The Most Fascinating Olympians off the Field

It takes a special brand of athlete to make an Olympic team and compete for a medal. 

Nearly all the individual sports require hours and hours of practice, and most of that time is spent working on their particular discipline by themselves.

As much time as pursuing a position on an Olympic team takes, many of the participants have had jobs and off-the-field responsibilities.

In this piece, we look at five Olympic participants—some of them famous, some of them not—and shed some light on what they do when they are not competing in their chosen sports.

Meghan O'Leary, Rowing

Andre Penner/Associated Press

American rower Meghan O'Leary is a high level competitor who finished sixth in the double sculls event in the Rio Olympics.

While O'Leary did not make it to the medal stand, she does have a history of success in rowing. She won the double sculls at the 2015 National Selection Regatta 1 and also took the championships in the double sculls at the 2014 National Selection Regatta 2.

She has also had success on the international level. O'Leary finished second in the 2015 version of the World Rowing Cup II.

O'Leary always has her mind on sports, even when she's not rowing. She worked in production and programming during a five-year career at ESPN.

“I guess it’s pretty ironic in a way. I’m an athlete at heart, and I think that’s what made me good at my job in helping shape and tell the athlete’s story,” O’Leary told Molly Mita of ESPN. "To have such a unique opportunity to step on the other side of the camera has been a lot of fun.”

Kerron Clement, Hurdler

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Kerron Clement won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 47.73 seconds.

Clement knows success at the Olympic level, having competed in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. He won a gold medal competing on the winning 4 x 400-meter relay team in 2008 for Team USA, and he also earned a silver in the 400-meter hurdles.

When he is away from the track, Clement works as a model and an actor. Among his credits are his work in Beyonce's 2011 video "Run The World (Girls)."

Michelle Carter, Shot Put

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Michelle Carter is a big winner at the Rio Olympics, having given the United States a gold medal in the shot put.

She won the event in dramatic fashion, as she came through with a throw of 20.63 meters on her final attempt. That put her on top, as she beat New Zealand's Valerie Adams, who threw 20.42 meters.

Carter had an unusual look when she stepped into the circle and took her position to toss the shot. Her hair was done, her finger nails were painted and her makeup was done to perfection. That's part of the reason she is known as the "Shot Diva."

But while she knows how to make herself look her best, she's also quite good at doing it for others. Carter is a professional hair and makeup artist.

She owns her own business, and it is called "Shot Diva."

“It combines two things that are part of me, the shot put and being a diva. I love all these things: make up, hair, fashion, and just embracing my femininity, and I put it together,” Carter told Drazen Jorgic of Reuters (h/t Huffington Post).

Michelle Jenneke, Hurdler

Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press

Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke became an internet sensation in 2012 when her pre-race dance routine was captured on YouTube.

Jenneke's rhythmic warmup was completely captivating, as she was filled with enthusiasm and joy before competing in the hurdles.

She has progressed in her sport and competed in the event in Rio de Janeiro.

After her joyous routine made her famous, she has also been featured in magazine photo spreads. However, Jenneke is more than a dancing hurdler. When she is not competing in her event, she is a model and a student.

She is not preparing for a career in athletics or getting in front of the camera. She is studying mechatronic engineering, a discipline that involves electrical and systems engineering.

“I’ve only been doing three subjects a semester instead of four, so that makes it quite a bit easier because I just don’t think I’d be able to manage four with the work load and training load," Jenneke told Carly Adno of The Sunday Telegraph.

Gwen Jorgensen, Triathlete

Felipe Dana/Associated Press

Gwen Jorgensen is a triathlete, and when she competes Saturday, she has legitimate hope for a spot at the top of the podium.

The 30-year-old from Waukesha, Wisconsin, has been a consistent winner in her event, and takes a streak of 11 consecutive wins with her into Rio, according to Brandon Penny of TeamUSA.org.

While competing and preparing for the triathlon obviously takes much of her time, Seth Rubinroit of NBC Sports wrote that Jorgensen put in as many as 65 hours a week as an accountant for Ernst and Young.

She is no longer active in that pursuit, but she has shown that she is a professional off the track as well as one of the world's most accomplished athletes on it.