Meet 6 Viral Olympians from the Paris Summer Games
From “Pommel Horse Guy” to a shooter with “main character energy,” the Olympics have produced plenty of meme-worthy figures and moments.
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From gymnast Simone Biles sharing her team’s “Golden Girls” nickname to Katie Ledecky cheering on U.S. swimmers with a cowbell in hand, the biggest stars at the Paris Games have expectedly made headlines even away from competition. But thanks to the power of the internet and NBC’s extensive television coverage, a handful of other athletes have unexpectedly joined them as overnight sensations.
From a pole vaulter whose anatomy thwarted victory to a swim team that channeled Michael Jackson, here are six Olympians who have seen their popularity skyrocket for reasons both unique and breathtaking.
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Anthony Ammirati
COUNTRY: France
SPORT: Pole vault
French track and field athlete Anthony Ammirati didn’t qualify for the pole vault finals, but it was how he missed out that had everyone talking.
On his third semifinal attempt at 5.7 meters, the 21-year-old tried to twist his way over the bar but knocked it over after his, well, “bulge” got in the way.
“I’m a bit gutted because I didn’t miss anything on the third attempt,” Ammirati said, according to the New York Post. “What I did miss was a bit of jumping in training to fine-tune the settings.”
Stephen Nedoroscik
COUNTRY: United States
SPORT: Men’s gymnastics
Stephen Nedoroscik, 25, earned the to-the-point nickname “pommel horse guy” for his routines on the apparatus. His performances won him an individual bronze and helped the U.S. men’s team win its first medal in 16 years. Even more impressive is his unusual training method of solving a Rubik’s cube, which he can do in under 10 seconds.
Nedoroscik might be in the spotlight now, but he’s been a pommel horse ace for years. He won NCAA championships in the discipline in 2017 and 2018 at Penn State University and is the four-time defending U.S. champion.
Ilona Maher
COUNTRY: United States
SPORT: Women’s rugby sevens
Rugby star Ilona Maher was already famous before the Paris Games with more than 628,000 followers on Instagram and more than 1.6 million on TikTok. That total has risen to a combined 5.5 million after she helped the U.S. team win a surprise bronze medal.
Maher, 27, is known for promoting her sport, similar to American football, and sharing inspirational messages about body positivity to her sizable following. “We are doing our makeup before games, wearing makeup, wanting to feel pretty out there,” she said. “But that doesn’t take away from how amazing we tackle and hit and run. You can be those things, and the stereotypes around women’s sports just should be thrown out the window now.”
Gabriel Medina
COUNTRY: Brazil
SPORT: Surfing
Brazilian Gabriel Medina gave the surfing equivalent of a mic drop during the third day of competition in Tahiti. During the day’s fifth heat, 30-year-old Medina rode a wave to a near-perfect 9.90 score—an Olympic record.
Exiting the water after a long barrel ride, he raised his right index finger skyward with his surfboard parallel behind him in midair. Photographer Jerome Brouillet captured the moment at just the right angle for one of the Games’ most iconic snapshots.
One of the favorites to win the competition, Medina eventually earned bronze. But the picture was at least gold-medal worthy.
Kim Ye-Ji
COUNTRY: South Korea
SPORT: Shooting
No, Kim Ye-Ji isn’t wearing some kind of medical contraption; those are the specialized shooting glasses she used to win a silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event. The glasses weren’t Kim’s only equipment during competition. The 27-year-old also carried a stuffed elephant belonging to her daughter.
Kim’s cool, calm demeanor similarly impressed viewers, and her “main character energy” even drew comparisons to that of Keanu Reeves in his famous role as hitman John Wick.
The U.S. Artistic Swimming Team
Any overconfident partygoer knows the moonwalk—the iconic dance made famous by pop star Michael Jackson—is hard enough to do on solid ground. But upside down in the water?
Leave it to the women of the U.S. artistic swimming team, who wowed viewers on Tuesday with their synchronized performance to MJ’s hit “Smooth Criminal.” The group earned the fourth-best score of the technical round at 282.756 points, landing well within medal contention.
Russia has won every gold medal in the event since 2000 but isn’t competing this year, leaving the door open to Team USA.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
