Sports Stars

Toppest World Champion Christine Arron

2009-10-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

Christine Arron (born September 13, 1973 in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe) is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for France. She has run the third fastest time for the 100m in history, but many consider her the fastest legal runner of all time.

Top Hot Swimming Girl Caroline Burckle

2009-10-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

Caroline Burckle born June 24,1986 in Louisville,Kentucky,she is an American swimmer. She was part of the bronze medal winning team of the 4x200 metre freestyle relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Caroline is either dating or dated Ryan Lochte at one point, he is a gold and bronze medal winning swimmer from the 2008 Summer Olympics and won silver and gold in 2004 at the Athens Olympics.

As a swimmer for the University of Florida, she was named the 2008 NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year by virtue of winning two individual NCAA swimming titles and breaking the oldest-standing women's NCAA swimming record by swimming a 4:33.60 in the 500-yard freestyle.

Top Canadian Olympic Diver Blythe Hartley

2009-10-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Blythe Hartley
Full name: Blythe Hartley
Country Represented: Canada
Date of birth: May 2, 1982 (1982-05-02) (age 26)
Place of birth: Edmonton, Alberta
Hometown: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Height: 165 centimetres (5 ft 5 in)
Event(s): 1m, 3m, 3m synchro, 10m, 10m synchro
Club: Dive Calgary
Synchro Partner: Melanie Rinaldi (3m)
Former Synchro Partner(s): Emilie Heymans (3m & 10m)
Eryn Bulmer (3m)
Head coach(es): Igor Paskov

Hot synchronized Swimming Twins Bia e Branca

2009-10-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

Beatriz and Branca Feres are identical twins who were born on February 22, 1988 in Brazil. They are 20-years-old. That makes them legal, boys. Beatriz is called Bia for short. They are synchronized swimmers and synchronized spooners.

Meet Bia and Branca Feres, Brazilian Synchronized Swimming twins who are pretty much guaranteed to bring home the gold for HOT from the Beijing Olympics.

American Water Polo player Betsey Armstrong

2009-10-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

Top Sport Star Basketball Millikan

2009-10-26T19:59:00.001-07:00

Lakewood's Varsity Goalie Tiffany Hollis dives to block a kick by a Millikan Striker during first Moore League Meet at Lakewood High School on Dec 12,2007

Top Suzanne Brigit Bird Basketball star

2009-10-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Suzanne Brigit Bird born October 16,1980. Sue Bird is an American professional Women's Basketball Player. She plays for Seattle Storm in the WNBA. she won a championship in 2004 and member of the 2008 gold medal winning United States Women's Olympic basketball team.

Erin Phillips

2009-10-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

Top Basketball Girl Erin Phillips

2009-10-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

Erin Victoria Phillips born 19 May 1985. she is an Australian professional women's basketball player. In the United States, she currently plays for the Connecticut Sun in the Women's National Basketball Association and for Adelaide Lightning in the Women's National Basketball League.

Top Basketball Girl Lauren Jackson

2009-10-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Lauren Elizabeth Jackson born 11 May 1981 in Albury, New South Wales. she is an Australian professional basketball player.She has won national championships in the U.S., Australia, and Russia, and a world championship as well.

Danica Patrick

2009-10-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Auto racing Driver Danica Patrick

2009-10-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Danica Patrick
Nationality: Flag of the United States American
Date of Birth: March 25, 1982 (1982-03-25) (age 27)
Place of Birth: Beloit, Wisconsin

Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver, currently competing in the IndyCar Series. She was raised in Roscoe, Illinois. Patrick was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season. In May 2006, she published her autobiography, Danica: Crossing the Line. With her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300, Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race. She also has an equity stake in her #7 team.

Trampoline Top Athlete Erin Blanchard

2009-10-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Top Athletic girls

2009-10-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Athletic US Women's Olympic Water Polo Top Team

Top Athletic Erica Sport Star Wallpaper

National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association

Leryn Franco

2009-10-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

Athletic Star Leryn Franco

2009-10-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

Leryn Franco born 1st March 1982 in Asuncion is a Paraguayan athlete who specializes in the javelin throw. Her personal best throw is 55.38 metres, achieved in May 2007 in Fortaleza.Leryn Franco is not just a Javelin Thrower of Beijing 2008 Olympic, but Leryn Franco is the star her self.

Top Champion Ashley Harkleroad Tennis Girl

2009-10-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Ashley Harkleroad
Country: United States
Residence: Wesley Chapel, Florida, United States
Date of birth: May 2, 1985 (1985-05-02) (age 23)
Place of birth: Rossville, Georgia, United States
Height: 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight: 54.8 kg (121 lb; 8.63 st)
Turned pro: (June 12, 2000)
Plays: Right, (two-handed backhand)

Ashley Harkleroad is an American tennis player. Born in Rossville, Georgia, Harkleroad reached a career-high ranking of No. 39 on June 9, 2003. She is currently ranked 91 in singles and 168 in doubles, as well as 68 in the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships. Her career prize money to date is $927,881.

US Car Racer Ashley Force

2009-10-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ashley Force Hood (born November 29, 1982) is a funny car drag racer. She is the daughter of 14-time NHRA Funny Car national champion John Force and his wife Laurie Force. She is married to Daniel Hood, who works for John Force Racing.

Anna Rawson Top Golfer anf Hot Model

2009-10-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Anna Rawson (born 5 August 1981) is an Australian professional golfer and model. She currently plays on the LPGA.Rawson was born in Adelaide, Australia.

She got her break into a modeling career at age 16, when she was a finalist in the Australian "Dolly" Magazine cover contest. This opened up modeling opportunities on the catwalk, in print ads, magazines, and on television.

In 1999 as an amateur golfer in Australia Rawson was the South Australian and Victoria Junior Champion plus the winner of the Jack Newton International Junior Classic.She was the leading qualifier for the 1999 and 2000 Australian Amateur Championship and was a member of the 1999 Australian National Squad.

She played collegiate golf at the University of Southern California. She was named All-Pac-10 honorable mention in 2001, 2002 and 2004.

Top Hockey Girl Anke Kuhn

2009-10-26T19:04:00.002-07:00

Anke Kuhn born February 28,1981 in Hanover,she is a female field hockey player from Germany, who played for the Germany women's national field hockey team.

Kuhn boldly began her career with the TSV Engensen alongside Kerstin Hoyer, also on the national team, and played there from 1985 to 1991. She went on playing for HC Hannover and remained there from 1991 to 1992. From 1992 to 1997, she played for DTV Hannover. Since 1997, she's playing for Eintracht Braunschweig in the first federal league.

Andreyevna Myskina

2009-10-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

Andreyevna Myskina

2009-10-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Tennis Girls
Anastasia Andreyevna Myskina born July 8 1981, Moscow,Russia.She is a professional tennis player from Russia. In 2004 she won the French Open, becoming the first Russian female tennis player to win a Grand Slam event.

Amy Acuff High Jump Player

2009-10-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Amy Acuff Personal information
Full name: Amy Lyn Acuff
Nationality: American
Date of birth: July 14, 1975 (1975-07-14) (age 33)
Place of birth: Port Arthur, Texas
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 145 lb (66 kg)
Sport
Country: United States
Event(s): High jump
Club: UCLA Bruins
Team: USA Track & Field

Achievements and titles
World finals	See table
National finals	Outdoor: 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003–2005 Indoor: 2001, 2004–2008
Olympic finals	2004
Highest world ranking	2nd (2001 Grand Prix) 3rd (2006 World Cup)
Personal best(s)	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) August 15, 2003

Alona Bondarenko

2009-10-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Alona Bondarenko

2009-10-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Alona Bondarenko born August 13,1984. She is a Ukrainian tennis player. She has a younger sister Kateryna Bondarenko who also plays on the Tour.She won the 2008 Australian Open women's doubles tournament with sister Kateryna, beating Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Pe'er in the finals.

Alona Bondarenko Tennis Wallpapers - Sports Stars Wallpapers and Pictures

2009-10-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Amanda Beard

2009-10-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

Full name: Amanda Beard
Nationality: United States
Stroke(s): Breaststroke, Individual Medley
Date of birth: October 29, 1981 (1981-10-29) (age 27)
Place of birth: Newport Beach, California, United States
Height: 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)

Amanda Ray Beard is an Olympic-level swimmer and model from the United States of America. Beard participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics, and 2008 Summer Olympics, capturing a total of seven medals, the most recent in the 2004 games.Beard won three 200 meter breaststroke, three 100 meter breaststroke, and two 200 meter individual medley US National titles.

Andy Roddick

2009-10-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Lionel Messi

2009-10-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

Lionel Messi has drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, and indeed Maradona himself named Messi his "successor". Lionel Messi , (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine international footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona in the Primera División, and appears on Argentina's national team. Messi was at one stage romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, a young Argentine from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup. He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine model, Luciana Salazar. In January 2009 he told "Hat Trick Barça", a programme on Canal 33: "I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina, I am relaxed and happy". He was seen with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo, at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Roccuzzo is a fellow native of Rosario. They plan to wed near the end of 2010. He is featured on the front cover of the video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and is also involved in promotional campaigns for the game. Messi, along with Fernando Torres, is the face of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, and was also involved in the motion capturing and the trailer. Messi is sponsored by the German sportswear company Adidas and features in their television advertisements.

Maria Kirilenko

2008-09-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Nationality : Russia
Date of birth : 25-1-1987
Place of birth : Moscow, Russia
Current residence : Moscow, Russia
Height : 176 cm
Weight : 57.6 kg
Status : Pro (since 2001)
Preference : Right handed
Coach : David Taylor

WTA Rank : 26
Career Singles Titles : 2
Career Doubles Title : 3
Career Price Money $1,393,722

Maria was very much fond of sport from the very childhood. When she was five years old she started dancing, and when she was seven, her father brought her to ''Dinamo'' Moscow Central Stadium, one of the best tennis schools at the time. He had used to play tennis and to really enjoy it - though he could not imagine that this sport will become such an important part of his family's life.
When Kirilenko was twelve years old, an Honored Master of sports, Elena Brioukhovets, saw her while training. All the next year Elena watched Maria making progress and then offered her to work together. A three-year program was made and a special team was selected. In less than three years Maria became the number one in her age group and the number two in the group under eighteen. The well-known tennis-players Yevgeni Kafelnikov, Andrei Olhovskiy and Max Mirnyi, who had created an organization supporting young tennis-players, helped Kirilenko to arrange her training-process and to attend tournaments. She is currently dating Amit Dhupelia from Australia.

In 2002 Kirilenko became one of the youngest winners of the Canadian Open and the US Open Junior Tournaments.
Since September 2002 Kirilenko started participating in WTA events. She made a lot of progress in WTA events but was setback by injury in 2004 and dropped down the rankings, whilst missing out on valuable experience. At the end of 2005 she had climbed right up the rankings and won her first title in Beijing. She has been recognized as one of the up and coming players of 2006 and, despite being off her best form during the Summer, she has broken into the top 20 for the first time on June 12th, 2006.
Kirilenko made her debut for Russia at the nation-based Fed Cup tournament on 22/23 April 2006 on the World Group Quarter-Final tie against Belgium. Maria lost a singles rubber against '05 US Open champion Kim Clijsters and won her doubles rubber against multiple major champion Justine Henin-Hardenne and the same Kim Clijsters partnering Dinara Safina. Russia ended up losing 3-2.
At the 2006 US Open, Kirilenko received the 20th seed of the tournament and reached the 3rd Round, eventually being defeated by Aravane Rezai.
In January 2007, she advanced to the third round of the 2007 Australian Open, before being defeated by third-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, immediately after which she competed in the 2007 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she advanced to the second round upsetting #15 Shahar Peer of Israel, before being defeated by Ai Sugiyama. She then competed in the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, where she reached the second round, before losing in a close match to Daniela Hantuchova 6-2 4-6 6-7 (4/7).[2]
At the Acura Classic in San Diego, California, Kirilenko upset second seeded Jelena Janković of Serbia with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to advance to the quarter-finals, before losing to fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-4.
At the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles, California she also reached the quarters, upsetting #6 seed Marion Bartoli in straight sets, 7-6(2), 6-3, along the way.
Her current event is the U.S. Open. Unseeded, she faced Martina Müller of Germany, defeating her in straight sets 6-3, 6-1. She then beat #22 seed Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia in straight sets too, 6-4, 6-3. She then lost to the unseeded Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine in easy straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
After the U.S. Open, she appeared in the Sunfeast Open. There, Kirilenko won her second WTA Tour singles title, defeating unseeded Mariya Koryttseva of the Ukraine in straight sets 6-0,6-2. En route to the finals, she had beaten some very in form players namely Daniela Hantuchova, Flavia Pennetta, up and coming Ekaterina Ivanova and Indian qualifier Neha Uberoi. This win will proppell her back into the top 30 with a chance of going higher.

Maria Kirilenko

2008-09-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Maria Kirilenko

2008-09-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Maria KIRILENKO
Residence : Moscow, Russia
Date of Birth : January 25, 1987
Birthplace : Moscow, Russia
Height : 5′ 8” (1.73 m)
Weight : 127 lbs. (57.6 kg)
Plays : Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Coach : Eric Van Harpen
Manager : Octagon

Interests : reading, music, computer gaming, basketball, football
Favorite players : Jennifer Capriati, Yevgeni Kafelnikov

ON COURT
Maria was very much fond of sport from the very childhood. When she was five years old she started dancing, and when she was seven, her father brought her to ”Dinamo” Moscow Central Stadium, one of the best tennis schools at the time. He had used to play tennis and to really enjoy it - though he could not imagine that this sport will become such an important part of his family’s life.

Maria started to make progress. In less than one year after starting to play tennis Maria won her very first competitions. Since that, she attended all kinds of competitions and tournaments, and soon the idea of becoming a professional tennis-player seemed quite reasonable. Soon she became the number one in her age group in Russia and the CIS. Maria practiced at Dinamo and TsSKA sport grounds. Almost every day her parents brought her there by car from Yubileyny - a small town in Moscow region, where they lived. Right after school - into the car. She could eat or have a rest on the way to the stadium.

This was a hard time. It was not easy to work on the technique for normally there were several people practicing at the same time, although she was lucky to have very experienced teachers. Sometimes she even had a chance to attend international tournaments and to show good results there - but usually it was very difficult to arrange everything for her to visit such an event.

When Maria was twelve years old, an Honored Master of sports, Elena Brioukhovets, saw her while training. She noticed her at once - if one could pay more attention to this girl, - Elena thought, - she might show very impressive results. All the next year Elena watched Maria making progress, and then offered her to work together.

From now on tennis became not only a profession but sort of a life style for Maria. A three-year program was made, and a special team was selected. Uncertain romantic dreams of having a success turned into a strategic task - to be one of the best junior tennis-players in the world. And in less than three years Maria was the number one in her age group, and the number two in the group under eighteen. Working hard and making progress, she started to believe in herself - and many others also believed in her, too. For instance, the well-known tennis-players Yevgeni Kafelnikov, Andrey Olkhovsky and Maxim Mirny, who created an organization supporting young tennis-players. They helped Maria to arrange her training-process and to attend tournaments. All the rest depended on her and her progress. She was lucky to have a good chance - but she had to make an effective use of it.

It feels great when you wake up and realize you are a star. But first, you have to win eleven matches one after another. In 2002 Maria has become one of the youngest winners of the Canadian Open and the US Open Junior Tournaments. Now, there is a further step to be made. Since September 2002 Maria has started participating in WTA events.

HER LIFE

It is quite different from the life of other people of her age. First she practices in Odessa - the place where her coach comes from - then goes to a tournament somewhere in the U.S. or in Australia. One would need years in order to go see all the places where Maria has been to. She has visited Louvres, Madam Tussaud’s Museum of Waxworks, and almost all Disneylands in the U.S. She can tell you about terrible monsoons in Thailand, or… how friendly Japanese people are. By the way, it was Japan, where she played her first ”grown-up” tournament. Of course, she felt a bit nervous, but - because young generation is treated very kindly in Japan, and all undertakings are welcome, or - because Maria is not taller than the Japanese themselves, - she was met with encouragement. Press conferences, autographs, taking pictures…

But this is some kind of a compensation for the hard work, frequent trips and long flights. Maria practices at the tennis-court for about three hours per day; the rest of time is spent for physical training. Because of her firm schedule she had to give up school - it is difficult to go to one place for a month, and then, for two months - to another. Maria had to look for some other variants of getting education. When she was twelve, she started to attend external studies for sportsmen. There are some subjects she works on herself, and some she studies privately with teachers.

Tennis is not the only thing she likes. She loves football and other sports. Whenever she goes, she takes her computer with her. And - what makes her different from many other sportsmen - is her love for classical music. She can listen Vivaldi, Mozart, Bach or Beethoven for hours. Once she visited a concert of Mstislav Rostropovich. She was lucky, for she could get acquainted with the maestro. Since then, he has started to pay attention to tennis, and always asks about Maria’s results.
She is still interested in dancing, and is in love with ballet. When she has some free time, she likes to read. Her favorite books are Dumas’ ”The Three Musketeers” and ”Twenty Years After”, Victor Hugo’s ”Notre-Dame de Paris”, ”White Fang” by Jack London, and short stories by O’Henry. She likes ”The Twelve Chairs” and ”The Golden Calf” by Ilf and Petrov. Masha also reads ”Harry Potter” and enjoys detective stories.

Maria loves watching movies. Her favorite ones are: ”The Barber of Siberia” and ”The Story of a Knight”. Generally, she prefers comedies.

After tournaments she and her parents, and sometimes also her coach and other ”team” members, go to the country. It’s great to spend the whole day with a rod by a river (Maria loves fishing), or to bake potatoes, sitting around a fire with friends. This is her favorite meal - although, having no special diet, she is very experienced in food. The only restrictions concern pastries. Maria has tried European and Oriental cuisine, foreign delicacies… and fast food in a hurry. That is why her favorite meals are those her mother cooks for her at home, or - something like baked potatoes in the open air.

Masha has time not only for practicing, playing tournaments and baking potatoes. She drives a car, a boat, a small yacht…
But, certainly, the number one in her life is tennis. Even when she has free time - which she usually lacks - Maria watches TV translation of interesting matches, enjoys the way Yevgeni Kafelnikov or Jennifer Capriarty play. She is anxious about the results of the Russian tennis players.

Anju Bobby George

2008-09-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

Anju with her husband-coach Bobby George on arrival in New Delhi after winning the silver medal in the World Athletics Final at Monaco recently.
CALL it overconfidence or call it self-belief, there is this streak in Bobby George that refuses to accept that anything is impossible.
Maybe, that is the way the George brothers have been brought up back home in Peravoor, Kannur district, Kerala. "Everything is possible" must be the family motto.
Anju George, the current athletics face of India on the international stage, just follows Bobby's commands. He is her coach, manager and masseur. He is her motivator, friend, philosopher, agent and escort. And he pushes her beyond imagination.

But he knows her limits.
"You can't push your trainee beyond a point. She needed the extra break this year. How long could she have continued? She has been at it from 2001, almost without a break," he said in answer to a query about the late start she had this year.

"The Olympics effort had drained her mentally and physically," Bobby added as he explained the reasons for the late start. It was past midnight that day at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. She had just returned with the silver from the World Athletics Final in Monaco, her second biggest achievement in a decade-long career.

Bobby should have said, "drained us" and he would not have been off the mark. Bobby and Anju invariably talk in plural. `We' rather than `she' or `he'. "We have to qualify for the World Athletics Final, we have to catch up with the Russians; we have to improve our ranking; we have to plan for next year... " That is the way it goes much of the time.

"It is only because one is young that one can do this running around, this travelling. The body needs a break and I have been trying to get some much-needed rest," says Bobby. He knows of course that Anju needs more rest though she shrugs off any suggestion that the dash from Incheon to Delhi to Frankfurt to Nice to Monaco and back must have been very taxing. "We are used to it," she tells a scribe.

"There was a stage (close to the Paris Worlds) when I felt like leaving everything and going home. The strain of practising, running around for everything you needed, uncertainties about visas, it was proving a little too much," Anju confided a day after she won that history-making World Championship bronze at the Stade de France in August, 2003.

But they took a break from the competitions and intense training, left their temporary training base in Madrid and came over to Paris. Slowly, but steadily, Anju was back to her competition trim. The rest is history.

AP

"It really feels good to have a medal from a competition that had the best in the world," said Anju after her performance in Monaco.

The Olympic year proved tougher. Expectations had soared by then, expectations of that elusive Olympic medal. Not even Milkha Singh or P.T. Usha had achieved that, though they had come agonisingly close to it.

Can Anju do it?

"Why not?" was always the counter from Bobby.

As Bobby looks back, there is disappointment that Anju couldn't get the Olympic medal the country was waiting for, despite a career-best 6.83. There is also pride at the same time that she gave it her best shot despite several hurdles and health problems.

"This year the preparations weren't as good as the Olympic year," says Anju. She had started with a modest 6.42m in the Doha Grand Prix and looked to be reaching nowhere by the time the Helsinki World Championships came in August.

Still, Bobby's confidence and Anju's enthusiasm suggested that there could be a medal. True to their promise, Anju touched a season best of 6.66 metres, but finished fifth, the lesser known American, Tianna Madison, taking the gold at 6.89, with Russian Tatyana Kotova (6.79m) and Frenchwoman Eunice Barber (6.76m) winning the silver and bronze.

"I put up my best fight in the worst climate," said Anju. In the rain and cold of Helsinki, where she needed three windcheaters to protect her, it was a miracle that she managed four other jumps of over 6.50.

Just as it had happened, in the run-up to the Olympics, the topic of a foreign coach cropped up all over again. In 2003, when Anju trained for three months in the US under world record holder Mike Powell, she did gain in confidence and attracted more media attention. There wasn't anything new that Powell taught her, but she as well as Bobby was thankful to him after Paris though his 10 to 4 regimen was not to her liking. The Kerala couple decided not to renew the contract with Powell for 2004.

To give the entire credit to Powell for her Paris bronze (6.70m) would be to forget the fact that she jumped 6.74m twice before that at home and had the National mark of 6.83 in Athens and now 6.75m in Monaco, all under Bobby's charge.

"People including former athletes are ready to pass critical comments without knowing what goes on into Anju's training or why she changes into a diagonal stride as she approaches the board," says Bobby.

Bobby is not against foreign expertise. Someone like Randy Huntington, Powell's coach, who did provide a few tips last year when they were in the US, could be of help. Or someone for a specific task, say to improve Anju's speed. Powell, among others, agrees that she has one of the best jumping techniques in the world.

Foreign coaches of course do not come cheap. Why, Anju would have loved to have a masseur, a doctor and a psychologist in her team through this season and earlier. But they can't afford such a team; they have to fend for themselves.

At Incheon, during the Asian Championships, where Anju won the gold with a jump of 6.65 metres, she had a hamstring strain. "I won't be able to get there, but a professional masseur will," said Bobby. There were two masseurs with the Indian team, both male.

In 2003, the Union Sports Ministry chipped in substantially with funds to help Anju compete and train abroad. Next year, Sobha Developers, the real estate and construction firm from Bangalore, came forward with a handsome sponsorship deal.

"We were expecting the association with Sobha Developers to continue till the Beijing Olympics," said Bobby. But that has not happened.

Anju has managed a modest sponsorship from Cochin Refineries this year and a bigger deal with Nike, the sports shoes and apparel giant, but unlike what many would like to believe the bonuses (apart from equipment support) for winning major international medals are not so mouthwatering. Say, 3,000 dollars for the silver at Monaco. Of course she had 20,000 dollars prize money from the IAAF for her silver, equivalent to the prize she received for the bronze in Paris in 2003.

But does she consider Monaco on par with World championships and Olympics?

"In terms of competition this was the toughest I had. This medal should be put alongside the bronze (from Paris). Just to get into the World Athletics Final was considered an achievement. And now you have a medal. It really feels good to have a medal from a competition that had the best in the world," said Anju.

She had jumped a season best 6.75m, her only valid jump in four attempts, to beat the Olympic champion (Tatyana Lebedeva), Olympic silver medallist (Irina Simagina) and a former World champion (Eunice Barber.)

Athens Olympics probably was tougher in terms of the star-cast, the three Russians (Kotova, Lebedeva and Simagina) at their peak, Marion Jones, Grace Upshaw, Bronwyn Thompson and Carolina Kluft.

What lies ahead? Will she be able to keep up her motivation by the time the Beijing Games come around in 2008? The age factor will also matter.

"We have a medal from the World Championships, the World Athletics Final, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Asian Championships. Next year we will aim for one in the World Indoor championships," says Bobby. Beijing has to be in focus all the while of course.

With the Sania Mirza fever gripping the country, Anju's achievement in Monte Carlo, by and large, received lukewarm response from the media and the authorities. A headless Sports Ministry could not have been expected to respond to her feat. The previous Government, while acknowledging the feats of all the medal winners with a hiked incentive for the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in 2002, actually paid lesser for her World Championships bronze (Rs. 6 lakhs) compared to her Commonwealth Games bronze (Rs. 10 lakhs).

Anju and Bobby can take such ignorance in their stride. But not when someone asks, "when do you think you will jump seven metres?"

Quite often he replies, "it will come" and then wonders, "but then no one asks that of our cricket team when it wins by a small margin."

There is also the veiled suggestion occasionally about how doping plays a large part in international athletics. On her part, Anju is a promoter of WADA's `clean sport' campaign.

Factfile

Anju B. George.

Born: April 19, 1977, Cheeranchira, Changanassery, Kottayam, Kerala.

Educational qualification: Bachelors degree in economics.

Employed with: Customs, Chennai as Preventive Officer.

Personal bests and National records: Long jump 6.83 (Athens, 27-08-04); Triple jump: 13.67m (Hyderabad, 18-12-02).

Major achievements: In long jump: Silver medal at SAF Games, Kathmandu, 1999 (6.22m), gold in Sri Lankan Open meet, Colombo, 1999 (6.32m), gold in International circuit meet at Bhopal, 2000 (6.59m NR), bronze in international meet, Balaton, Hungary, 2001 (6.27m), Asian GP 2002: silver at Hyderabad (6.58m), silver at Bangkok (6.53m), silver at Manila (6.45m); bronze at Commonwealth Games, Manchester, 2002 (6.49m), gold at Asian Games, Busan, Korea, 2002 (6.53m), silver at Super Grand Prix, Stockholm 2003 (6.49m), bronze at World championships, Paris, 2003 (6.70m); gold at Super Grand Prix, Doha 2004 (6.83w), bronze at Grand Prix, Eugene 2004 (6.82w), silver at Super Grand Prix, Madrid 2004 (6.62); sixth place at Olympics, Athens 2004 (6.83m, NR); fourth place at World Athletics Final, Monaco (6.61m); gold at Yokohama international 2004 (6.61m); gold at Asian All-Stars, Singapore 2004 (6.66m); fifth place at World championships, Helsinki 2005 (6.66m); gold at Asian championships, Incheon, 2005 (6.65m); silver at World Athletics Final, Monaco 2005 (6.75m).

Progression: Long jump: 1997-6.20m, 1998-6.12m, 1999-6.37m, 2000-6.59m, 2001-6.74m, 2002-6.74m, 2003-6.70m, 2004-6.83m, 2005-6.75m.

Triple jump: 1997-13.13m, 1998-13.06m, 1999-13.27m, 2000-no mark, 2001-13.61m, 2002-13.67m.

Anju Bobby George

2008-09-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Biography
When Anju Bobby George enters an athletic arena these days, millions of Indian minds stay alert in anticipation around the world. Gold? Silver? Bronze? As the long jump champion battles it out with the best in the business on the global stage, the questions keep coming.

Blame it on Anju’s impressive performances, or more specifically, on one jump that pitchforked her into the limelight and also into the consciousness of the lay man. For the athletics fan, Anju was no unfamiliar name, but on that warm August evening in Paris, Anju transcended the confines of her sport and walked into the common platform that national sport heroes occupy.

It was the 2003 World Championships, and Anju with a fine jump of 6.70 metres in the penultimate round, clinched the bronze, India’s first athletic medal on the global stage. For a nation so short of sporting glory at the world level, it was a moment celebrated and feted in proper measure, with Anju’s every move from then on attracting attention.

Just as a long jump event is never a contest of one jump, Anju’s wasn’t a one-off performance. She had reached that stage step by step, suffering along the way, making sacrifices aplenty and putting in tons of hard work, like every champion performer.

Anju’s journey started in Changanassery, Kerala, where she was born on April 19, 1977 to K T Markose and Gracy Markose. She was initiated into sports by her father and she received early training from Mr P V Welsey at St Anne’s School and Mr K P Thomas, a noted coach, in Koruthode School, which has produced a clutch of athletes over the years.

Anju’s promise was evident early and as she moved up academically, she kept winning laurels. Standing out was her performance in the 1991-92 State schools meet, where she won the 100M hurdles and finished second in the long jump and high jump events. Later, at the Vimala College in Thrissur, Anju came under

T P Ouseph and E.J George, their guidance helped her to become the Calicut University champion.

Around the same time, Anju had started to make her mark at the National level, topping the South Zone junior meet and winning the triple jump at the Federation Cup in Pune in 1996. But the real turning point in her life and career arrived when she came into contact with Robert Bobby George, who was a national triple jump champion.

Bobby, the younger brother of Indian volleyball legend Jimmy George, started training Anju, realising her potential to be a world level athlete. Progress was spectacular since then as Anju left the competition at the national level way behind. Records in long jump and triple jump were under her belt but injuries were a major concern with Anju forced to miss the 2000 Olympic Games as well as the 2001 World Championships due to a dodgy ankle.

Once the injuries were put behind though, Anju was a major threat at the world level, with Bobby, whom she married in 2000, being the major support. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, she clinched the bronze with a leap of 6.49 metres and in the same year, proved she was the best in the continent, topping the Asian Games field in Busan, South Korea with a 6.53M jump. A stint with former world champion Mike Powell in the United States was timely and by the time the Paris World Championships came along, Anju was in the elite list of jumpers in the world.

With the World bronze in her bag, Anju next targetted the Olympic Games, at Athens in 2004. But an untimely bout of illness hampered her and despite a national record breaking leap of 6.83 metres, she had to be content with the sixth place. Battling illness, Anju recovered late in the 2005 season, missing out on a medal at the Helsinki World Championships, where she finished fifth with a 6.66M jump. But consolation came soon enough, with the Indian ace topping the Asian Championships at Incheon, Korea, at 6.65 metres and winning the silver at the World Athletics Finals at Monaco with a superb effort of 6.75M.

A busy 2006 season awaits Anju. She started it off with a silver at the Asian indoor meet in Pattya, Thailand, with a 6.32M jump in a far from perfect arena. The indoor World Championships in Moscow and the Commonwealth Games are the next targets for the Indian, with millions hoping and praying for her success.

Anna Kournikova

2008-08-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Biography
Anna was born in Moscow, Russia, June 7, 1981. Anna is a world class star professional tennis player. Her lean athletic body is truly distracting. Anna's parents who travel with her, are Alla and Sergei, and they refer to her as "Murzik", that means "my little pet" in Russian. She received her first tennis racquet at 5 years old when her parents sold their TV to buy her a present for Christmas. She graduated from a Russian high school in 1997.
At nine years old, Anna was spotted playing in the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, and was offered the opportunity to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. When Anna was only 13 years old she made it to the final in the Rolex Orange Bowl tournament. There, she unfortunately lost to 18 year old Spaniard Marion Ramon. The revenge for Anna would come as soon as the next year. Then, Anna made it all the way to the final again and there she defeated Sandra Nacuk of Yugoslavia. In 1999, she won her first Grand Slam title with Martina Hingis at doubles in the Australian Open. Though a top ten singles player, Anna's only Grand Slam title to date came in the 1999 Australian open Ladies' Doubles with Hingis. Anna is one of the most glamorous of the new generation of women players.

Anna says she would like to be an actress. She also likes reading, listening to music, watching TV, dancing, going to parties, swimming, giving tennis coaching to children, and she is also quite interested in ice hockey. Anna has collected dolls from every country she has visited.

Though not yet the world's best tennis player, Anna has gained extra popularity due to her good looks and sometimes extravagant behavior and posing as a model. In 2000, she was named the most searched for athlete on the internet and for many years has been the world's best known female athlete.
Presently endorsed by Adidas, Yonex, Berlei the famous sports bra, Omega, and Lycos. Anna has certainly come a long way from the days when her parents could hardly afford to buy her a tennis racket.

Anna's earnings for 1999 stood at $11 million for endorsements alone, and they have surely increased by now, making her the highest paid female tennis player. As a cover girl, Anna was named one of Peoplemagazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1998, and graced the cover of Sports Illustrated's June 2000 edition.
Anna has raised the profile of the ladies game to new levels, and she is a major worldwide celebrity, with a lifestyle to match her supermodel looks.

Anna Kournikova

2008-08-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Anna Kournikova

2008-08-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ana Ivanovic

2008-08-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

No.1 - Ana Ivanovic

Tennis (Serbia)

Women’s tennis has been somewhat of a revolving door, but a new darling arrived when 20-year-old Ana Ivanovic won her first Grand Slam at the 2008 French Open.

The up-and-coming star is the first Serbian female tennis player to be ranked No. 1 in the world.

Ana Ivanovic is girl-next-door cute on the court as she fist pumps after big points, but off the court, she is grown and sexy. She’s definitely not shy and should start cutting into Maria Sharapova’s press time if she keeps winning. Ana Ivanovic will be making her Olympic debut in 2008.

Amanda Beard

2008-08-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

No.2 - Amanda Beard

Swimmer (USA)

Olympic medals: One Gold, four Silvers and one Bronze, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens

Amanda Beard is one of the consensus favorites among Olympic hotties and her game has no visible flaws.

She is polished at the Olympics with medals galore as evidence. She has opened up for Playboy, FHM and Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. And she panders some more to the guys while gaining some television experience with recurring appearances on The Best Damn Sports Show Period.

Clearly, her focus is on a variety of ventures, but Beard will be part of the U.S. Olympic Swim Team for a fourth consecutive Olympics in Beijing.

Amy Acuff

2008-08-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

No.3 - Amy Acuff

High Jump (USA)

Olympic medals: None

Amy Acuff will become a four-time Olympian this summer, but more notably -- for some people -- she is a one-time Playboy cover girl.

The 32-year-old hottie has seven combined National titles (indoor and outdoor), but has yet to medal at the Olympics. Her closest call was a fourth-place finish at the 2004 Games in Athens.

Amy Acuff is definitely one of the sexier Olympians and she isn’t shy about showing off. Aside from Playboy, she’s also laid out for Maxim and FHM.

Hope Solo

2008-08-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

No.4 - Hope Solo

Soccer (USA)

Olympic medals: None

Defeat is always a bitter taste, especially if you were on the bench watching helplessly.

That’s how Hope Solo felt as the U.S. Women’s Soccer team lost 4-0 in the 2007 World Cup to Brazil. Solo, who allowed only two goals in four games, was inexplicably benched in favor of 36-year-old Briana Scurry, who hadn’t played a full game in months. She let her coach Greg Ryan have it in a fiery post-game rant.

Needless to say, Hope Solo will be looking to replace that sour memory with a sweet one as the U.S. team heads to Beijing. Ryan is no longer coaching the team and Solo has been named the starting keeper.

Becky Hammon

2008-08-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

No.5 - Becky Hammon

Basketball (Russia)

Olympic medals: None

Even though Becky Hammon was an WNBA MVP candidate in 2007, she felt she wasn’t going to make the cut for the U.S. Women’s Basketball team. With a Russian citizenship in tow, Hammon made a decision that many people felt -- including U.S. Women’s head coach, Ann Donovan -- was unattractive: Hammon decided to play for the Russian team.

Her patriotism was ridiculously questions in the American media, but Becky Hammon didn’t want to pass up the chance to be an Olympian.

Regardless of what the extraneous judges are saying, Big Shot Becky is a hottie, which is why she’s on this list.

Natalie Coughlin

2008-08-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

No.6 - Natalie Coughlin

Swimmer (USA)

Olympic medals: Two Golds, two Silvers and one Bronze, 2004 Athens

The blonde bombshell made a splash at the 2004 Athens Games, winning two golds, two silvers and a bronze. Natalie Coughlin is only the second female swimmer to win five medals at one Olympics and the first to crack the one-minute mark for the 100-meter backstroke.

Coughlin holds the record for the 100-meter backstroke and you can expect to see her sexy dimples several times in Beijing as she aims to reel in six gold medals.

Nastia Liukin

2008-08-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

No.7 - Nastia Liukin

Gymnast (USA)

Olympic medals: None

Russian-born gymnast Nastia Liukin probably wouldn’t be part of the U.S. Olympic Team if this were the 1988 Olympics, but it’s 2008, and she’s getting set for her red, white and blue Olympic debut.

Trained by her parents, the 19-year-old Nastia Liukin has tallied nine World Championships, which ties her with Shannon Miller for the most by any other American gymnast.

She has been part of U.S. National gymnastic teams since the age of 12, but was too young to be eligible for the Athens Games in 2004, which is why Beijing will be her first Olympics.

Gymnasts are known for their bodies and Liukin is no different; her body was rated one of the 11 Best on Earth by Glamour magazine.

Kelly Sotherton

2008-08-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

No.8 - Kelly Sotherton

Heptathlete (Great Britain)

Olympic medals: Bronze, 2004 Athens

British cutie Kelly Sotherton was a surprise Bronze medalist at the 2004 Athens Games, but she has built on her performance since then. She won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and then added a bronze at the 2007 World Championships.

Kelly Sotherton likes to promote her sport, which is why she’ll be stripping down to the bare minimums to do some photos this summer. Needless to say, she’s quickly gaining fans.

After her closest rival retired, Kelly Sotherton is the favorite to win gold in Beijing.

Yelena Isinbayeva

2008-08-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

No.9 - Yelena Isinbayeva

Pole Vault (Russia)

Olympic medals: Gold, 2004 Athens

Adding a pole vaulter to the list sets up for some cheesy sex jokes, but don’t worry, she’s acknowledged her “male couch potato” fan base and understands than she is viewed as a sex symbol.

Jokes aside, Yelena Isinbayeva definitely deserves mention. Yelena Isinbayeva has been tabbed as one of the best female pole vaulters of all time and there isn’t much that she hasn’t accomplished.

She’s held 21 records in her career, including being the only woman to break the five-meter barrier. She is the current Olympic champion, the reigning World Champion and is a two-time IAAF Female Athlete of the Year.

Logan Tom

2008-08-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

No.10 - Logan Tom

Volleyball (USA)

Olympic medals: None

Logan Tom, daughter of former NFL linemen, Mel Tom, has been a phenomenal volleyball player from a very young age. At 16, she was the youngest player on the 1996 U.S. Junior National Team and was the youngest player ever to be selected for the Senior Team at age 19.

Aside from National accomplishments, Logan Tom trashed a bunch of high school volleyball records en route to becoming the Gatorade National High School Player of the year and was twice named the AVCA Player of the Year while at Stanford.

Although she has been one of the key cogs on the U.S. team over the last two Olympics, they haven’t finished better than fourth.

Sania Mirza On Sprite Add

2008-08-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza

2008-08-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza (born November 15, 1986) is an Indian tennis player. She was born in Mumbai, brought up in Hyderabad. Coached by her father, Imran Mirza, she began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003. She is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 18 in doubles. She was ranked 31st in the singles category and 18th in the doubles category in the WTA rankings of January 7, 2008,
Sania Mirza holds the distinction of being the first Indian woman to be seeded in a Grand Slam tennis tournament when she was seeded 26th in the 2007 U.S. Open. Earlier in 2005, she had become the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the 2005 U.S. Open, defeating Mashona Washington, Maria Elena Camerin and Marion Bartoli. In 2004, she finished runner up at the Asian Tennis Championship. In 2005, Mirza reached the third round of the Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Serena Williams. On February 12, 2005, she became the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title, defeating Alyona Bondarenko of Ukraine in the Hyderabad Open Finals.

Mirza won the 2003 Wimbledon Championships Girls' Doubles title, teaming up with Alisa Kleybanova of Russia. Mirza does not enjoy clay court. Her best performance in French Open singles has been a second round appearance in 2007.
As of September 2006, Mirza has notched up three top 10 wins against Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova and Martina Hingis.

At the 2006 Doha Asian Games, Mirza won the silver in the women's singles category and the gold in the mixed doubles partnering Leander Paes.

Sania Mirza

2008-08-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

Through a wild card entry to the 2005 Australian Open and created history by becoming the first Indian woman to enter the third round of a Grand Slam tournament. She lost in the 3rd round to Serena Williams. She became the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title defeating Alyona Bondarenko of Ukraine in the Hyderabad Open Finals on February 12, 2005.

The 5ft. 7in sexy looking Sania Mirza is having a large fan following ind India. She was awarded the Arjuna award in tennis for the year 2004. She has defeated two top 10 players, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova too. Sania won the Wimbledon Championships Girls’ Doubles title in 2003, teaming up with Alisa Kleybanova of Russia.

Through a wild card entry to the 2005 Australian Open and created history by becoming the first Indian woman to enter the third round of a Grand Slam tournament. She lost in the 3rd round to Serena Williams. She became the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title defeating Alyona Bondarenko of Ukraine in the Hyderabad Open Finals on February 12, 2005.

Sania on Doha Asian Games 2006 According to Doha Asian Games Organizing Committe, Sania Mirza and Leander Paes will play mixed doubles in warm up for their tilt at Doha 2006 gold by playing together at the Asian Hopman Cup in Delhi next week, it was announced on Saturday 4 November. The darling of Indian tennis is hoping she will turn around a disappointing year by winning the mixed doubles tournament with Paes in front of her own fans and then taking gold in Doha the following month.

Starting 22 November, the Asian Hopman Cup will be the perfect build-up to Doha for Mirza and Paes and will see them come up against quality male and female double acts from China, Thailand, Japan, Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei.

Jennie Finch

2008-08-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Olympic softball gold medalist -- and SI Swimsuit model -- Jennie Finch, heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Nadia Comaneci and UFC star Tito Ortiz are among the 14 "celebrities" who will compete on the next edition of The Apprentice.

Pitcher Jennie Finch #27 of the United States delivers a pitch against China during the women's preliminaries softball game at the Fengtai Softball Field on Day 10 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 18, 2008 in Beijing, China.

Fanni Juhasz

2008-08-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

No.10 - Fanni Juhasz

Pole vault, Hungary
Playboy edition: September 2004

Making the cut in Playboy’s “The Women of the Olympics” spectacular, which ran right after the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Greece finished up, was a relatively obscure athlete from Hungary named Fanni Juhasz.

Although she might have been an underdog in stature, the sexy pole vaulter posed like a pro. Her nude pictorial included a picture with her and her 15-foot pole on the beach.

Her Olympic career didn’t amount to much, which makes this one of her most notable accomplishments while representing Hungary.

2008-08-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

Anita Marks
No.9 - Anita Marks Quarterback, Miami Fury Playboy edition: September 2002 Finding females who truly adore sports is like finding a good Anna Faris movie: there just aren’t that many out there. Speaking of Anna Faris: she made the cover of Playboy’s September 2008 issue.

Anita Marks, an authentic sports doter, is one of those rare finds. She grew up playing football with the boys and eventually quarterbacked two women’s professional football teams, the Miami Fury and the Florida Stingrays.
After playing under center, Anita Marks did the Playboy centerfold in 2002. It was at this point that she earned a bid into the guy’s Hall of Fame, but she’s still waiting on the call from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Anita Marks now hosts a daily drive-home show on ESPN Radio in Baltimore.

Ineta Radevica

2008-08-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

No.8 - Ineta Radevica

Long jump and triple jump, Latvia
Playboy edition: September 2004

There are more than a few hockey players that seem to attract the sexy female celebs: Mike Comrie reeled in Hilary Duff, Jarret Stoll netted Rachel Hunter and Petr Schastlivy drafted Olympian Ineta Radevica.

Ineta Radevica, a Latvian track and field athlete, was in the “Women of the Olympics” edition in 13th.

September 2004. The tall, slender and sexy blonde was in perfect shape for her photos, and it’s safe to say you wouldn’t kick her out of bed for eating crackers.
Ineta Radevica is a two-time NCAA triple jump champion, but her best Olympic finish was

Susen Tiedtke-Green

2008-08-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

No.7 - Susen Tiedtke-Green

Track and field, Germany
Playboy edition: September 2004

Susen Tiedtke-Green might need performance-enhancing drugs to compete with the women at the Olympics, but she doesn’t need any artificial assistance to become a female athlete in Playboy.
The three-time Olympian, who did test positive for steroids in her career, made her most notable appearance in the Olympics in 2004 when she posed for Playboy’s “Women of the Olympics” edition right before.
Susen Tiedtke-Green has been more focused on modeling of late, and it doesn’t take more than a first look to understand why. The tall blonde is easy on the eyes and has some physical similarities to fellow German model Claudia Schiffer.

Haley Cope

2008-08-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

No.6 - Haley Cope

Swimmer, USA
Playboy edition: September 2004

For some women on this list, appearing in Playboy might be the highlight of their athletic career. For Haley Cope, however, she’ll have something else to show except for some salacious snapshots.

Haley Cope, another one of the sexy athletes featured in the 2004 “Women of the Olympics” edition, was a pretty good backstroke swimmer for Team USA. She was the 50 meter world champion in 2001, and at the 2004 Athens Games she was part of the relay team that won the silver medal.

Lucky for us, Playboy caught the Olympic medalist doing some skinny-dipping.

Amy Acuff

2008-08-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

No.5 - Amy Acuff

High Jump, USA
Playboy edition: September 2004

Amy Acuff has won eight combined indoor and outdoor United States high jump championships and, in September 2004, she championed the cover of Playboy.
She’s a four-time Olympian, but her success has never translated to the international event.
Her success from Playboy did translate into more modeling opportunities, though, as the cover girl has become one of the more famous Olympic athletes since she was seen bending over half-nude and tying her shoe.
She’s still looking for her first Olympic medal.

Katarina Witt

2008-08-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

No.4 - Katarina Witt

Olympic Ice Skater, Germany
Playboy edition: December 1998

Christmas 1998 was pretty sweet after two-time Olympic Gold medalist Katarina Witt opened up for the December edition of Playboy magazine.

In her spread, Katarina Witt was seen jumping, stretching and spreading near some luscious waterfall in some non-descript place. It’s safe to say that millions of men worldwide would have committed felonies to join her. The fact that she was on the downside of her figure skating career at that point wasn’t particularly relevant to anyone.

This issue was only the second edition of Playboy to sell out; the first was the debut issue with Marilyn Monroe.

Gabrielle Reece

2008-08-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

No.3 - Gabrielle Reece

Volleyball, USA
Playboy edition: January 2001

With the athletic body of a professional volleyball player and the looks of a model that covered magazines like Shape, Elle, Vogue, and People, Gabrielle Reece was a natural fit for Playboy.

Even though she mocked her agent when she played herself in an HBO series just a few years prior to her spread, she still opened up for the magazine in January 2001.

Her teasing cover, on which she appeared covering her breast and flashing most of her no-fat body, was accompanied with a satiating nude pictorial inside.

Appearing in Playboy propelled her career further into writing and television.

Mia St. John

2008-08-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

No.2 - Mia St. John

Boxer/Tae Kwon Do, USA
Playboy edition: November 1999

Tough and sexy is the perfect combination that brings all the boys to the yard, and professional boxer Mia St. John is that exact happy medium.

Playboy got her in the ring when Mia St. John took off her gloves for an 11-page spread to show a more feminine side.

Although the media derided after the fact, calling her “Bunny Boxer,” Mia St. John proved the critics wrong by winning the IFBA Lightweight World Title, IBA Continental Lightweight Title and WBC International Female Welterweight titles. Given her success and popularity, she’s clearly one of the sport’s stars.

Amanda Beard

2008-08-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

No.1 Amanda Beard

Swimmer, USA
Playboy edition: July 2007

American swimmer Amanda Beard drew a lot of attention when she appeared on the cover of Playboy in July 2007 -- doing a different type of breast stroke.

Her “Adult Swim” pictorial showed us a different side of the two-time gold medalist, one that many men were hoping to see for a while. Amanda Beard worked her way up starting with FHM, then upgrading to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and then finally Playboy, but guys were drooling since her first FHM photos. Her latest foray is an ad campaign for PETA.
The four-time Olympian is easily the most renowned female in Playboy at this point.

Serena and Venus Williams

2008-08-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

Serena Jameka Williams (b.26th Sept, 1981) & Venus Ebony Starr Williams (b.17th June, 1980) Two of the worlds top seeded tennis players with multiple grand slam wins between them. At times arrogant, self obsessed and downright annoying, but.. remarkably attractive sisters. Where Venus is tall, sleek and angular, Serena is comparatively stocky, with a huge chest and fascinatingly curvacious bottom. Personally, if I had to pick who was the most striking of the pair..I’d choose Venus, but they balance eachother out nicely.

Why choose when they come in pairs?

SERENA

VENUS

David Beckham

2008-08-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

David Beckham

2008-08-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

Born: 2 May 1975
Birthplace: Leytonstone, England
Best Known As: Real Madrid midfield star and Mr. Posh Spice

Beckham is a leading English footballer and a former star of the legendary team Manchester United. Beckham was already a fan favorite when he married Spice Girls star Victoria Adams (”Posh Spice”) in July of 1999; the combination of the two heartthrobs proved irresistible to the press and public, and they became one of Britain’s most famous couples. As a player Beckham is particularly known for his free kick expertise, hot temper and spectacular long-range shots (including a famous goal from midfield against Wimbledon in 1996). In June of 2003, Manchester United sold Beckham to the Spanish team Real Madrid for a transfer fee of 35 million euros (about 25 million British pounds).

Jessica Simpson

2008-08-17T04:26:00.000-07:00

Jessica Simpson hinted that her romance with sports star Tony Romo was coming to an end in a new interview with America’s Glamour magazine.

Despite her denials, insiders insist the couple has separated, and Dallas Cowboys star Romo has been telling his pals he’s no longer dating the singer.

And it appears Simpson saw the end of the high-profile relationship coming when she was interviewed for Glamour in March (08).

She tells the publication, “This article could come out and Tony and I could be broken up”.

And the rumours of a split have swelled after Romo was spotted partying with a bevy of beauties at a Chicago, Illinois bar at the weekend (10May08), while Simpson was working in Los Angeles.

One insider at the party tells Life & Style magazine, “He was surrounded by girls. We had to restrain someone who forcibly tried to make her way to his table… He zeroed in on one blonde all night, and that blonde wasn’t Jessica Simpson”.

The reported split comes at an awkward time for Simpson - her allegedly pregnant little sister Ashlee is to wed fiancee Pete Wentz this weekend (17May08).

Maria-Sharapova

2008-08-17T04:23:00.000-07:00

Maria Sharapova the Russian Sprots beauty player posed for Ocean Drive Magazine. Her photos together with an interview show in the March Issue of the magazine.
She is one of the most beautiful female athletes at the moment and seem like she is doing lots of fashion shots including her appearance in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. As you already know she has what to show us so it will be a lost if she wouldn’t play the supermodel role to.

Maria-Sharapova

2008-08-17T04:13:00.000-07:00