They might compete on the world stage with millions of eyes on them, but Olympic and Paralympic athletes are just like us — they like celebrities, too. We asked 13 members of Team USA to share who their celebrity crush is and tell us why they would love to meet them…
John Daly and Katy Perry
Two-time Olympic skeleton athlete John Daly: “Katy Perry. Why? Simple — because she’s hot and I like her music. She seems like a fun time, and I like that.”
Gracie Gold and Logan Lerman, Theo James and Ed Westwick
Figure skating bronze medalist Gracie Gold: “I most definitely have a few celeb crushes: [“Percy Jackson & the Olympians” actor] Logan Lerman, [English actor] Theo James and Ed Westwick [from “Gossip Girl”] are my top celeb crushes.”
Erin Hamlin and Adam Scott
Three-time Olympic luger and 2014 bronze medalist Erin Hamlin: “Adam Scott, the golfer. He's a successful athlete — and his Aussie accent. Not to mention he's not too bad looking, either! I've never met him, but someone actually contacted him and surprised me recently with a signed picture at the Luge-a-polooza event. It was hilarious.”
Elena Hight and Ian Somerhalder
Two-time Olympic snowboarder Elena Hight: “One of my biggest celebrity crushes at the moment is Ian Somerhalder. “The Vampire Diaries” has been my guilty pleasure for the last few years, which is where this crush began. These days I follow Ian on social media and I am so inspired by all the of the philanthropy work that he does with his charity. It is so amazing to see a celebrity truly trying to make the world a better place with the fame and success that they have achieved. I have never had the pleasure to meet him but I am sure it would be one of those people who I was truly star struck by if I did!”
Hilary Knight and Tom Hardy
Two-time ice hockey silver medalist Hilary Knight: “[English actor] Tom Hardy. I have never met him, but if anyone would like to make the intro, I definitely would not complain!”
Monique Lamoureux and Gerard Butler
Two-time ice hockey silver medalist Monique Lamoureux: “I have a celebrity crush on [actor] Gerard Butler. I think he is the definition of a ‘man’s man.’”
Courtney Mathewson and Denzel Washington
Water polo gold medalist Courtney Mathewson: “My celeb crush is Denzel Washington. He is a phenomenal actor and has the perfect smile. I have never met him, but if I did, I probably wouldn’t be able to speak coherently.”
Heather McPhie and Graham Watanabe
Two-time Olympic moguls skier Heather McPhie: “My boyfriend [snowboarder and American Ninja Warrior contestant] Graham Watanabe. We have been dating for almost eight years!”
Alana Nichols and Paul Rudd
Wheelchair basketball gold medalist and five-time Paralympic alpine skiing medalist Alana Nichols: “Paul Rudd is my celeb crush because not only is he tall, dark and handsome with beautiful green eyes, but he’s ridiculously funny! I haven’t watched a Paul Rudd movie that I didn’t like. I haven’t met him personally but after I “Rudded” (played a Paul Rudd joke) on “Conan”, Paul emailed me. He’s as funny via email as he is on the big screen. Awesome guy!”
Josh Pauls and Giada De Laurentiis
Sled hockey gold medalist Josh Pauls: “Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network. Her food looks and sounds awesome, and she isn’t bad to look at either. Plus I love to cook so it’s fun to watch her.”
Samantha Peszek and Dave Franco
Gymnastics silver medalist Samantha Peszek: “My celebrity crush is [actor] Dave Franco. I would want to take a boat to Bali with him and if the boat happened to stop working, I wouldn’t be upset about it!”
Mike Shea and Rihanna
Paralympic snowboarding silver medalist Mike Shea: “I would definitely have to say Rihanna! I took a liking to her before she really got famous. I love music… and I think the first time I saw her was in an MTV music video called “Pon de Replay.” The first thing that caught my attention was her eyes — and of course her great figure. Rihanna is also extremely confident, and to a guy there is nothing more attractive. Add to the fact that she is a very talented artist and there you have it — the ultimate celebrity crush. Who knows, maybe I’m her favorite athlete crush!”
Maggie Steffens and Henry Cavill and Mia Hamm
Water polo gold medalist Maggie Steffens: “My celebrity ‘crush’ is definitely the latest Superman, Henry Cavill — actor from the TV show “The Tudors.” I think if I met him, I would just be in awe of his handsomeness. But my all-time crush would be to meet Mia Hamm, who is one of the reasons I fell so in love with sports as a kid. I wanted to be just like her. If I met Mia, I would simply be giddy that I got to finally meet a childhood hero, but I would want to seem cool and relaxed so she would tell me all of her secrets to success.”
