As evidenced by those who have made the cut to compete in the sporting world’s most monumental arena, it becomes clear that turning into an Olympian requires a great degree of both physical and mental fortitude. This also means that for every successful Olympian athlete who managed to secure their spot at the Games, there are plenty of other failed athletes who fell short of such a tall order.
Surprisingly, there are many singers, movie stars and other celebrities who successfully represented their countries in various disciplines at the Olympics.
Some of the most popular names include Bond film Goldfinger (1964) fame Oddjob actor, Harold Sakata, who won a silver medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London in weightlifting, Home Alone (1990) actress Hillary Wolf who represented the US at the 1996 Summer Olympics and Take a Girl Like You (1970) actor Noel Harrison who competed at the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo as a part of the Great Britain ski team.
There are also a surprising number of celebrities — actors, models and singers — who tried to become Olympic athletes but failed to qualify. Popular celebrities like supermodel Bella Hadid, K-pop idol Jackson Wang and Hollywood star Jason Statham are among the celebrities who failed to achieve their dreams of becoming Olympic athletes.
Take a look at the list of notable celebrities — from Salma Hayek to former One Direction member Liam Payne — who attempted to qualify as Olympic athletes, but failed.
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Bella Hadid, one of the highest-paid models in the industry, debuted at the 2014 New York Fashion Week at the age of 16. However, modelling was not always on the cards for her. She once aspired to be an Olympic-level equestrian. At the age of 18, Hadid had set her sights on the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
In an interview with the New York Post in 2015, Hadid revealed, “I never knew (modelling) was something I wanted to do. I started riding at an early age and my sister was modelling for years before I was. I thought that was going to be her thing”.
While she was dead set on becoming an Olympic athlete, she failed to do so after quitting her dreams due to her battle with Lyme disease since 2013.
In her blog post, her mother Yolanda Hadid revealed, “Bella had to give up her lifelong dream of having a professional riding career and a shot at the Olympics due to her severe symptoms and inability to ride. This was the biggest heartbreak of her life and an extremely sensitive subject for her.”
Jackson Wang is one of the most popular idols in K-pop who also attained global popularity. But before becoming a global phenomenon, the idol had to go through the wrath of his parents who wouldn’t let him give up on the Olympics to pursue a career in music.
Born and raised in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, Wang’s life was always intertwined with sports. His father, Wang Ruiji, was an Olympic fencer who competed in the 1984 and 1988 Games in Los Angeles and Seoul, respectively. His mother, Sophia Chow, was a Chinese national team gymnast.
Naturally, Wang was destined to follow his parents’ footsteps. He proved to be a promising fencer after competing in his first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. He was defeated by a Russian rival in the round of 16. His father coached him to place at the 11th position in the Asian rankings.
However, Wang decided to dedicate his life to singing and dancing — every Asian parent’s nightmare. In 2010, he was invited by JYP Entertainment, a famous South Korean record label, to audition. Wang was selected among 2000 contenders and was offered to become a trainee with JYP. The offer came when he was training to become Hong Kong’s fencer for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
During his appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Jackson Wang revealed that it took him seven months to persuade his parents to let him chase his dream of becoming a singer. Despite being discouraged by his parents and peers, Wang decided to quit his Olympic dreams and become a K-pop idol.
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Next on the list of celebrities who tried to become Olympic athletes but failed is the Hollywood action star Jason Statham. The dashing actor was once a top-level diver. He also represented England at the Commonwealth Games back in 1990.
Statham failed to qualify for the 1988 Seoul Games and again for the 1992 Barcelona Games, respectively. In an interview with IGN in 2003, Jason Statham opened up about his unfulfilled dream of qualifying for the Olympics.
He said, “It wasn’t actually in the Olympic Games, but I spent 12 years on the national squad. And it was a great experience, you know, to travel the world and compete at a certain level. It teaches you discipline, and focus, and certainly keeps you out of trouble.”
Statham is known for typically playing tough and gritty roles on screen. Some of his best films are Spy (2015), Furious 7 (2015), The Bank Job (2008) and The Italian Job (2003). You can still find Statham’s old diving videos floating around on the internet. However, be prepared to see him with quite a lot of hair.
Former One Direction member Liam Payne once dreamed of being an Olympian before conquering the world as a pop star.
Before his breakthrough on X-Factor in 2010, Payne was a dedicated runner. In a 2010 interview with Express and Star, Payne revealed that he was a member of the Wolverhampton and Bilston Athletics Club.
“I used to get up and run five miles before school and another few miles when I came home. At that time it was always a choice between running or singing but I just missed out on a place in the England team,” he revealed.
@Niallerloveu if i wasnt in 1D , running in the olympics would of been my dream 🙂
— Liam (@LiamPayne) July 27, 2012
However, his Olympic dream did come true, just not the way he’d imagined. The “Strip That Down” singer performed at the London 2012 closing ceremony with his bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
Before revolutionising the world of fashion, Vera Wang dedicated her life to becoming an Olympic figure skater. Born in New York, Wang’s parents immigrated from Shanghai in the mid-1940s.
The world-renowned fashion designer grew up in a privileged home where she had the chance to take up an elitist sport like figure skating at the age of eight. She proved to be a promising athlete and even competed at the 1968 U.S. National Championships in Philadelphia.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post’s Post Magazine, Wang revealed, “I was a competitive ice skater until I was 20 years old. I was completely dedicated to it. I was devastated when I did not qualify for the Olympic team. I had a nervous breakdown and ended up doing a semester in Paris, where I realised I had a passion for fashion.”
Wang and her partner James Stuart failed to qualify for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble which prompted her decision to change her career.
Interestingly, Wang’s Olympic dream came true unexpectedly after she designed costumes for Olympic skaters like Nancy Kerrigan at the 1992 and 1994 Games, Olympic champion Evan Lysacek at Vancouver 2010, and Nathan Chen (2018).
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Cody Simpson is the only celebrity who came back stronger to chase his Olympic dream but ultimately failed.
The Australian pop star was a talented swimmer as a kid. However, his inclination towards music pushed him into the entertainment world. In his tweens, Simpson’s covers of popular songs became an instant hit on YouTube. He moved to Los Angeles with his newfound fame in 2010 to seriously pursue music.
He went on to release several successful albums and singles like “iYiYi”, “4 U” and “Coast to Coast”, among others. Cody Simpson also gained recognition as an actor after appearing in ventures like Cougar Town (2009), One Crazy Cruise (2015), Smiley Face Killers, (2020) and more.
However, in 2019, Simpson decided to give his dreams a chance and returned to the pool after staying away from the sport for over a decade. According to the official Olympics site, Simpson trained with two-time Olympian Brett Hawke to prepare for his swimming comeback.
He also trained with American swimming legend Michael Phelps to prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In June 2021, Simpson participated in the Australian Swimming Trials for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Although he recorded a personal best time of 50.22 in the men’s 100m freestyle, he failed to make the finals.
Additionally, he failed to secure a berth in the Australian Dolphins squad for the Tokyo Olympics after finishing eighth overall with 52.94 in the 100m butterfly final. However, Simpson wasn’t done trying.
After winning a bunch of medals for Australia at international events including his first individual medal in an international meet — a silver in the men’s 100m butterfly at the Swimming World Cup 2023 held in Athens — Simpson tried to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics but failed in men’s 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly at the 2024 Australian Swimming Trials. And just like that, Cody Simpson’s Olympic dream was over and he ended up becoming one of many failed athletes.
Mexican-American actress Salma Hayek was a promising gymnast before she became an empowering icon for people of colour in Hollywood. In an interview with Sunday TODAY in 2023, Hayek revealed she was drafted for the Olympics at nine.
She revealed being a self-taught gymnast and begging her father to take her to Mexico City. She recalled training every hour of the day at a gym where she was eventually drafted. However, her dream came to an end just as quickly as it had started.
“My father decided for me that I wasn’t going to have a childhood and, of course, that they were going to take his child away at nine and go live in another city. He thought it was horrific and it took me a long time to forgive him. I really resented that decision. I didn’t want a childhood. I just wanted to do gymnastics,” Hayek recalled.
Some of the most popular works of Hayek include The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017), Fools Rush In (1997), Here Comes The Boom (2012) and Traffic (2000).
Veteran American actor Bruce Dern was an exceptional runner before he became a Hollywood legend. He is known for his films like Nebraska (2013), Coming Home (1978), Black Sunday (1977), The Great Gatsby (1974) and Smile (1975).
According to Runners World, Dern was a gifted runner as a school-going boy, clocking a half-mile best of 1:55.8. He also competed in the National Senior Games until he injured his leg in 2008 while running on a wet trail.
Although Dern wanted to compete at the 1956 Olympic Trials as a sprinter, he was aware that his chances were slim. “My dream was to be good enough to make the Olympic Trials, and I wasn’t that year, and I didn’t improve,” Dern told the outlet.
“By the 1956 Olympics, I wasn’t good enough. That ’56 Olympic team that I thought maybe I’d be good enough to make? No, they had Mal Whitfield who won it in ’48 and ’52 and was still there,” he added.
Dern may not have gotten a chance at being an Olympic runner but he continues to run as a longtime member of the Santa Monica Track Club.
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Last on our list of popular celebrities who failed to become Olympic athletes is Geena Davis. The Academy Award-winning actress is popularly known for her films like The Fly (1986), The Accidental Tourist (1988), Thelma & Louise (1991), and A League of Their Own (1992) among others.
From being a baseball catcher to a pirate queen, Davis has essayed numerous physically challenging roles in her career. However, her most demanding project came at the age of 41 when she became an Olympic-caliber archery champion.
In a 2020 interview with People Magazine, Geena Davis revealed that she developed a fascination towards the sport after watching America’s Justin Huish win two gold medals at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Davis decided to take up archery in 1997 and found herself a coach. She started practising for five hours a day, six days a week and won a slew of national and international tournaments.
Within two years of picking up the sport, Davis competed with the top archers of her country to qualify at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. However, Davis’ Olympic dream never came true as she finished 24th and he became one of the many failed athletes of Hollywood.
(Main and featured image credits: Bella Hadid and Jason Statham/ Instagram)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur.
Princia is an entertainment writer and pop culture addict whose eyes sparkle at the sight of true crime docu-dramas. In her free time, she consumes an unhealthy amount of Korean dramas and anime. She has ..Read More
