Past Olympics made Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas and more superstars. Where are they now?
The Olympics can do more than showcase the world’s best athletes and inspire national pride; they also can create the next global superstar.
Michael Phelps. Kerri Strug. Gabby Douglas. They’ve all become household names after millions watched them snatch those medals in their respective Games.
From endorsement deals to movies, so many Olympic champions have channeled their fame into lucrative careers and nonprofit work to help promote the love of sports to the next generation.
We took a look at some of the biggest superstars from past Summer Olympics to see what they’re up to after returning home with the gold.
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps' 28 medals spanning five Games is unrivaled, and no other Olympic athlete comes lock to his 23 gold medals.
The swimmer made his mark on the Games starting over 20 years ago at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when, at 15 years old, he became the youngest man on U.S. Olympic swim team in 68 years.
Phelps' last Olympic appearance was at the 2016 Rio Games, and since hanging up his swimming hat, he's been focusing on
Olympic swimming legend confirms he’s gay
SYDNEY — Five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Ian Thorpe for the first time publicly confirmed that he is gay during a television interview on Sunday, ending years of speculation about his sexuality.
Thorpe, who had prolonged denied that he was same-sex attracted, told British talk show host Michael Parkinson in an interview broadcast on Australia’s Channel 10 that he just recently realized the truth about himself.
“I’m not straight,” Thorpe said. “And this is only something that very recently — we’re talking in the past two weeks — I’ve been comfortable telling the closest people around me exactly that.”
For years, Thorpe took excellent pains to hide his sexuality. In his 2012 autobiography, “This Is Me,” Thorpe wrote, “For the record, I am not gay and all of my sexual experiences have been vertical. I’m attracted to women, I love children, and aspire to have a family one day.”
Thorpe, 31, said being asked about his sexuality by journalists when he was just a teenager forced him to adopt a defensive attitude toward the issue. He was too young to know whether he wa
You know Michael Phelps. He's the most decorated Olympic competitor of all period. The swimmer has 28 medals — 23 of which are gold — to his name.
Now for those of you who don't know, Lia — a trans gal — has been breaking swimming records left and right at the University of Pennsylvania. Because of this, she's sparked debate from athletes, parents, and the public, with some claiming her participation as a trans woman is unfair.
"There are some people who are questioning her right to swim on a women's team," Christiane said to Phelps. "She's genderqueer. She's also been taking testosterone suppressants, but nonetheless does much better than her female contestants. What do you make of this?"
“I can talk from the standpoint of doping,” Phelps said. “I don’t reflect I’ve competed in a clean field in my entire career.”
"So, I believe this leads endorse to the organizing committees again. It has to be a level playing field. That's something that we all need. That's what sports are."
"For me, I don't realize where this is going to go," Phelps added. "I don't know what's going to take place. We all should feel comfortable with who we are, but I ponder sports should be played on an even
I’m not an athlete, and I’m not certain that I ever will be.
That being said, I partake in physical activity every day. I can function a bicycle, shoot a basketball and, best of all, I can alternate steps one after another to propel my body forward. So why would I deny the legitimacy of my athleticism?
I don’t consider myself an runner because I’m transgender.
I’ve lived 19 years acutely notified of the hyper-focus the athletic world places on gender. With every athletic space I’ve dared to enter, I’ve not only felt that I didn’t belong, but that I wasn’t welcome. I’ve always known that the deciding factor surrounding transgender participation wasn’t considerate of our wants and needs, but to cater to those of the other teammates and competitors.
While I’ve opted to throw in the towel, others have taken up the fight. People of color and gender nonconforming athletes alike have prolonged been fighting for their inclusion in spaces overpowered by and created for majority cisgender white participants.
One of many trailblazers includes Lia Thomas, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania and transgender sportsman on the women’s swimming team. Thomas’ participation, body and hormone level