vera Wang is now known as an iconic fashion designer. Initially, she had hopes of achieving Olympic glory in figure skating.Bella attempted to qualify for the 1968 Olympics with skating partner James Stewart, but ultimately failed.
Failing to qualify for the Olympics pushed her into the fashion industry.. talk South China Morning PostShe explained: “I was devastated when I didn't make the Olympic team. I had a nervous breakdown and ended up doing a semester in Paris where I discovered I had a passion for fashion.”
Caitlyn Jenner
Unlike Jason and Vera, Caitlyn Jenner She competed in the Olympics and won a gold medal in the decathlon. After a disappointing 10th place finish at the 1972 Olympics, Caitlin made it to the top of the podium at the 1976 Olympics..
Geena Davis
Actress Geena Davis was inspired to take up archery after watching the 1996 Olympics. She practiced hard but failed to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in 2000.
Hilary Wolf
Hilary Wolf may be best known for playing Megan McAllister in the first two films. Home Alone The actress, who appeared in the film, competed on the U.S. Olympic team in 1996 and 2000. In 1996, he reached the quarterfinals of the Judo Championships..
Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss
Today, the Winklevoss twins are best known as technology entrepreneurs, co-founding ConnectU. The brothers famously sued Mark Zuckerberg for stealing their idea to launch the social networking site Facebook. In 2008, the brothers competed in a coxed four-man rowing event, finishing sixth.
Cody Simpson
Singer Cody Simpson recently joined the list, as he competed in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics as a swimmer. The star ultimately failed to qualify for both occasions. Lost to Matthew Temple by just 0.5 seconds at the 2024 Olympic Trials.
Reflecting on his journey, the 27-year-old said: “I've done all I can, and that's all you can do too. I've come a lot further in the last four years than I ever expected. I started from scratch and tried to see how far I could go in half or a third of the time that everyone else was training. It was a true expression of the kid in me who gave up something to pursue something else. It's been an amazing journey for me.”
Bruce Dickinson
Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson might have been in line for Olympic glory if he hadn't dropped out of fencing. The heavy metal singer was considered a front-runner, but… At 23, he was voted the seventh best fencer in Britain before withdrawing because he felt it was ridiculous to “fence with 18-year-olds”.
Harold Sakata
While many will know Harold as Oddjob, the iconic Bond villain, the star previously won a silver medal for the US weightlifting team at the 1948 Olympic Games.
Noel Harrison
An actor, singer and the son of star athlete Rex Harrison, he was able to fulfill his Olympic dream by competing as an alpine skier in the 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics.
read: Princess Anne wishes British team 'every success' ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics
internal: The minimalist home that hides Dina Asher-Smith's Olympic medals
