The 25 Hottest Blondes In Sports

It's a stigma that they somehow overcome.

Being a blond woman isn't easy in the world of athletics. You're never taken seriously for your talent.

Anna Kournikova could have been No. 1 in women's tennis. She was just trying very hard to be a well-rounded human being that was very photogenic. Is that so wrong?

Well, don't fret. There's one place that you'll always get the credit you deserve. Let the applause begin.

No. 25: Julia Mancuso

She ended up having a better Winter Olympics than her skiing teammate Lindsey Vonn.

It was made all the better when she started complaining that Vonn was getting all the press because she's hot. We assumed it was some kind of blonde versus brunette caddiness, and then we unearthed THIS photo.

No. 24: Jennie Finch

To many, she was the original hot blonde athlete of the Internet age.

The softball sensation is 30 now (not that there's anything wrong with that), is married to MLB pitcher Casey Daigle (getting closer to wrong) and has a son named Ace (that's very wrong).

She's still gorgeous enough to be in the conversation, but she's like the former No. 1 in Casey Kasem's Top 40 that's fading after 15 weeks on the countdown.

No. 23: Sasha Cohen

She was precocious for much of her Olympic skating career, and then she grew up and started taking photos like this.

She's on the Ice Capades circuit these days and trying to break into acting.

We're going to need more photos like this to get you that role on "CSI: Des Moines".

No. 22: Heather Mitts

Poor A.J. Feeley. He's always the odd man out of quarterback controversies.

Don't feel too bad for him though. He's married to this former women's soccer star who is trying to make it as a sideline reporter these days.

No. 21: Tanith Belbin

We could not take our eyes off this Canadian-born ice dancer all February.

She skated for the U.S. in the Olympics and has become a worldwide sensation with photos like this.

Hopefully, we won't have to wait until 2014 to see more shots of this beauty.

No. 20: Jelena Dokic

She has an overbearing father and a serious center of gravity problem on the court.

Dokic may soon challenge Maria Sharapova for the hottest tennis player to actually win tennis tournaments.

Until then, we'd implore Fila to keep making her tops exactly the same way.

No. 19: Karina Petroni

The surfer has plenty of provocative photos on the Web, but her official site doesn't appear to have been updated since 2008.

This 21-year-old was born in Panama and, shockingly, is also trying to be a model. No need to try.

No. 18: Amanda Beard

Larry Busacca/Getty Images

There's blond highlights there, damnit.

We searched high and low to find enough evidence to include this former swimming star on our list.

She's impressed us with her sports knowledge on "The Best Damn Sports Show Period". Plus, she's not afraid to take it all off for Playboy.

No. 17: Haley Cope

This swimmer hasn't done much in the pool athletically since her silver medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

But as long as she keeps taking photos like these poolside, she's plenty athletic for us.

No. 16: Amy Acuff

Acuff is a 34-year-old Olympic high jumper.

Her best Olympic performance came at the 2004 Games, where her jump of 1.99 meter earned her fourth place in the final.

Her best performance off the track came in this photo full of body paint.

No. 15: Natalie Gulbis

There are few times when we've ever wanted to be a palm tree. This is one of those times.

The 27-year-old pro golfer is not afraid to flaunt what her mama gave her.

Her appearance in the second season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" was brilliant. Just watching the drool on Trump's face in the boardroom made any LPGA winnings she might amass gravy.

No. 14: Hannah Teter

Michael Caulfield/Getty Images

Every time she's interviewed, she slips lower down this list. If we never had to hear Hannah Teter talk, she might be in our Top 5.

As it is, photos like this thrusted her into our top 15. The snowboarder won a silver medal in the halfpipe in Vancouver.

She might be the best thing to come out of Vermont since Ben and Jerry.

No. 13: Lindsey Vonn

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Lindsey, Lindsey, Lindsey.

We're kind of Lindsey Vonn'ed out at the moment, though there's no denying the World Cup and Olympic skier's hotness.

Her appearance on "Jay Leno" in his first week back knocked her way down our list. We're just kidding. But we are on Team Coco.

No. 12: Anna Rawson

Remember when Nancy Lopez was the hottest thing to look at during an LPGA event. Good times, not.

Vixens like the 29-year-old Australian are making us petition ESPN for more womens golf airtime.

No. 11: Biba Golic

Oh, Biba. If only you didn't have that last name. We're Dan Patrick people.

This Serbian table tennis player became more of a household name after appearing in ESPN.com commercials in 2009.

The Internet was already well aware. If we have to be subjected to women's billiards, surely we could make room on for more table tennis.

No. 10: Gretchen Bleiler

The 29-year-old Olympic snowboarder is the opposite of Teter in the interview department. We could listen to her talk all day.

Then there's photos like this. We've got Bleiler, 29, at the top of our casting couch list for "Hot Tub Time Machine 2".

No. 9: Clair Bidez

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

This 22-year-old snowboarder unfortunately didn't make the cut for the Olympic team in Vancouver.

Not to worry. Something tells us if the whole X Games thing doesn't work out, she has a fallback career in heart-filled bikini modeling.

No. 8: Maria Sharapova

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The perennial No. 1 is focused too much on her tennis game these days and not enough on taking hot shots like this.

Plus, the whole dating-Sasha Vujačić thing is a major turnoff.

No. 7: Daniela Hantuchova

Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Would there be swimsuit calendars without Slovakia?

She's currently No. 24 in the world in singles, but the tennis star is rising with a bullet on our list as long as she lies in the sand more often.

No. 6: Maria Kirilenko

She's good friends with Maria Sharapova. She's 23 and Russian. She's No. 30 in the world in singles but Top 25 in our hearts in a bikini.

No. 5: Lacy Schnoor

This 25-year-old was a gymnast until she saw a clearer path to the Olympics as a ski aerialist.

She didn't do much in Vancouver. But she can rock a string bikini and some pom pom boots. And judging from the photo, she might have a career in snowmobiling.

No. 4: Ashley Harkleroad

The 25-year-old has never risen above No. 35 in the WTA singles rankings.

But she was the first WTA tennis player to pose nude for Playboy. That makes her No. 1 in our book.

No. 3: Kristi Leskinen

The 29-year-old freestyle skiier was ranked No. 90 in FHM's Top 100 Sexiest Women of 2005.

Really? There's 89 hotter photos than this? We don't think so.

No. 2: Anna Kournikova

Oh, Anna. You will be the Sophia Loren of lists like this. You're ageless on the Internet.

We don't care that you never won. You're a winner in life -- and you always win in the lens.

No. 1: Ana Paula Mancino

This 30-something Brazilian volleyball player just keeps on putting some of the hottest photos ever on the Interwebs.

We don't know much about your volleyball game, but Ana, we need to see more of you in the U.S.

Sorry, guys, no Christie Kerr. She's just not taking sexy photos these days.