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Olympic medals are handed out to athletes who are the strongest, go the fastest and rise the highest.
But as the Olympic Games start, we have decided to dish out a few medals to the hottest – those who get top honours on looks alone.
Definitely in the running for a gold medal in the hottie stakes is South African sprinter Akani Simbine, who hails from Kempton Park.
We will probably see him on our screens in a number of heats, given that the 9.89-second personal-best run he clocked up in Hungary last month was the leading time in the world this year, and he stands a good chance of making it into the final.
According to his profile on the website of world athletics body the International Association of Athletics Federations, Simbine chose athletics over team sports such as soccer because it allowed him to control his career.
“I was one of the young kids in the Castle League senior team. I always had speed and played for the school team. Our team head told me that I should try athletics and take it seriously.
“He said athletics could get me somewhere more than soccer [could], because soccer had a lot of politics and you had to know people to get into teams – whereas in athletics, you just had to run.”
We are certain that Simbine will give Jamaica’s sprint icon Usain Bolt a good run for his money.
After her entire team was disqualified in the wake of a massive doping scandal, Russia’s only hope for a track and field medal rests on long jumper Darya Klishina.
But Russians need not fret: the 25-year-old athlete and model, who has been training in the US for the past three years, easily wins a gold medal for beauty.
Klishina, who received special consideration after proving she was not involved in the state-backed doping system, will be competing not under her flag, but as a “neutral” athlete.
A spot on the podium is not assured for her, though. She finished in 10th place at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China.
Klishina said in a post on Facebook that she was “really happy” with the athletics federation’s decision to clear her.
Another gorgeous competitor – this time in the pool – is US swimmer Ryan Lochte. He may not beat compatriot Michael Phelps at swimming, but definitely outperforms him in the looks department.
The 31-year-old, who holds the world records in the 100m, 200m and 400m individual medleys, has just got a girlfriend after shunning love for years to focus on his sport.
In May, it was reported that Lochte was dating Playboy model Kayla Rae Reid when the two began taking pout-face selfies together and posting them on Instagram.
Back on the track, Ethiopian middle distance runner Genzebe Dibaba(25), who comes from a family of talented athletes, is another winner in the glamour league.
Her big sister, Tirunesh, has burnt up the track, clinching five Olympic medals in the longer-distance events. Another older sister, Ejegayehu, won the silver medal in the 10 000m event in the 2004 Olympics.
Their cousin is Derartu Tulu, the 1992 and 2000 Olympic champion.
But we think Genzebe outshines them all in the looks department.
An athlete who takes silver to Simbine’s gold for hotness is 22-year-old Canadian sprint champion Andre De Grasse, who is currently the Pan-American champion in the 100m and 200m events.
He won the 100m bronze medal at last year’s track and field world championships in Beijing and looks set for a few leading runs in Rio.
A head-turner with homeground advantage is Brazil’s volleyball player Jaqueline Carvalho, who many believe to be the best-looking volleyball player in the world. Married to fellow Brazilian volleyball player Murilo Endres, with whom she has a three-year-old son, the 1.86m-tall beauty is hot on the pitch too.
She and her team mates are double Olympic champions – from the Beijing games in 2008 and London in 2012 – and remain the favourites to take another gold. – Staff reporter
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