The Olympics is a platform for athletic excellence and not a beauty contest. At the same time, a photogenic athlete here and telegenic gymnast there add fizz to the Games. Few watch the Olympics with the sole intention of catching some beauty on TV but a 100m women’s champion with the looks to match her speed is guaranteed to attract plenty of eyeballs.
Her sprint double alone didn’t make Florence Griffith-Joyner the star of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The American also stood out from the field with her stylish look. Her painted finger nails, flowing mane, make-up and dressing sense went a long way in the construction of the star of Flo-Jo.
Here is a survey on the pretty girls who are sure to grab attention at London.
Jessica Ennis: Great Britain are guaranteed a medal in the heptathlon but the only question is its colour. Ennis, a world champion in 2009, is a sure-shot bet for the podium in the event that determines the most versatile among women. Her father is a Jamaican and it explains her athletic genes. An Olympic gold on home soil will be a dream for one of the most photographed contemporary British athletes. If Ennis holds off her main rival Russian Tatyana Chernova for the title, sponsors are bound to hound her for endorsements.
Stephanie Rice: The Australian, a perfect amalgamation of beauty and brawn, has been there and done that. Rice won three gold medals (200m IM, 400m IM and 4x200 free relay) at Beijing. She still owns the 400m individual medley world record. Rice’s preparations for London have been hampered by a shoulder problem but the tenacious Aussie can’t be counted out of medal reckoning.
Keri-Anne Payne: The South Africa-born British Olympian’s event is a gruelling test of endurance and character: 10km open water swimming. Payne is already a star in the discipline, having won back-to-back gold medals in the world championship and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. Here is some bad news for hopefuls: the mermaid has a boyfriend (swimmer David Carry) and he has also qualified for the London Games.
Elodie Clouvel: She can rattle an epee, ride a horse, make a splash in the pool, handle a pistol and scorch the track. The 23-year-old French beauty is an expert at modern pentathlon, a regal sport which was a favourite of her countryman and the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin. Clouvel has ambitions to become a model after her athletic career. But her immediate goal is an Olympic gold. Ramp can wait.
Federica Pellegrini: The double world champion in the 200m and 400m freestyle is a super star in Italy. Pellegrini, who blends style and substance to deadly effect, became the first Italian female Olympic swimming champion when she bagged the gold in the 200m free at Beijing.
Her battle for the 400m supremacy with Britain’s Rebecca Adlington will be riveting at London.