London Olympics 2012: 5 Unknown Athletes Ready to Take Olympics by Storm

Every time the Olympics roll around, there are always competitors people have never heard of.  Whether it's because they are new to a popular sport, or from a sport that isn't followed as much, several athletes this year are ready to make their names stand out, and take the Olympics by storm.

Some athletes on this list are already experienced, but come from smaller sports.  Others have to make a name for themselves as they go up against big competition in popular Olympic events.

Can these competitors transcend the term athlete and truly take the Olympics by storm, leaving not only their mark in history, but their leaving their names to be remembered in millions of households around the world?

We will have to wait and see if by the end of the Olympics these athletes were able to succeed or not.

Here are five unknown names that are ready to take the Olympics by storm and make themselves and their sport known around the world.

Daryl Homer

Event: Fencing

Country: USA

Age: 22

Daryl Homer is the youngest fencer on the U.S. men's sabre team.  At age 22, he is also ranked No. 1 in the country and 12th in the world.  Fencing, like several of the other sports mentioned in this slideshow, is not as popular as other sports at the Olympics.  Still, at the age of 22 if Homer can dominate his event, look to hear a lot more about fencing and this young Olympian.

Homer found fencing when reading a dictionary at the age of five for fun.  He saw a picture of a fencer, and made up his mind to try the sport out.

He would end up at the Peter Westbrook Foundation in the Bronx, a program that introduces city youth to fencing.  He would also meet his coach there, Yury Gelman, who is a three-time Olympic coach for the U.S.

Now as we head further into the Olympics, look for Homer to simply not settle on just making the team, but to try and go for the gold as well.

Conor Dwyer

Event: Swimming

Country: USA

Age: 23

Unless your name is Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte, you're pretty much an unknown when it comes to the Olympic sport of swimming.

Conor Dwyer is set to make his Olympic debut on Saturday in the 400-meter freestyle relay.  Unlike other athletes though, Dwyer had a late start to his Olympic career.  He stopped swimming when he was in middle school, and picked up the sport again as a junior in high school.

Dwyer had been a good swimmer while he was at Iowa State, but it would take a change in coaching to get him to the level he is at now.

Traveling down to Gainesville, FL, Dwyer would begin being coached by Gregg Troy, who accepted Dwyer into his swimming club program. 

Dwyer's time in Florida would see him win the 200- and 500-yard freestyles at the NCAA championships.  He would be transformed from a good swimmer into a world-class swimmer.

Some of Dwyer's training mates have been Peter Vanderkaay and Lochte.  Clearly Dwyer knows what he's up against as he prepares to head into the Olympics.

In a sport dominated by Phelps and Lochte, don't be surprised to see Dwyer added to that list.

Josefa Idem

Event: Kayaking

Country: Italy

Age: 47

Josefa Idem is entering the summer Olympics and will be the first women to have competed in eight Olympics.  Since the beginning of her career, she has won 38 medals in European, World and Olympic competitions.

It's not just about winning medals for Idem though.  At 47 years old, Idem is out to prove that no matter the age you can still compete, even against the much younger athletes.  Idem's message is one that many women today can reflect on.

In a society dominated by appearance, Idem is out to prove that age is simply a number.  Of course she goes through rigorous training to keep her body in shape, but to even qualify for the Olympics at 47 is a feat unto itself.

While Idem may have dominated the sport, kayaking itself is relatively low in popularity at the Olympics.  It's easy to see how such a dominate athlete in a sport that isn't as popular as others could go over looked.

Now that she is out to prove age means nothing though, her message is one that connects on multiple levels regardless of the sport.

While her competition might be a lot younger, Idem is ready to take the Olympics by storm at 47, and prove its more about training and mentality than it is about age.

Rohullah Nikpah

Event: Taekwondo

Country: Afghanistan

Age: 25

Rohullah Nikpah might not be as unknown as some of the other competitors on this list.  He did manage to place third in his respective sport at the Beijing Olympics.  Still, when it comes to taekwondo not many people follow it during the Olympics.

Nikpah however, could change all of that and much, much more.  Back in 2008 when he won the bronze for taekwondo, it was the first Olympic medal that Afghanistan would see.  He would become a national hero.

Even with that though, Nikpah is still a relatively unknown name.  He grew up in a refugee camp in Iran, and at the age of 10 would go with his brother to a gym for a taekwondo sparring session where he would find a love for the sport.

Nikpah has moved up two weight classes since Beijing in 2008 and is currently ranked 13th by the World Taekwondo Federation.

While a third place finish was impressive, Nikpah now has his sights set on the gold.  He was quoted by Angela Shah over at NYTimes.com as saying:

“It’s the support of the people who give me energy and I hope to make them happy.”

Nikpah taking the gold would bring much more attention to himself and the sport of taekwondo.  Can he take the Olympics by storm now that he has moved up two weight classes?  We will have to wait to find out.

Kieran Behan

Event: Gymnastics

Country: Ireland

Age: 23

Kieran Behan has wanted to be a gymnast since he was six years old.  He's had a much harder time though, achieving his dream.

Behan would suffer a series of injuries, two so severe that doctors believed he would never walk again.  One was a botched leg operation that would cause Behan nerve damage and the other was a brain injury that would prevent Behan from doing daily actions like sitting and eating.

Behan was quoted over at the NYTimes.com by Juliet Macur as saying:

"

Doctors told me, stop thinking about your crazy dreams because you’ll never walk again and you must accept that it’s over for you. But I just kept saying: ‘No, no, no — this is not the rest of my life. This is not how it’s going to play out.’ And look at me now, an Olympian. They said it was impossible, but I did it.

"

He would qualify second to last, and be the first Irish gymnast to qualify based off his talent alone.  Behan benefited from a new Olympic rule that would make more spots available to athletes whose countries don't field a full team.

Kieran's story is an amazing one, and regardless of how far he makes it in the Olympics, his perseverance will be enough to make this unknown gymnast stands out.