The Most Inspiring Athletes You’ll Want to Root For at the 2016 Olympics Inline
Photo: Olivier Morin / AFP / Getty Images1/14Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Track and Field, Jamaica
Many will be cheering as Usain Bolt attempts to sweep gold for the third year in a row, but don’t overlook fellow Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The 29-year-old runner, also known as Pocket Rocket, may become the first woman to ever win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 100-meter track race.
Photo: Ints Kalnins/ Reuters2/14Leila, Liina, and Lily Luik, Track and Field, Estonia
The three blonde Estonian Luik sisters have already given themselves a nickname in preparation for this year’s Olympics: The Trio to Rio. And while they’re not expected to medal in the women’s marathon event, the Luiks have already made history by becoming the first triplets to qualify for the Olympics.
Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images3/14The Women’s Team, Soccer, USA
The American women’s soccer team has been battling for pay equality at home. What better way for the 2015 World Cup champions to prove they deserve everything they’re asking for and more than by winning their fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal, cementing themselves as the undisputed best soccer team in the world?
Photo: Buda Mendes / Getty Images4/14Ren Qian, Diving, China
China has long dominated diving, and this 15-year-old is a strong contender to take home the gold at her first Olympics in the individual 10-meter diving platform. Ren Qian first gained international attention at the FINA World Cup earlier this year, where she scored a perfect 10 in that event.
Photo: Thomas Coex / AFP / Getty Images5/14Oksana Chusovitina, Gymnastics, Uzbekistan
If American gymnast Aly Raisman is called “Grandma Aly” because she’s competing at 22, we shutter to think what people might name 41-year-old gymnast Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan. Remarkably, Chusovitina has qualified for seven Olympic games (yes, seven) throughout her career starting in 1992, when she won a team gold medal. Now she’s hoping to nab a prize in the vault event, for which she won silver in 2008.
Photo: Joe Scarnici / Getty Images6/14Kerri Walsh Jennings, Beach Volleyball, USA
For the past three Olympics, beach volleyball dream team Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor won first place. When May-Treanor retired after the 2012 games, Walsh Jennings paired up with a new teammate, April Ross, in hopes of achieving a fourth victory in Rio. But the two face a tough challenge in Brazil’s world champion duo, Talita Antunes and Larissa França. If the American team wins, it will be a significant upset for the favored home team—and a historic feat for Walsh Jennings.
Photo: Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images7/14Yusra Mardini, Swimming, Refugee Team
The 18-year-old swimmer Yusra Mardini wouldn’t be here had it not been for her strong swimming ability. A member of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team, Mardini fled the Syrian war with her sister last summer. After traveling through Lebanon and Turkey, the two boarded a dinghy with 18 other people to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Greece. When the boat broke down, Mardini and her sister swam for three hours to help lead it safely to shore.
Photo: Jeff Curry / Getty Images8/14Katie Ledecky, Swimming, USA
Keep your eye on this 19-year-old swimmer, who currently holds the world records for the 400-, 800-, and 1,500-meter freestyles. Aside from her impressive speed, Katie Ledecky is an unmatched competitor in both sprints and long races, something rarely seen in a swimmer. Expect plenty of comparisons to Michael Phelps, especially since he and Ledecky use the same “gallop” technique in the pool.
Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images9/14Simone Biles, Gymnastics, USA
This 19-year-old world champion is the heavy favorite to take the all-around gold medal at this year’s gymnastics competition. A three-time world all-around champion, Simone Biles has been dubbed the “Michael Jordan of gymnastics,” and is such an unrivaled force on the mat that an all-but-impossible tumbling move (a double layout half out) has been named after her.
Photo: Bill Frakes / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images10/14Sarah Attar, Track and Field, Saudi Arabia
At the 2012 Olympics in London, Sarah Attar was one of two women to first represent Saudi Arabia at the international games. And while she finished last in the 800-meter race, she won a standing ovation from the crowd when she crossed the finish line. This year, Attar will be joined by three other female Saudi athletes, who will probably draw similar applause from spectators.
Photo: Maximiliano Blanco / Getty Images11/14Mariana Pajón, BMX Cycling, Colombia
Medellin-born Mariana Pajon is known as the BMX queen, and is currently ranked number one by the Union Cycliste Internationale. In 2012, she became the second Colombian to win gold in the country’s history. As the favorite at this year’s BMX cycling competition, she’s hoping to add another medal to the tally.
Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images12/14Ashton Eaton, Decathlon, USA
Two-time decathlon world record–holder Ashton Eaton is one of the greatest athletes competing at this year’s Olympics. His outstanding career has included an Olympic gold win in 2012 and several world championship titles in between. Now he’s hoping to make history as the first back-to-back decathlon Olympic champion since 1984. Wheaties should be calling soon.
Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images13/14Ibtihaj Muhammad, Fencing, USA
Ibtihaj Muhammad, 30, is not only one of the oldest fencers to compete, she’s also the first American woman to wear a hijab at the Olympics.
Photo: Josep Lago / AFP / Getty Images14/14Neymar, Soccer, Brazil
It’s hard to believe that Brazil’s superstar soccer team has never won Olympic gold. They have a decent shot this year, and might be gunning for it more than ever: Is there a better form of redemption for their 2014 World Cup defeat than an Olympic win on their home turf? All hopes are on Neymar, by far the best player on the national team, to deliver.
