Whether they swim, run, climb, or jump, Olympic athletes devote their entire lives to sports at the highest level—demonstrating unrivaled mental and physical strength. Some have overcome personal hurdles, others are committed to worthy causes. They are all sources of inspiration and, in our hearts, already winners. Nominated by the 45 editions of ELLE International, these incredible athletes from all over the world are the ones to beat as we head into the 2024 Olympic Games.
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- DINA ASHER-SMITH
- LÉA BAYEKULA
- PAULINE DÉROULÈDE
- UTA ABE
- KUO HSING-CHUN
- REBECA ANDRADE
- JENNI HERMOSO
- BRANDIE WILKERSON
- AMI YUASA
- RAYSSA LEAL
- JANJA GARNBRET
- ANNA KORAKAKI
- SAFIYA AL-SAYEGH
DINA ASHER-SMITH
TRACK & FIELD, Great Britain, 28
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Dina Asher-Smith is one of the fastest British women in history. When she was 13 years old, the sprinter set a world record for the 300-meter dash. In 2015, she became the first woman from Great Britain to run the 100-meter in under 11 seconds.
LÉA BAYEKU
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PARALYMPIC TRACK & FIELD, Belgium, 29
Léa Bayekula competes in wheelchair racing. In 2021, she won a bronze medal in the 100-meter race at the Para Athletics European Championships and broke a world record at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix. Bayekula has shown time and time again that resilience and positivity can triumph over adversity.
PAULINE DÉROULÈDE
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PARALYMPIC TENNIS, France, 33
In 2018, Pauline Déroulède was hit by a 92-year-old person driving a car. The crash resulted in the amputation of her left leg, and Déroulède, who worked as a weekend tennis coach, set her sights on the Paralympic Games. When she’s not playing tennis, Déroulède advocates against life-long driving licenses. She works with the campaign Sauver Des Vies C’est Permis to make France’s roads safer.
UTA ABE
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JUDO, Japan, 23
At the Tokyo Games, Uta Abe became an Olympic gold medalist. She also made history with her brother, Hifumi Abe, who also competes in judo, becoming the first pair of siblings to win Olympic gold medals on the same day. The two also started a project to increase judo’s popularity. Last year, they oversaw a friendly tournament at a judo school in their hometown of Hyogo, providing classes and matches for younger generations of judokas.
KUO HSING-CHUN
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WEIGHTLIFTING, Taiwan, 30
At the Tokyo Olympics, Kuo Hsing-Chun won a gold medal and broke three Olympic records in the process. But it wasn’t an easy road to get there: She sustained a terrible injury before the 2014 Asian Games, which tore 70 percent of her thigh muscle. She rebounded from the set back and won a bronze medal just two years later at the Rio Olympics.
REBECA ANDRADE
MARTIN BERNETTI//Getty Images
ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS, Brazil, 25
Rebeca Andrade is the first woman from Brazil to win an Olympic gold medal in artistic gymnastics. At the Tokyo Games, she won silver in the all-around and gold on vault. In 2023, she won five medals (one gold, three silver, one bronze) at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, becoming the most decorated Brazilian athlete in the history of the sport. Andrade began training at the age of four through a municipal sports incentive project in her city. Because her family couldn’t afford transportation, she would walk for two hours, accompanied by her older brother, to the gym.
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JENNI HERMOSO
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FOOTBALLER, Spain, 34
One of the most prolific strikers in soccer history, Jenni Hermoso is Spain’s all-time leading female scorer. At age 12, she kickstarted her career at Atlético Madrid’s youth program. She later played for other clubs, like Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. She became a world champion at the 2023 World Cup, where she received the prestigious Silver Ball award.
BRANDIE WILKERSON
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BEACH VOLLEYBALL, Canada, 32
Wilkerson started playing indoor volleyball when she was a teenager. She was inspired to try her hand at beach volleyball after watching the Canadian team compete in the 2012 Olympics. Wilkerson finished fifth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She is the first Black woman to compete for Team Canada in beach volleyball and is the co-founder of Project Worthy, a scholarship program supporting young BIPOC athletes.
AMI YUASA
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BREAKING, Japan, 25
Inspired by the hip-hop music her older sister played growing up, Ami Yuasa took up breaking at the age of 11. She has since become a world champion, known for her perfectly executed tricks. In 2018, she made history as the first woman to win the Red Bull BC One World Final, paving the way for other women in breaking to do the same.
RAYSSA LEAL
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SKATEBOARDING, Brazil, 16
Rayssa Leal garnered the nickname “fadinha do skate,” or little skating fairy, after a video of her performing skateboard tricks dressed as a fairy with wings went viral. At just 13 years old, Leal won silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the youngest Brazilian to ever win an Olympic medal. Since then, she has picked up first place finishes at several competitions, including a gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile.
JANJA GARNBRET
Matic Klansek Velej / Sportida
SPORT CLIMBING, Slovenia, 25
With eight World Championship titles, 41 World Cup victories, and an Olympic Gold medal under her belt, Janja Garnbret is recognized as one of the greatest climbers of all time. In 2023, she was named the Slovenian Athlete of the Year for the fourth time. She has spoken out about the issue of malnutrition in climbing and advocated to make health screenings mandatory for all World Cup and Continental Cup participants.
ANNA KORAKAKI
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SHOOTING, Greece, 28
Inspired by her father, a former champion shooter, Anna Korakaki became a member of the Greek National Team when she was 14 years old. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, she became the first Greek athlete to win two medals, a bronze and gold, at the same Games. In 2023, she placed first at the World Cup, European Championships, and European Games.
SAFIYA AL-SAYEGH
CYCLING, United Arab Emirates, 22
Safiya Al-Sayegh is the UAE’s first professional female cyclist. Al-Sayegh made history as the first-ever Emirati woman to qualify for the road race at the Olympic Games, and in the lead up to Paris 2024, she was selected to represent the UAE’s Olympic Committee Athlete Board.
