50 Hottest American Olympians

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The Olympic trials are officially over, and the athletes that will represent the United States at the London Olympics have been decided. I don't know about you, but I've got my "USA" chant keyed up and ready to go on a moment's notice.
Most of us will tune into the Olympics at some point, for some reason, over the two weeks they're being held in late July/early August. If your reason for tuning in is to ogle America's most athletically gifted donning red, white and blue spandex— then there are a few hotties you should be on the lookout for.
Let's check out the 50 hottest American Olympians that you should be looking out for in London.

 

50. Amy Acuff, Women's Track & Field High Jumper

Image via SF Gate

After a brief retirement from the sport, 36-year-old Amy Acuff decided to attempt a comeback at the high jump. The comeback paid off, because Acuff's performance at the 2012 Olympic trials earned her a spot at her fifth consecutive Olympic games.

49. Steven Lopez, Men's Taekwondo

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Taekwondo champion Steven Lopez will be representing the U.S. in London in his fourth consecutive Olympic games. Lopez brought home gold from Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004—he took bronze at Beijing in 2008. Lopez's sister Diana will be joining him in London, representing the U.S. women in the sport.

48. Alisha Glass, Women's Volleyball

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Penn State's Alisha Glass led the university to consecutive undefeated seasons on the road to its unprecedented third straight NCAA title. She's been a member of the U.S. women's national volleyball team since 2009, and the London games will be her first Olympics.

47. Becky Holliday, Women's Track & Field Pole Vault

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Becky Holliday, out of the University of Oregon, has been training for 10 years to achieve her Olympic dream. The years of working as a server and a bagger at the airport to fund her training finally paid off, because her second place finish in the pole vault at trials earned her a spot on at the 2012 Olympics in London.
 

46. Chris Paul, Men's Basketball

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After being the hottest acquisition of the of the NBA off season in 2012, superstar point guard Chris Paul almost single handedly led the Clippers to relevancy. We'll soon see if Paul can lead the U.S. to gold in his first Olympic appearance at the London 2012 games.

45. Natalie Coughlin, Women's Swimming

Image via Reuters photographer Lucas Jackson

From Cal Berkeley, Natalie Coughlin won an impressive 11 medals in two Olympic appearances—including three gold. Coughlin has been training for her third consecutive Olympics for months, and she earned a spot on the U.S. women's team, but just barely. Coughlin failed to qualify in any individual events but scored a place on the 400-meter free relay team by beating out Dana Vollmer by 17-hundreds of a second.

44. Gwen Jorgensen, Women's Triathlon

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Gwen Jorgensen is a former competitive runner and swimmer out of the University of Wisconsin. After graduating, she was recruited by U.S. triathlon officials who convinced Jorgensen to take up training for the event. It paid off, because within a few years, she earned a spot on her first Olympic team for the London 2012 games.

43. Tina Thompson, Women's Basketball

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WNBA star Tina Thompson was part of the U.S. women's national basketball team that brought home gold from the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Thompson will make her third consecutive Olympic appearance at the London games in 2012, where the American women are favored to win gold again.

42. Sam Mikulak, Men's Gymnastics

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The son of two collegiate gymnasts, Sam Mikulak out of the University of Michigan was a member of the U.S. junior national team from 2007-10. Mikulak will be making his first Olympic appearance at the London games in 2012. He was chosen for the team despite his inability to compete in six of seven events due to a sprained ankle he suffered on the first night of trials.
 

41. Kelsey Kolojejchick, Women's Field Hockey

Image via ESPN

Kelsey Kolojejchick out of the University of North Carolina is one of four additions to the U.S. national women's field hockey team. This will be Kolojejchick's first Olympic appearance.

40. Serena Williams, Women's Tennis

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Serena Williams and her sister Venus competed at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, each bringing home gold in both appearances. The Williams sisters were paired in doubles then and will be paired again at London 2012. Serena will be looking to medal in singles for the first time—Venus won individual gold in 2000.
 

39. Matt Anderson, Men's Volleyball

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Matt Anderson out of Penn State University has been a member of the U.S. national men's volleyball team since 2008. He left college early to play professionally for the Hyundai Capital Skywalkers in Korea. Anderson will be making his first Olympic appearance at the London games in 2012.

38. Amy Rodriguez, Women's Soccer

Amy Rodriguez out of USC became a member of the U.S. national women's soccer team in 2008, just in time to be part of the team that won gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Rodriguez has played in two FIFA youth Women's World Cups and figures to be a central player in the team's quest for another gold.

37. T'erea Brown, Women's Track & Field Hurdler

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T'erea Brown out of the University of Miami has been one of the most successful female hurdlers in the U.S. over the last three years. After winning a number of collegiate titles, Brown qualified for her first Olympics at the 2012 trials. Brown placed third in the 400-meter hurdles, which earned her a ticket to London.

36. Anthony Ervin, Men's Swimming

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Anthony Ervin out of Cal Berkeley competed at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where he won silver in the 400-meter freestyle relay and gold in the 50-meter freestyle. He soon retired and auctioned off his gold medal on eBay to aid survivors of the 2004 tsunami. Ervin staged an improbable comeback at the age of 31 and earned a spot on the 2012 Olympic team—he'll be competing in the 50-meter freestyle in London.
 

35. Jessica Long, Women's Paralympic Swimming

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Swimmer Jessica Long will be competing in her third straight Paralympics at the 2012 games in London. Long medaled nine times in her two prior appearances in Athens and Beijing—seven of which were gold. She's expected to repeat her past successes this summer.

34. Julie Zetlin, Women's Rhythmic Gymnastics

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Julie Zetlin is a rhythmic gymnast who will be making her first Olympic appearance at the 2012 games in London. Zetlin recently competed at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara in 2011 where she won all-around gold and individual gold in ball.

33. Jordan Burroughs, Men's Freestyle Wrestling

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Jordan Burroughs out of the University of Nebraska is the world champion in freestyle wrestling, having won gold at the 2011 World Championships in Istanbul. Burroughs will be representing the U.S. in freestyle wrestling at the 2012 Olympics in London and is expected to medal in his event.

32. Corey Cogdell, Women's Trapshooting

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Alaska native Corey Cogdell is a trapshooter who won bronze in the women's Trap event at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Cogdell has been training and will represent the U.S. in the same event at the 2012 Olympics in London.

31. Aly Raisman, Women's Gymnastics

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Aly Raisman has been a member of the U.S. women's national gymnastics team for three years. Although the upcoming London games will be her first Olympic appearance, Raisman has medaled over a dozen times in national and international competitions.

30. Candace Parker, Women's Basketball

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WNBA star Candace Parker out of the University of Tennessee was a member of the U.S. women's national basketball team that won gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The American women are favored to win gold again in London.

29. Tobin Heath, Women's Soccer

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Tobin Heath out of the University of North Carolina was named to the U.S. women's national soccer team in 2008 at the age of 20. She was one of just three collegiate players chosen to play on the team that won gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Heath has seen increasing action in recent years and will likely play a greater role on the team, which is favored to win gold again in London.

28. John Orozco, Men's Gymnastics

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Gymnast John Orozco was one of two male gymnasts to earn automatic spots on the American men's Olympic team in 2012, based on his overall scores at the trials. Orozco has won over a dozen gold medals in junior competition but took it to the next level by winning the all-around gold at the 2012 U.S. National Championships in St. Louis.

27. Shelley Olds, Women's Cycling

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Shelley Olds out of Roanoke College is a racing cyclist who has been competing since 2008. Olds was one of three women named by USA Cycling to represent the U.S. at the 2012 Olympics in London. Olds has been living and training in the Italian Alps and is one of the highest ranked women's cyclist in the world.

26. Justin Lester, Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling

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Forget LeBron James, Greco-Roman wrestler Justin Lester is the new pride of Akron, Ohio. Having recently made his first Olympic team, the mayor of Akron declared Saturday, June 30th as "Justin Lester Day" in the city. Lester is a former four-time Ohio High School State Champion and currently wrestles for the Army's World Class Athlete Program. He also serves as a specialist in the Army.

25. Dakota Earnest, Trampoline Gymnast

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As a high school senior, Dakota Earnest competed in the Women's Individual Trampoline event at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara and captured the silver medal. Earnest will be representing the U.S. in her first Olympics at the London games in 2012.

24. Kerron Clement, Men's Track & Field Hurdler

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Kerron Clement out of the University of Florida represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and brought home two medals—silver in the 400-meter hurdles and gold in the 400-meter relay. Clement placed third in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2012 Olympic trials in Oregon, earning him a spot on the team that will be representing the U.S. at the London games.

23. Margaux Isaksen, Women's Pentathlon

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Margaux Isaksen competed in the pentathlon at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing but failed to medal for the U.S. Isaksen will try her luck again at the 2012 Olympics in London. She's coming off of a first place finish in the event at the 2011 Pan American Games.

22. Nathan Adrian, Men's Swimming

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Nathan Adrian is a rising star in the swimming world. Adrian won gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in the 400-meter freestyle relay but is expected to have more individual success at the 2012 games in London.
 

21. Sanya Richards-Ross, Women's Track & Field Sprinter

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Sanya Richards-Ross out of the University of Texas recently earned a spot on her third consecutive American Olympic team in 2012. Richards-Ross brought home gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and gold and bronze at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

20. Chloe Sutton, Women's Swimming

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Chloe Sutton out of the University of Nebraska has medaled a number of times in international competition since 2006. Sutton qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing but came back empty-handed before earning her spot on the 2012 team in the 400-meter freestyle.

19. Marlen Esparza, Women's Boxing

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Boxer Marlen Esparza first stepped into the ring at age 11 and won a bronze medal at the 2006 Women's World Boxing Championships. She'll be competing for the U.S. in 2012 at her first Olympics in London and is expected to do well up against the global competition.

18. Wallace Spearmon, Jr., Men's Track & Field Sprinter

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Sprint athlete Wallace Spearmon, Jr. fell just short of his first Olympic medal at the 2008 games in Beijing, when his bronze medal was lost via a lane disqualification in the 200-meter. Along with Americans Maurice Mitchell and Isiah Young, Wallace Spearmon finished first among the three American qualifiers in the 200-meter dash for the 2012 Olympics in London.

17. Logan Tom, Women's Volleyball

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Logan Tom out of Stanford has been a member of the U.S. women's national volleyball team since 2000. The team placed fourth at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and fifth at the 2004 Olympics in Athens before earning silver at the 2008 games in Beijing. The American women are favored to win gold in 2012.

16. Mariya Koroleva & Mary Killman, Women's Synchronized Swimming Pair

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The U.S. synchronized swimming team didn't qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London, but Mariya Koroleva and Mary Killman qualified in the duets competition just six weeks after taking silver at the Pan American games. The two former competitors are America's only hope at medaling in synchronized swimming in London 2012.

15. Ashton Eaton, Men's Decathlon

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Who knows how official any of these titles are, but the Washington Times officially crowned Ashton Eaton the new "world's greatest athlete." Although, in case you're not up on your Latin, "decathlon" means 10 events. Eaton shattered the decathlon record scoring 9,039 points at the Olympic qualifiers in 2012.

14. Allyson Felix, Women's Track & Field Sprinter

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For over five years, American sprinter Allyson Felix has been one of the most successful female sprinters in the world. Felix took silver in the 200-meter at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and gold as a member of the 400-meter relay at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Felix has a chance to match or surpass her total Olympic medals at the 2012 games in London.

13. Dana Vollmer, Women's Swimming

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Swimmer Dana Vollmer out of the University of California missed qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing after winning gold as part of the 200-meter freestyle relay at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Vollmer finished first in the 100-meter butterfly at the 2012 Olympic trial, breaking her own American record in the process.

12. Lopez Lomong, Men's Track & Field Distance Runner

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Sudanese-born athlete Lopez Lomong is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan who came to the United States as a teenager in the early 2000's. Lomong qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing just one year after gaining citizenship but came home without a medal despite being the flag bearer in the opening ceremony.

11. Emma Coburn, Women's Track & Field Steeplechase

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Distance runner Emma Coburn out of the University of Colorado qualified for her first Olympics at the age of 21 in 2012. Coburn, along with UC-Boulder athlete Shalaya Kipp, finished first and third, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the London Olympic qualifiers.

10. Tyson Chandler, Men's Basketball

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With injuries keeping the likes of Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh out of the Olympics, the contributions of Knicks center Tyson Chandler will be all the more vital to the success of the U.S. national men's team. With so-called stars like Andrew Bynum turning down the opportunity for no reason, we should be more hopeful than ever that Chandler and company bring home gold.

9. Alex Morgan, Women's Soccer

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Alex Morgan out of the University of California is preparing for her first Olympics as a member of the U.S. national women's soccer team. At age 22, Morgan is a rising star on the team that is favored to bring home gold at the 2012 Olympics in London.

8. Brittany Viola, Women's Diving

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After two previously unsuccessful attempts, diver Brittany Viola out of the University of Miami qualified for her first Olympics in 2012. Viola had gotten close in both of her previous attempts, but she absolutely dominated at the trials for London, never scoring lower than 72 points on any dive.

7. Lolo Jones, Women's Track & Field Hurdler

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Lolo Jones was favored to win gold in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, until a stumble on the final hurdle cost her a trip to the podium. Jones's third place finish in the event at the Olympic trials earned her a spot for London 2012 and a chance at redemption.

6. Ryan Lochte, Men's Swimming

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Like Michael Phelps, swimmer Ryan Lochte will be competing in his third straight Olympics in 2012. In his first two trips, Lochte medaled six times in his various events—three of which were gold. Lochte was expected to contend with Phelps in a number of events, but he only beat him once in Olympic trial finals.

5. Kim Glass, Women's Volleyball

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Kim Glass out of the University of Arizona is a professional volleyball player who will be making her second Olympic appearance in London as part of the U.S. women's national team. The team brought home silver from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and are favored to win the gold in 2012.

4. Heather Mitts, Women's Soccer

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At age 34, soccer star Heather Mitts has been a member of the U.S. women's national soccer team for well over a decade, having been named to the team in 1999. Mitts was part of the teams that won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and 2008 Olympics in Beijing. 

3. Michelle Cesan, Women's Field Hockey

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Michelle Cesan, a junior at Princeton, was named an alternate to the U.S. women's national field hockey team. Cesan, who plays the striker position, is one of three Princeton field hockey athletes who will be traveling to London for the 2012 Olympics.

2. Cullen Jones, Men's Swimming

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Cullen Jones is a swimmer out of North Carolina State who earned a spot on the Olympic team in both the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter freestyle at the age of 31. Jones has previously won Olympic gold in the 4x100-meter relay and may earn a place on the 400 freestyle relay team.

1. Jennifer Kessy, Women's Beach Volleyball

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Jennifer Kessy out of USC is paired with April Ross in beach volleyball doubles. They will be competing against the two-time Olympic gold medalist pair of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.