London 2012 Olympics: Power Ranking the 10 Most Hyped Athletes

The Olympics are always full of pomp, pageantry and most intriguing, a collection of incredible athletes, many of whom have been hyped for years before the 2012 Olympic Games were ever awarded to London.

With the Summer Olympics taking place just once every four years, the buzz surrounding this monumental event is not just immense—it is absolutely mind-blowing.

In just one month’s time, the best of the best will face off against impressive takers from all over the world. From swimming to track & field, tennis and beyond, these are the 10 most hyped athletes that will compete during the London Games.

Honorable Mention: Shawn Johnson

Number of Google Search Results for "Shawn Johnson, London 2012": About 1,750,000

Number of Google Search Results for "Nastia Liukin, London 2012": About 148,000

Gold Medals, Johnson, Beijing: One + Three Silver (Tied for 35th Most)

Gold Medals, Liukin, Beijing: One + Three Silver + One Bronze (34th Most)

It certainly appears unfair that in a year in which Shawn Johnson has retired, she still garners more London buzz than her teammate Nastia Liukin, who actually does plan to compete in the Olympics.

So begins the U.S. women's 2012 gymnastics aspirations. At least the International Gymnastics Federation has announced simplified tie-break formulas will be used in 2012. Had they been in use in Beijing, Liukin would have gained another gold. 

Worth the Hype? No.

No. 10: Kitajima Kosuke

Number of Google Search Results for "Kosuke Kitajima, London 2012": About 18,500

Gold Medals, Beijing: Two + One Bronze (Tied for 12th Most)

In Beijing, Japanese swimming sensation Kosuke Kitajima duplicated his Athens 2004 success by sweeping the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke while compiling a bronze in the 4x100 individual medley, both times finishing in third to the United States' first place.

Though Kitajima generated more buzz when he first came on the Olympic swimming scene in 2004, he is just as worthy of a candidate to repeat in London.

Kitajima has battled injuries throughout his career, but this is one buzz-worthy veteran.

Worth the Hype? Yes.

No. 9: He Kexin

Number of Google Search Results for "He Kexin, London 2012": About 16,500

Number of Google Search Results for "Chinese Gymnastics, London 2012": About 2,480,000

Gold Medals, Beijing: Two (Tied for 14th Most)

Every Olympics season, artistic gymnastics brings with it allegations of underage participants and in 2008, that charge was directed squarely at China's He Kexin.

Depending on who you ask, He is either a child of 1992 or—allegedly—1994. Regardless of her so-called real age, He will be at least 18 when the gymnastics competition kicks off in London, though the question remaining to be answered is the same one that is seemingly asked every year: Who's next?

With China holding a significant advantage in women's gymastics, let the controversy begin.

Worth the Hype? To be determined

No. 8: Liu Xiang

Number of Google Search Results for "Liu Xiang, London 2012": About 613,000

Gold Medals, Beijing: None (Did not finish due to injury)

It's all about those hurdles for China's comeback athlete of the decade, hurdler Liu Xiang.

At Beijing in 2008, Liu withdrew from the 110-meter hurdles after experiencing a reinflammation in his right Achilles tendon. The injury was devastating for Liu and the host nation, while New York Times columnist Jere Longman wrote, "China's greatest hope had been dashed."

This year, Liu is back and he will try to match his 2004 Athens performance of gold in the 110-meter hurdles. Since returning from injury, Liu has won silver at the 2011 Daegu World Championships and gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Worth the Hype? To be determined.

No. 7: Libby Trickett

Number of Google Search Results for "Libby Trickett, London 2012": About 236,000

Gold Medals, Beijing: Two + One Silver + One Bronze (Sixth Most)

After an exciting Beijing performance in which she took home her second and third golds, Lisbeth "Libby" Trickett announced her retirement at the age of 24. Ten months later, the Australian swimmer withdrew her resignation and began competing again.

Since returning to the pool, Trickett has faced an uphill battle, though she was able to secure two bronze medals in personal-best fashion in the 100- and 4x100-meter freestyle at the 2009 Rome World Championships.

For instance, Trickett's 52.62-second performance in the 100 freestyle is a championship record, while her 51.01 mark at the 2009 Telestra Short Course is a world record in the 25-meter pool.

Nonetheless, the bulk of Trickett's gold and silver success came before her brief retirement, meaning that it will be up to Trickett to prove to the world in London that she is truly back in the game. 

Worth the Hype? To be determined.

No. 6: Stephanie Rice

Number of Google Search Results for "Stephanie Rice, London 2012": About 613,000

Gold Medals, Beijing: Three (Tied for Second Most)

Before qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics, Australian Stephanie Rice announced plans to retire from the Games to launch her own swim school program, termed SunRice, making her upcoming performance in 2012 all the more crucial.

Believe it or not, Rice was named World Swimmer of the Year ahead of Michael Phelps in 2008 after setting the world record in the 400-meter women's individual medley and becoming the first woman to break the 4-minute, 30-second mark in the event.

Back home, Rice was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in Jan. 2009.

Worth the Hype? Yes.

No. 5: Chris Hoy

Number of Google Search Results for "Chris Hoy, London 2012": About 708,000

Gold Medals, Beijing: Three (Tied for Second Most)

When you ride your bicycle to work or around the park, it absolutely pales in comparison to what Great Britain's Sir Chris Hoy does for a living.

After winning a gold at the one-kilometer time trial at Athens 2004, Hoy switched his approach and swept the sprint, team sprint and Keirin events at the 2008 Beijing Games.

If Usain Bolt is king of the track and Michael Phelps is ruler of the pool, Hoy is clearly master of the velodrome. Not only is he the most successful Olympian in Scottish history, he was the first Briton to win three golds in a single Olympics since Henry Taylor accomplished the feat in 1908, cementing his title as the most successful Olympic men's cyclist of all time. 

Worth the Hype? Yes and then some. We're looking at an all-time great.

No. 4: Tyson Gay

Number of Google Search Results for "Tyson Gay, London 2012": About 2,750,000

Gold Medals, Beijing: None

Prior to his Olympic debut, American sprinter Tyson Gay was on fire. With two golds from the 2006 Athens World Cup and three more from the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Gay looked poised for success during the upcoming 2008 Olympics with the former Arizona Razorback set for a much-hyped showdown with Jamaican sensation Usain Bolt.

Unfortunately, Gay crossed the finish line in 10.05 seconds during the 100-meter semifinals—after running a then-U.S. record-setting 9.77 during the preliminaries—and was eliminated from the competition; in the 4x100 relay, Gay's U.S. team was disqualified due to a poor baton exchange that did not even involve Gay. Citing a hamstring injury, Gay withrew from the 200 and elected to undergo surgery on his hip in July of 2011.

Since returning, Gay has impressed, running a 10.00 into a headwind—or 9.90 without wind—during the Adidas Gand Prix. Gay's return to the 2012 Olympics is certainly buzzworthy, as London will be Gay's first major competition since the 2011 surgery. 

Worth the Hype? To be determined.

No. 3: Zou Kai

Number of Google Search Results for "Zou Kai, London 2012": About 52,300—in English

Gold Medals, Beijing: Three (Tied for Second Most)

Born on Feb. 25, 1988, there is no question that Chinese gymnast Zou Kai is old enough to compete and after winning the team, floor and high bar golds at 2008 Beijing, there is no question that Zou can compete.

The second Chinese athlete to have ever received three gold medals at a single Olympic Games, Zou is a gymnastic phenomenon that simply has not gotten much hype in the Western world.

Meanwhile in China, there is hardly a shortage of Zou material. For instance, his 2012 Doha FIG Challenge Cup victory on bars can be seen here while his gold medal winning performance at the 2011 World Cup can be seen here. 

Worth the Hype? Yes.

No. 2: Michael Phelps

Number of Google Search Results for "Michael Phelps, London 2012": About 2,260,000

Gold Medals, Beijing: Eight (The Most)

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps has guaranteed that 2012 will be his last Olympic Games, sending America into a frenzy and generating hype from the States to Great Britain and beyond.

With Phelps set to add to his 14 Olympic golds—a swimming record in of itself—there is no question that the veteran American swimmer is hype-worthy.

Phelps could compile a nearly-unheard of 18 medals by the time the London Olympics are though. As if to show us that he is, after all, still a human, Phelps managed just bronze in the 200- and 4x100-meter freestyle at the 2004 Athens games, though he did win six other medals that Olympics, all of them gold. 

Worth the Hype? Yes and then some.

No. 1: Usain Bolt

Number of Google Search Results for "Usain Bolt, London 2012": About 3,580,000

Gold Medals, Beijing: Three (Tied for Second Most)

While Michael Phelps remains the darling of the swimming world, no human being on earth is quite as fast on land as Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

With Getty Images director of Olympic programs Janey Marks predicting record television viewership for the London Games, in great part due to the Phelps-Bolt duo, it bears noting that Bolt holds world records in the 100- and 200-meters.

With Bolt in London, the only question is, which world record he will shatter first?

Worth the Hype? Yes and then some. Need more proof? Watch this.