Leo Athletes

One of the greatest athletes ever, Usain Bolt is popular by the nickname ‘Lightning Bolt’. He holds the world record for 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay and is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016).

Born into an athletic family, Tyson Gay naturally developed an interest in sports. One of the fastest sprinters in both the 100m and the 200m categories, he was part of the 2016 Olympic relay team that was stripped of its medal for breaking game rules.

Daley Thompson is a British former athlete who specialized in decathlon. He has won gol medals in decathlon at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. He also broke the world record for decathlon on four occasions. He also won three Commonwealth titles and is regarded as the greatest decathlete ever. 

Maurice Greene is a former track and field athlete and a former world record holder in 100-metre dash. Greene won four Olympic medals, including two gold medals, representing the United States of America in two Olympic Games. Maurice Greene also has five gold medals at the World Athletics Championships under his belt.

Terry Fox was a popular cancer research activist and humanitarian. Despite suffering from cancer and having lost one of his legs to cancer, he embarked on a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research. Although he died at the age of 22, his efforts resulted in a worldwide legacy and gave rise to the annual Terry Fox Run.

While she believes missing out on the gold medal at the 100m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was her most painful experience, American hurdler and bobsledder Lolo Jones is still quite a star. She has penned a memoir and has also appeared on shows such as Celebrity Big Brother.

American beach-volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings was born to a baseball player father and a volleyball player mother, and was naturally drawn toward sports. She later attended Stanford on a sports scholarship and won three gold medals at the Olympics. She is married to fellow beach-volleyball player Casey Jennings

One of the first Black football players of the NFL, Woody Strode was also a talented decathlete. He had dabbled in professional wrestling, too, but later gained fame solely for his film roles, such as that of gladiator Draba in Spartacus, for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination.

Simone Manuel is the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic gold in swimming, She achieved this feat at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She started swimming at the age of four and swam across the pool on her second day of swim lessons.At the 2016 Olympics, she won gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley.

Johnny Gaudreau, or Johnny Hockey, is the son of Guy Gaudreau and had learned playing ice hockey by following a trail of Skittles candy at the ice arena his father headed. Now part of the NHL team Calgary Flames, he has also won a gold at the World Junior Championships.

Winner of 16 Paralympic medals, including 11 golds, Tanni Grey-Thompson is a former wheelchair racer, who won the London Marathon six times and held more than 30 world records. Also a successful television personality and patron of numerous charities, she was created a Life Peer in 2010 and made Baroness Grey-Thompson of Eaglescliffe in Stockton-On-Tees.

Suzy Favor Hamilton is a former middle-distance runner who participated in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics, representing the USA. Favor broke many hearts when she turned to prostitution which in turn ended her career as an athlete. She claimed mental illness as the reason for her downfall and is currently serving as a speaker at mental health conferences.

Alberto Salazar is an American former long-distance runner who won the silver medal at the 1982 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Rome, Italy. After his retirement from the sport, Salazar served as the head coach for the Nike Oregon Project and received the 2013 IAAF Coaching Achievement Award in Monaco. He was later banned for doping and sexual offenses.

Dave Wottle is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in middle-distance running events. Wottle is best known for winning the gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics, competing in the 800-meter run. Dave Wottle used to wear a golf cap while running; it later became his signature style.

Wrestler Shannon Moore is known for his stints with the WCW, the WWE, and TNA. Loved for his trademark moves such as the Twist of Fate, he is also a talented musician who composes his own entry music and owns a band named Peroxwhy?gen with fellow wrestler Jeff Hardy.

Born into an aristocratic family, Clifton Wrottesley was the son of a former ice racer. The talented skeleton racer has also competed for the British and Irish bobsleigh teams. His fourth rank at the 2002 Winter Olympics has been Ireland’s best in the game. He also trades in wine and property.

Harold Ballard was a Canadian sportsman and businessman. He owned the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. Ballard also owned the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. Harold Ballard was made an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1977 and 1987 respectively.

Oliver Rowland began his racing career with karting at age 7. With enough funding from the Racing Steps Foundation, he later stepped into single-seater racing. He now competes in Formula E with Mahindra Racing and has also represented teams such as Nissan e.dams.

Tarjei Bo is a Norwegian biathlete best known for winning three Olympic gold medals, which include two medals at the 2022 Olympics. He also has two silver medals and a bronze Olympic medal under his belt. The older brother of Johannes Thingnes Bø, Tarjei Bo has also won 11 gold, two silver, and eight bronze medals at the World Championships.

English rugby player Nick Easter made his debut for England against Italy in 2007. He has also played for Orrell and Harlequins. The brother of retired rugby player Mark Easter, he is known for making the infamous remark “That's £35,000 down the toilet” after England's 2011 World Cup defeat to France.

British motorcycle racer Tom Sykes began his career with the British Supersport Championship. He later represented WorldSBK and Kawasaki, and eventually moved on to the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team in 2019. He was inspired to join motorcycle racing by his grandfather, who lent him his 600cc Ninja for weekend races.

Cindy Klassen is a Canadian former long track speed skater. She is best known for winning a gold medal, two silver medals, and two bronze medals at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. Cindy Klassen also won a gold medal each at the 2003 and 2006 World Allround Championships.

Once a dentist, Charles Eugster stunned the world when he took to sprinting at age 95. In fact, he participated in age-group rowing in his 60s, winning countless gold medals, and also took up body building in his 80s. He penned his memoir, Age is Just a Number, at 97.

Justin Marshall is a New Zealand retired rugby union player who represented his national team between 1995 and 2005. He is best known for his association with the Crusaders as he won the Super 12 competition on five occasions playing for the Crusaders. After retiring as a player, Justin Marshall became a commentator and is currently working for Sky Sports.

Fu Mingxia is a Chinese retired diver who won the platform-diving world championship title at the age of 12, becoming the youngest diving champion of all time. She is also one of the youngest diving champions at the Olympics, she won a gold medal at the age of 13 in Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Fu finished her career with four Olympic gold medals and two World Championships.

Yomif Kejelcha is an Ethiopian athlete who specializes in middle and long-distance running. He is best known for winning a gold medal at the 2016 and 2018 World Indoor Championships in Portland and Birmingham respectively. Yomif Kejelcha also won a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.