Olympic Fan Favorites with the Toughest Climb to a Medal
There's no bigger stage than the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and no better way for athletes to gain global acclaim.
Each athlete qualifying for his or her respective events enters Rio with plenty of renown as is, some more than others. But fame doesn't equate to hardware attained for a country by any means, as not everyone can casually jump in a pool the way Michael Phelps does or captain a team and score at will the way Carmelo Anthony can.
In fact, odds are fan favorites might not medal at all. According to Danyel Reiche of the Washington Post, 1960 was the last time the majority of participating countries won a medal. In London four years ago, only 41.5 percent secured a medal.
Such is the nature of the beast when the biggest international sporting event the globe has to offer gathers the best of the best in each sport. Fan favorites are bound to fall into the medal-less abyss, or at least scrape and claw for every centimeter of breathing room on the way to the podium.
Within, let's shine a spotlight on some of the biggest fan favorites from around the globe in various disciplines who have rough climbs to the podium, whether it's because of a stacked field in their respective sport or various other factors.
Laurie Hernandez
1 of 10Laurie Hernandez, with a nickname like "Baby Shakira," isn't far from being one of the most popular names in the world.
Just 16 years old, Hernandez is the youngest member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team and also the first Puerto Rican gymnast to rep the United States at the Olympics.
More than anything, Hernandez has gained universal acclaim for her electrifying performances. A good example rests in the video above, where Hernandez gets to flaunt her personality, energy and athleticism to must-see results.
Winning a medal, though, might prove quite difficult. She's on the same team as Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman. Depending on what she competes in when it comes to solo events, international sensations such as Fan Yilin, Hong Un-jong and a host of others also stand in the way of some individual hardware.
Alas, the globe is about to get a front-row seat to Hernandez, medal or not. If there isn't a medal for the 16-year-old sensation right now thanks to a stacked scene, there certainly will be in the years to come.
Maya DiRado
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Swimmer Maya DiRado is similar to Hernandez—ridiculously popular in her scene and sure to garner plenty of attention but looking at an uphill battle on the international level this summer.
DiRado is a versatile workhorse who excels in freestyle, butterfly and individual medley. She won the silver medal at the 2015 world championships in the 400-meter individual medley and has since positioned herself as the sport's next big thing.
Though the top seed for Team USA in the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys and 200-meter backstroke, DiRado might have problems in international waters. Those medleys usually belong to Hungary's Katinka Hosszu and the versatile Emily Seebohm out of Australia.
The Stanford product will have plenty of cameras on her in these events for good reason, though she's not a dominant force such as teammate Katie Ledecky just yet.
DiRado will find herself in thick competition for a medal in all three events, but it's another stacked field where a fan favorite isn't a sure winner.
Kadeisha Buchanan
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Kadeisha Buchanan is a growing legend in the world of women's soccer.
Not a bad description for the 20-year-old Canadian, right? After a debut for the Canada National team in 2013 at the age of 17, Buchanan has already guided Canada to one victory in Rio after a 2-0 decision against Australia.
Buchanan's legend is growing so fast, in fact, that she stole the Canadian female player of the year award from teammate Christine Sinclair in 2015, breaking an 11-year streak for Sinclair.
Speaking of Sinclair, Canadian coach John Herdman calls Buchanan the “Christine Sinclair of defense,” according to the Brampton Guardian.
Globally known for lockdown defense, even the efforts put forth by Buchanan might not be enough in Rio. The United States stands tall as the dominant team, with a host of others putting up ridiculously strong squads this year, ranging from Germany to Brazil to France and even Sweden.
Buchanan will get hers in time, but for now she might just have to settle for another major boost in popularity given her play style garnering respect from all corners of the globe.
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Carlin Isles
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Carlin Isles is one of the faces of United States rugby, and his unique story has him globally known while helping the country commit to a resurgence in the sport.
Isles is the guy who missed out on the London Olympics in 2012 as a sprinter, then decided to switch it up after he fell in love with rugby.
Said love led to strong performances, which led to his landing in Rio. Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg captured part of Isles' journey:
"Isles had never seen rugby before, much less played it, yet he instantly recognized that sevens fit his football and track and field background. Sevens is a more wide-open, fast-paced variation of traditional rugby featuring seven players on both sides instead of the customary 15, making it an ideal platform for a 5-foot-8 dynamo with sprinter’s speed and a kick returner’s knack for eluding tacklers in open space.
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Given his elite speed and ability in open spaces, Isles looks set to show off as one of the most electric participants in any sport this year.
The only problem here is that Isles will have a hard time securing some individual hardware. The United States won a gold medal the last time the sport was played at the Olympics—but that was in 1924.
Rugby is back and Isles has the talent to thrive, but the United States remains behind the traditional global powers in the sport. If Isles has his way, not for long.
Rickie Fowler
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Speaking of sports making a return to the Olympics scene, golf is back, and some of the globe's biggest names will have a hard time securing a medal given the depth of the field.
Rickie Fowler seems like the most popular American name who could get left hanging without an award when the dust settles on Rio.
Not to say Fowler can't get hot and grab a gold medal, but he's dealing with a congested crowd boasting Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar, Masters champion Danny Willett and many more.
It doesn't help that Fowler sits in quite the quagmire of a season. He didn't make the cut at the year's first two majors, finished tied for 46th at The Open Championship and tied for 33rd at the PGA Championship.
Fowler has lucked out a bit with the field not featuring Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy or Jason Day, but his recent performances and the depth of the field make it hard to see one of the sport's most popular names winning a medal.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
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Somewhat diluted field or not, it's going to be tough for French sensation Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win some hardware in Rio.
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka might not want to take part in the Olympics this year, but Tsonga's path isn't wildly easier after still getting seeded fifth.
The men in front of him? Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori.
As far as Olympics go, Tsonga secured a silver medal in London in 2012 while teaming with Michael Llodra, taking down Bob and Mike Bryan.
A strong accomplishment, but this is about individual medals. Djokovic holds a career 15-6 advantage against Tsonga. Murray, 13-2. Nadal, 8-4. Nishikori, 5-2.
One of France's premier Olympians and a global name, Tsonga is the guy who rose to fame at the 2008 Australian Open by beating Nadal, a No. 2 seed, while unseeded. So this isn't to suggest Tsonga doesn't stand a chance, but he has a steep climb ahead of him.
Manu Ginobili
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A global basketball name was bound to be a casualty of Team USA here.
The question was who. Given the layout of the field, it's going to take a borderline miracle for Argentina and Manu Ginobili to medal in Rio.
Ginobil, now 39 years old, leads a team headlined by himself and, well, Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino.
Yikes. Ginobili is a wizard on the court. He's won four NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs. He's been the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He's won the Euroleague Finals MVP and the Italian League MVP twice.
But asking him to combat the United States (Carmelo Anthony, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George), Spain (Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Ricky Rubio) and France (Tony Parker, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum) is simply too much given the talent around him.
Miracles happen, but it doesn't look like Ginobili will be winning a gold medal like he did back in 2004 in Athens.
Oribe Peralta
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The hosts seem like the surefire football winners this year, provided Brazil wants to avenge the embarrassment that was the exit from the 2014 World Cup.
That makes the job for Mexico's Oribe Peralta quite difficult. The Club America footballer helped Mexico win gold in London back in 2012 while scoring two goals against Brazil, the first Olympic gold for the country in the sport.
It was quite the memorable run, but the field looks much more difficult this time. Not only does Brazil look deadly, Germany and Argentina boast silly amounts of youthful talent looking to seize stardom on the global stage and Portugal isn't so far behind the top three.
In Mexico's opening game of group play against Germany, Peralta was at it again, scoring one of his team's two goals in an eventual 2-2 draw.
Alas, Mexico has a long way to go to climb out of Group C, let alone challenge for a medal. He's capable of leading another miracle, but the ladder stretches up and out of sight.
David Lee
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David Lee is one of the most recognizable faces on the planet in the world of men's volleyball.
A gold medalist for Team USA in 2008 in Beijing, Lee plays for the Greek team P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki and faces a huge uphill battle in Rio.
Other than being a monster at 6'8" who takes amazing Olympic pictures, Lee finds himself tasked with getting the United States through a crowded field headlined by Brazil, France, Italy and Russia.
To be fair, Team USA won the 2015 World Cup in Japan, but Italy and Poland were right behind. Other than Lee leading the team to a gold medal in 2008, Team USA hadn't secured one since 1992.
With so many teams reaching the apex of abilities at once, Lee will need to take over games, perhaps at times on his lonesome. He's one of the most notable faces of the sport for a reason, but the rest of the globe has something to say about his hunt for a second gold medal.
Vashti Cunningham
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High-jumper Vashti Cunningham has a built-in fanbase thanks to her father as they head to Rio.
For those who don't recognize the name, Vashti's father is former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, a four-time Pro Bowler who threw for 29,979 yards and 207 touchdowns and rushed for another 4,928 yards and 35 touchdowns over 16 seasons.
Vashti, of course, has already started to carve out a niche for herself, having won the world indoor high-jump gold medal this year at the age of 18.
Rio, like it is for many others, is a different animal, something she realizes.
“Me and my dad are similar athletes,” Vashti said, according to Jere Longman of the New York Times. “I want to win everything I do. I’ll be thankful if I go and don’t win, but there’s always that fire in me that needs to win and wants to win.”
With mainstays such as Chaunte Lowe, Ruth Beitia, Blanka Vlasic and many others ready to leap the bar, Cunningham has a tall task ahead. Should she leap over it, her legend will grow tenfold in the eyes of the global sporting community.
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