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.Simona Peycheva established herself in rhythmic gymnastics with three gold medals at the 2001 Worlds (hoop, ball, and clubs), but her career has been plagued with injury since then. Not that those injuries have stopped her.
She broke her foot in the summer of 2002, but continued competing with the help of painkilling injections, winning two golds and a silver at the World Cup that year. She finally underwent surgery for the foot in late 2003, then recuperated in time for the Athens Games, where she finished sixth overall. Last October, she had surgery again -- this time on her spine -- but she's determined to take one more shot at Olympic gold before retiring. Pretty tough for a 23-year-old who doesn't even weigh 100 pounds.
She also happens to be pretty attractive for a 23-year-old who doesn't even weigh 100 pounds. Perhaps it's the flexibility, or maybe it's the competitive fire, but Peycheva legitimately joins the ranks of Olympic hotties. But just how hot is she? After the jump, ogle more photos and vote in our delightfully superficial poll.
Breaking Down the Basics
| Age | 23 |
| Height | 5'3" |
| Weight | 99 lbs. |
| Hair | Plastered to head |
| Legs | Can detach from hips, move about freely |
| Marital status | Single |
| Strengths, according to Wikipedia | "Extreme flexibility, technical brilliance and ... a great audience teaser" |
| Yes, but what about her gymnastic strengths? | HEY-O! |
Presentation of Medals
*When judging, assume that Gold suggests a future of GoDaddy.com-level of endorsements, and Bronze points toward appearances in local circulars.
Attractive Olympians
Maria Sharapova This will be the first Olympics for the Russian tennis star, who has won three Grand Slam titles.
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Laure Manaudou: The French swimmer and Gold medal winner in the 400m freestyle holds the world records for the 400m freestyle and 200m freestyle.
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Anna Bessonova Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast won bronze at the 2004 games and earned gold at the World Championships in '07.
TATYANA MAKEYEVA/AFP/Getty Images
Demetrius Andrade The reigning world AIBA boxing champion at 152 pounds, Andrade was a Golden Glove winner in '06 and '07.
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Alicia Sacramone: A member of the United States gymnastics team since 2003, Sacramone has earned seven medals from three world championships.
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Ana Ivanovic: Serbian tennis player reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2007 and the 2008 Australian Open final.
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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.
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Apolo Anton Ohno: U.S. short track speed skater won TV's Dancing With the Stars, and has earned five Olympic medals, including gold in the 500m at the 2006 games.
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Kris Freeman: Competed for the U.S. Ski Team in cross country at the 2002 and '06 games, finishing 14th in Salt Lake City.
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James Blake: No. 9 pro tennis player in the world says he plans to represent the U.S. at the Beijing games.
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