Olympic athletes often don't get paid to do anything other than look good. In that vein, Attractive Olympians handicaps which athletes may rake in endorsement deals after the Olympics.
Laure Manaudou is a world record-holder and Olympic champion, but it's the fallout from her love life that has garnered the biggest headlines.
France's first gold medalist in swimming in over 50 years found herself in the middle of a media firestorm when sexually explicit photos of her surfaced online after a public break-up with Italian swimmer Luca Marin at the 2007 Euro Championships. Before that fallout, Manaudou had raised the ire of French officials when she left her swimming club to join Marin in Italy.
Laure Manaudou
French swimmer Laure Manaudou competes during the women's 200m backstroke final at the Scottish National Open Swimming Championship in Glasgow on June 27, 2008. Manaudou took second place. AFP PHOTO/BRIAN STEWART (Photo credit should read BRIAN STEWART/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
French swimmer Laure Manaudou competes during the womens 200m backstroke final at the Scottish National Open Swimming Championship in Glasgow on June 27, 2008. Manaudou took second place. AFP PHOTO/BRIAN STEWART (Photo credit should read BRIAN STEWART/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
French swimmer Laure Manaudou competes during the womens 200m backstroke final at the Scottish National Open Swimming Championship in Glasgow on June 27, 2008. Manaudou took second place. AFP PHOTO/BRIAN STEWART (Photo credit should read BRIAN STEWART/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
French swimmer Laure Manaudou poses with her silver medal for the womens 200m backstroke final at the Scottish National Open Swimming Championship in Glasgow on June 27, 2008. AFP PHOTO/BRIAN STEWART (Photo credit should read BRIAN STEWART/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
French swimmer Laure Manaudou is pictured during the Scottish National Open Swimming Championship, in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 27, 2008. AFP PHOTO/Brian Stewart (Photo credit should read BRIAN STEWART/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
French swimmer Laure Manaudou is pictured during the Scottish National Open Swimming Championship, in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 27, 2008. AFP PHOTO/Brian Stewart (Photo credit should read BRIAN STEWART/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
French swimmer Laure Manaudou is pictured during the Scottish National Open Swimming Championship, in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 27, 2008. AFP PHOTO/Brian Stewart (Photo credit should read BRIAN STEWART/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
French swimmer Laure Manaudou competes in the women's 200m backstroke at the Scottish National Open Swimming Championship, in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 27, 2008. AFP PHOTO/Brian Stewart (Photo credit should read BRIAN STEWART/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
French swimmer Laure Manaudou competes in the women's 200m backstroke at the Scottish National Open Swimming Championship, in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 27, 2008. AFP PHOTO/Brian Stewart (Photo credit should read BRIAN STEWART/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
France's Laure Manaudou prepares before to swim in the 400 meters freestyle event at the Paris Open Swimming competition in preview of Beijing Olympics in Paris June 19, 2008. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol (FRANCE) (BEIJING OLYMPICS 2008 PREVIEW)
Reuters
Manaudou, now back in her home country with a new French boyfriend (swimmer Benjamin Stasiulis), looks to put this mess behind her with a strong performance in Beijing; three more medals will make her the most decorated French Olympian in history.
But amidst all this love and scandal and swimming, is Manaudou worth this kind of fuss? We at FanHouse steer clear of explicit content, but there's plenty more Manaudou after the jump to help you decide.
Breaking Down the Basics
| Age | 21 |
| Hair | Dirty blonde |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Arms | Jacked |
| Abs | Like a mogul course |
| Tattoos? | Yes, including a lizard where most women don't have lizards |
| Tan lines? | She apparently owns a small bikini |
| Ex-boyfriend Marin | Either a public servant or a colossal jerk, depending on your viewpoint |
Presentation of Medals
*When judging, assume that Gold suggests a future of GoDaddy.com-level endorsements, and Bronze points toward appearances in local circulars.
Attractive Olympians
Nastia Liukin Two-time world champion gymnast is a six-time world medalist and a four-time U.S. National Champion.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Jennie Finch: Pitched the USA to gold in 2004. She and her teammates have many fans, none more so than Terrell Owens of the Dallas Cowboys.
Mark Davis/Getty Images
Becky Hammon: The WNBA star from South Dakota will play for the Russian women's basketball team in August.
Jennifer Pottheiser, NBAE / Getty Images
Luciana Aymar Named International Hockey Federation's World Player of the Year four times ('01, '04-'05, '07), helping Argentina to a bronze and silver in the last two Olympics.
ANTONIO SCORZA/AFP/Getty Images
Leisel Jones Won silver in the 100-meter breaststroke in her home country of Australia in 2000, and earned bronze and silver in the 100m and 200m, respectively, in Athens.
Paul Broben/Getty Images
Yan Zi: Tennis player from China ranks 13th in the world on the WTA tour, and partnered with Zheng Jie to win the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006.
Michael Steele/Getty Images
Sally McLellan: Australian Hurdler and Sprinter was a semifinalist in both the 100m and 100-meter hurdles at the 2007 Worlds.
Mark Dadswell/Getty Images
Kim Gevaert: Belgian record holder in the 60m, 100m, 200m and 400m races and won a relay bronze at the 2007 Worlds.
MICHEL KRAKOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
Adam van Koeverden: Canadian canoe-kayak racer won gold in the 500m and bronze in the 100m the the Athens games in 2004.
Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images
Maria Sharapova: This will be the first Olympics for the Russian tennis star, who has won three Grand Slam titles.
Brad Barket/Getty Images for IMG
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
5-09-2008 @ 11:51AM
ventures360 said...
Ms. Frankenstein...no thanks.
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 6:03AM
Tim said...
Scandal! Laure Manaudou NAKED:
http://celebritiesvidz.com/videos.php?v=Laure_Manaudou
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 6:31AM
solomeeeo said...
SEXY........are you blind??????
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 6:49AM
Trisha said...
It's too bad, her ex was an a--hole.Seems he was just jealous, of her talent..If you are in, or plan on being in the "Publics Eye", then you should never pose for personal nude photos.....they are bound to show up somewhere. The two, I saw was no big deal..She should get endorsements, and any medals and I wish her well...
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 8:53AM
brack said...
CUT THE SHIT. WHERE IS LOLO JONES?
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 7:09AM
Joe said...
That's all the pictures? And the fuss is? Pretty much a regular French TV commerical.
Taken by her boy friend when they were together, posted by her slime ball ex boyfriend when he is looking for publicity.
Get a life...
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 7:34AM
Katie G said...
Can I just say, WHERE is Ryk Neethling?? A shocking oversight!!!
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 7:21AM
nicholls said...
Historically, Olympians competed in the nude. See how far we've come?
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 7:22AM
Michael said...
Come on..What people do in the privacy of their own home and bedroom is their business and no one else's no matter who they are or how famous..PERIOD....
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 7:22AM
MIKE said...
lets just say if you are going to talk about playboy pics for olympian athletes i would rather see jeannie finch pitcher for usa softball team this girl a hottie
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 7:45AM
RPaul69 said...
Nice tan lines......what's the big deal???
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 7:48AM
Gil said...
Attractive? Definitely not. If someone wants to pay her to endorse their product, more power to her. If that's the best they have, France has a shortage in both courage and pretty women.
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 8:13AM
Tracey said...
She is uuuggggggggglly!!!
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 8:12AM
Lynn said...
She's an adult. Adults do intimate things in private, but it's the losers who make it public that we should be judging... not HER! She didn't do anything wrong, inappropriate or illegal.
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 8:13AM
Tracey said...
I am tired of white women being called attractive just because they are white. This woman like most other white women barely have it goin on...so please!! and woman of color get called less
attractive because they have color....sounds like
"color envy" to me!!
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 9:34AM
lcolemanper said...
She should be barred from any future Olympic participation for life.
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 8:19AM
Joe said...
Wow! She looks like Luis Miguel's twin sister....
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 8:20AM
J A said...
The Olympics are about human spirit and sport. If she gots what it takes she shouldn't be denied an endorsement.
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 8:36AM
b hunn said...
She may not belong on a wheaties box but if I were selling swimwear or tanning lotion or hair products I'd grab her right up.
Victoria's Secret may be missing out on a great marketing campaign - Girls of the olympics"!
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 8:51AM
Ezekiel Nwakwue said...
They say that beauty is in the eyes of those who have eyes. Maybe these folks do not eyes if they say that this french swimmer is attractive. Do they need glasses?
Reply