The Coolest Summer Olympians Ever

With the 2012 Summer Olympics scheduled to begin in London on July 27, there is yet another opportunity for the world's top athletes to shine on the big stage. But which ones were the absolute coolest of all time?

To answer that question, we need to separate pure greatness from the so-called "coolness" factor. Being "cool," in this sense, refers to athletes that were not only very good, but also had a certain style and flash. These were men and women we would all wish to emulate, both on and off the sporting field.

Being "cool" may be subjective, but I think you will agree that the athletes presented herein were not only very good at their sporting events, but they had that something extra.

It would be very cool of you to check out this slideshow.

15. Ricky McCormick, Water Skiing, USA

Water skiing was a demonstration sport at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and McCormick was one of the biggest stars of all time. The sport has not officially been part of the Olympics ever since.

But McCormick was cool, alright. The 1972 water skiing competition included a total of six events for both men and women—slalom, figure skiing and ski jump—with over 35 athletes from 20 countries participating, and the American took first in the men’s jump and figure skiing events.

He became renowned as a performer and innovator in trick skiing. He skied in 23 consecutive national titles, beginning in 1960, and he won a total of 25 national titles, including one in mixed doubles.

McCormick retired from open competition in 1982, and the Hall of Fame Selection Committee honored him in his first year of eligibility.

14. Sugar Ray Leonard, Boxing, USA

Sugar Ray Leonard was a star before he even won his gold medal. He was a member of the gold-winning 1976 Olympic team for the U.S. 

Leonard might be remembered for a flashy smile and his showmanship (the taunting of Duran, leading to "No Mas," the baiting of Hagler, choosing "Sugar" for his nickname after the best fighter of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson), but the man was a great fighter. 

His hands were extremely quick, and his flash and style made him one very cool Olympian.

13. Oscar De La Hoya, Boxing, USA

A gold medal in Olympic boxing used to have a lot more prestige, and it often involved a certain ticket to celebrity status. That is no longer true, however.

But for boxers like De La Hoya, who won gold at the 1992 Olympics, it's where he got his nickname, "The Golden Boy." He became a crossover star, as his professional career made him one of boxing's biggest names.

12. Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Track and Field, USA

She had the look and style that went beyond her sport. Yes, she was very successful as an athlete, but her notoriety away from track and field made her a household name.

The television exposure from endorsement deals allowed Joyner-Kersee to bring women's track and field to a new level. She had a record three golds, one silver and two bronzes in the Olympics.

Beginning her Olympic career in 1984, Joyner-Kersee took silver in the heptathlon. In 1988, she won double gold in the heptathlon and long jump. In 1992, she won gold again the heptathlon and bronze in the long jump, finishing out her Olympic career in 1996 with a bronze in the long jump.

Her 1988 heptathlon gold set a world record with 7,291 points, a record that still stands today.

And she was cool. Young athletes, including African-American women, admired her and wanted to be just like her.

11. Aladar Gerevich: Fencing, Hungary

Admit it, fencing is cool. We all have that mental picture in our minds of that swashbuckling macho man who not only stabs his opponent in the heart but also swoops up the beautiful girl at the same time.

Well, Gerevich may not have accomplished all that, but CNN proclaimed him as the greatest swordsman ever. He captured gold for six consecutive Olympics, despite the games not being played in 1940 and 1944 due to the war.

Prior to the 1960 Olympics, Gerevich was told he was too old by the Hungarian Olympic Committee. He responded by challenging all of the members of the sabre team, defeating each one of them.

That is pretty darn cool, my friends.

10. David Herman, BMX Racing, USA

There is no doubt that BMX racing is very cool.

Having debuted at Beijing 2008, BMX is the newest Summer Olympic Games discipline (not including women’s boxing, which is considered a new event).

Races are fast and furious affairs, featuring all manner of jumps, bumps and tight, banked corners as competitors endeavour to make the finishing line without crashing.

To compete for the podium, BMXers will have to exhibit not only speed and technical skill, but also vast reserves of courage.

Meanwhile, Herman, a 24-year-old from Colorado, ranks as America's top BMX racer. The "Hermanator" is considered small for the sport, but has great skills out of the gate and is very strong for his size.

 

9. Nadia Comaneci: Gymnastics, Romania

Hey, what's more cool than scoring a perfect 10 in the Olympics?

In her Olympic career, Comaneci won five golds, three silvers and one bronze. When I was a teenager, she was easily the most famous of the non-American Olympic athletes for being the first to achieve perfection.

It was in the 1976 Olympics, during the team competition for Romania on the uneven bars, Comaneci scored her perfect 10. After that, all kids, especially gymnasts, wanted to be just like her. You could say she was the Michael Jordan of gymnastics.

At those Olympics, she won gold in the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam, while winning silver in the team competition and bronze on the floor exercise.

8. Andre Agassi, Tennis, USA

Agassi is the son of an Olympic boxer, and he began playing tennis at the age of three, with a racket taped to his hand. He was just 16 when he turned professional.

Agassi represented the United States at the 1996 Atlanta Games and beat Sergi Bruguera of Spain for the gold, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.

But his coolness lies in the different looks he has flashed over the years and the public spotlight he endured as the result of his many endorsements.

He has a cool wife, also. In 2001 he married Steffi Graf, who also has an Olympic tennis gold medal, won in the women’s singles at the 1988 Seoul Games.

7. Usain Bolt, Track and Field, Jamaica

Usain Bolt was the track and field star of the 2008 Beijing Games. Added to his remarkable sprinting was a smile that won over the rest of the world. In fact, while you could see how tense the other sprinters were, Bolt was visibly as cool as a cucumber even before the races.

In the 100-meter dash, Bolt was so relaxed he was smiling at the camera and you could see the excitement and joy in his face. This display of confidence made him stand out even before the race had begun.

At one point, he was so far ahead, he even waved to the crowd and still managed to break the world record.

That is cool.

6. Kerri Walsh and Misty May, Beach Volleyball, USA

The two cannot be separated in the hearts and minds of Olympic viewers in the U.S. For one thing, beach volleyball is pretty damn cool. It is something many are familiar with playing, yet few can call themselves Olympic champions.

And for the male viewer, one has to admit that watching women in bathing suits who are in terrific shape is pretty cool itself.

Kerri Lee Walsh-Jennings and teammate Misty May-Treanor were the gold medalists in beach volleyball at both the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. They have been called the greatest beach volleyball team of all time.

As a result of their Olympic success, Walsh-Jennings has had roles on several TV shows, including CSI: Miami.

5. Cassius Clay, Boxing, USA

Muhammad Ali was named Cassius Clay back in 1960 when he won gold boxing for the United States. But he was already a brash, excitable young man who made friends and rocked the boxing world.

Of course, since then, Ali went on to become not only one of the greatest boxers of all time, but an American icon who transcended the sporting world.

He is now perhaps the single most recognizable face on the planet. But back in 1960, he represented his country well and introduced a whole new fanbase to the sport of boxing.

Anyone who can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee has to be considered very cool, don't you agree?

4. Carl Lewis: Track and Field, USA

Carl Lewis is the greatest track and field athlete in Olympic history, being a mainstay from 1984 to 1996.

In 1984, he won gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump and 400-meter relay, and in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, he took gold in the 100 meters and long jump, while taking a silver in the 200 meters.

At the 1992 Olympics, he won gold in the 400-meter relay and long jump. He ended his Olympic career in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, earning a gold in the long jump.

Never before has an athlete dominated for so long in so many events in Olympic track and field and done it with such style and grace.

3. Jesse Owens: Track and Field, USA

It was very cool how Owens, a black runner for the USA, stared Der Fuhrer in the eye and beat the odds and the Germans, thus sticking a dagger into the theory of the Aryans being the master race, at the Berlin Games in 1936.

Owens took gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump and 400-meter relay. He was under intense pressure, as a black athlete and in Adolf Hitler's house, but he performed admirably.

Beating Hitler? Now, that is cool.  

2. Mark Spitz, Swimming, USA

Let's face it, success is cool. But even the kind of astonishing success that swimmer Mark Spitz had in the 1972 Olympics isn't enough. He had something more that define coolness.

Hey, maybe it was that 'stache—after all, we all know the power of a good mustache. Just ask Da Coach, Mike Ditka, my friend.

Mark Spitz held the record for most gold medals in a single Olympics, winning seven. That record stood until Michael Phelps broke it in the 2008 Olympics. But Phelps simply lacked the coolness of Spitz.

His victories came in the 100- and 200-meter butterfly, 100- and 200-meter free, 400- and 800-meter freestyle relays and the 400-meter medley relay.

When it came to being the first high-endurance athlete at a single Olympics, Spitz was that guy. And he was very cool.

1. The Dream Team, Basketball, USA

They were like rock stars. America's "Dream Team" of NBA stars, with the guys who saved the league—Larry Bird and Magic Johnson—passing the torch to Michael Jordan.

Yep, the 1992 men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the "Dream Team," was the first American Olympic team to feature active NBA players. Many consider this the greatest collection of talent ever assembled in any sport.

Talk about cool—this team wiped out its opponents by an average of 44 points in winning the gold medal.

In addition to Bird, Johnson and Jordan, the team featured other future Hall of Famers such as Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton and Karl Malone.

Fans gathered outside the team's hotel, forcing Head Coach Chuck Daly to remark that "It was like Elvis and the Beatles put together." (Alex Sachare. When Seconds Count) 

As the years have gone on, their impact has only grown. The effect they had on the international popularity of basketball was immeasurable. That they continue to capture our imagination to this day makes them No. 1 on this list.

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