The internet is swooning over Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall's love. They aren't the only Olympic athletes making our hearts race.

These Olympians are some of the Games' most crushworthy contenders.

Kelsey Weekman
·Reporter
·8 min read
386

When the Olympics come around every two years, so does a fresh batch of incredible athletes who are really good at their jobs. For eager fans, developing crushes can be an inevitable part of the Games.

As the 2024 Paris Olympics come to a close, hundreds of people will take home medals for their accomplishments and instill a sense of pride in the hearts of their compatriots. But today, we honor the ones that managed to seize the attention — and thirst — of social media users.

From dreamy track-and-field athletes to stone-cold shooting stars, here are the most crushworthy competitors from the 2024 Games.

Tara Davis-Woodhall of the United States.
Tara Davis-Woodhall celebrates winning the gold medal in women's long jump. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

When Tara Davis-Woodhall won the gold medal in the long jump, she ran directly to her husband, Paralympian Hunter Woodhall. “Oh my God, baby, you’re the Olympic champion!” he exclaimed as they celebrated in each other's arms. Fans have been swooning over their love for each other.

Kim Ye-ji of Team Republic of Korea looks on during the Women's 25m pistol qualification rapid.
Kim Ye-ji looks on during the women’s 25m pistol qualification rapid. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

The South Korean sharpshooter went viral for her icy glare and backward hat. She won a silver medal in the women's 10m air pistol.

Her style is often contrasted with the casual look of Turkish shooter Yusuf Dike?, who took home a silver medal and gets an honorable mention here.

Stephen Nedoroscik stands next to the pommel horse with his arms outstretched.
Stephen Nedoroscik competes during the men’s pommel horse final. (Eric W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

Appearing zen (and possibly asleep) in the final moments leading up to his event, pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik went viral when he took off his glasses and helped secure a bronze medal for U.S. men’s gymnastics in the team final, as well as for individual men’s pommel horse. He’s also really good with a Rubik’s cube.

Ilona Maher holds up both arms as she celebrates a victory.
Ilona Maher celebrates following victory during the women’s rugby sevens bronze medal match. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

After ruling the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with her ultra-popular TikToks, Team USA rugby player Ilona Maher is back and better than ever. Literally — the team took home a bronze medal for the first time.

Bronze medalist Henrik Christiansen of Norway poses, holding up his medal.
Henrik Christiansen of Norway poses with his bronze medal. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has endeared himself to a legion of new fans after posting persistently about the chocolate muffins available at the Olympic Village, which are apparently really good.

Gold medalist Noah Lyles pretends to bite his medal during a victory ceremony.
Gold medalist Noah Lyles at the victory ceremony for the men’s 100m race. (Li Ying/Xinhua via Getty Images)

The fastest man on Earth is also one of the most stylish. The anime-loving athlete, who won gold in the men’s 100m race, frequently has his nails painted and shows off ahead of his races. His energy might be a little controversial for some, but others argue he’s earned the right to be over-the-top.

Sha’Carri Richardson of Team USA runs in a relay.
Sha’Carri Richardson competes in a relay. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Speaking of athletes with incredible style, Sha'Carri Richardson is well known for her hair and nails. She won silver in the women’s 100m race — an incredible redemption after being disqualified from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

France's Jules Bouyer stands next to a swimming pool.
France’s Jules Bouyer poses after a diving training session. (Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images)

The French diver ... well, just look at him.

Evy Leibfarth, wearing a medal, raises her arms with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
Evy Leibfarth at the Champions Park. (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)

The bronze medalist is beloved on TikTok, where she’s bringing awareness to the niche sport of women's canoe slalom. Fans found her overjoyed reaction to her win extremely endearing.

Pole-vaulter Armand Duplantis puts his gold medal around his neck.
Pole-vaulter Armand Duplantis celebrates with his gold medal. (Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The Swedish pole-vaulter, a two-time Olympic champion, has been compared to Timothée Chalamet and Jeremy Allen White. He jokingly parodied Turkish shooter Yusuf Dike?’s stance after winning because he was “dared” to.

Gabby Thomas holds up the American flag in victory after winning a race.
Gabby Thomas celebrates after winning the women’s 200m final. (Ashley Landis/AP)

The Harvard graduate has a master’s degree in epidemiology, and as of the 2024 Paris Olympics, an Olympic gold medal. She won the women’s 200m race on Aug. 6.

Thomas Ceccon of Italy in the pool after competing in a backstroke race.
Thomas Ceccon of Italy after competing in the swimming 200m backstroke semifinals. (Deepbluemedia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

The Italian swimmer won gold in the men’s 100m backstroke. After he was spotted sleeping in a Paris park, he slammed the lack of air-conditioning in the Olympic Village.

Alysha Newman wears the Canadian flag as she celebrates her bronze medal.
Alysha Newman celebrates her bronze medal and poses with the Canadian flag. (Aytac Unal/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Canadian pole-vaulter and OnlyFans model twerked in celebration when she won a bronze medal.

Rhasidat Adeleke of Team Ireland smiles after winning the women’s 400m round 1.
Rhasidat Adeleke of Team Ireland after winning the first round of the women’s 400m. (Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

A “messy race” didn’t stop Rhasidat Adeleke from making history as the first Irish woman to make it to a sprint final in the Olympics.

Giorgia Villa of Team Italy competes on the uneven bars.
Giorgia Villa competes on the uneven bars. (Tom Weller/VOIGT/Getty Images)

Viral photos of the Italian gymnast posing with wheels of cheese earned her a ton of appreciation online. She overcame multiple injuries and earned a silver medal in the women’s gymnastics team event.

Great Britain’s Tom Daley stands near a pool.
Great Britain’s Tom Daley during the men’s synchronized 10m platform final. (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)

The British diver has been a mainstay at the Summer Olympics since 2008. He’s racked up five medals along the way, including a silver this year — but what might be his most heartwarming quality is his tendency to go viral, be it for knitting Olympic sweaters or reenacting that scene from Titanic as the U.K.’s flag bearer in the opening ceremony.

Simone Biles holds up her four medals from the 2024 Games.
Simone Biles puts her many medals from the 2024 Paris Olympics on display. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

If being the most decorated gymnast in history wasn’t enough, Simone Biles overcame physical and mental challenges after dropping out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Simply qualifying for the 2024 Games is amazing, but she won three gold medals and a silver. Even Elmo loves her.

Updated, August 9, 2024, 10:26 a.m.: This story was originally published on Aug. 8, 2024, and has been updated to include Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall.

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