I accepted my duties as Olympic Stud Finder with the promise that I was going to be professional and choose someone based strictly on talent, without letting muscles cloud my judgment. But then the men’s 200m came on. And who wasn’t seduced by the line of fast fellas?
Taking my vote for hunkiest of the lot is the American runner Walter Dix, who placed fifth, but was moved up to third after the two runners in second and third places were disqualified. There was something about Dix that caught my eye from the beginning. Maybe it was his sexy shades and his cool ‘do, or the fact that the announcer kept calling him a "gamer," but he was no Usain Bolt — the event’s record-breaking gold medalist andreigning showboat. He handled the bronze medal news with grace and good sportsmanship, giving a glum smile and saying "I still lost," to his manager. Well, we have a first place finish for you, Walt, and your pickup line, "I’m not the world’s fastest man," sounds way better than Bolt’s.
My silver and bronze medals for yesterday’s games go to the ladies. You couldn’t help but feel that ol’ red, white, and blue spirit when Misty May and Kerri Walsh won the gold in women’s volleyball. At 5′2", I’m already jealous of these leggy glamazons, but playing in a torrential downpour? In white bikinis? They pulled it off with out looking like runner-ups in a wet t-shirt contest.
I had to give Haley Ishimatsu a mention and a big ol’ virtual hug! My heart broke while watching her try oh-so-hard to keep her composure after not making the women’s 10M diving finals. Her sniffles turned into the kind of awkward public sobbing and choking that only happens at the worst times — like when you’re being interviewed about the most gigantic loss you’ve ever suffered…
Now it’s your turn! Nominate your own Olympic Stud of the Day* — or second ours — below. (Then click here to check out our winning Studs from the last few days in Beijing.)
* Not just a man or woman who turns us on. (Necessarily.)
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Loved the “I still lost” comment. That is not the way you dream of winning a bronze medal, but now he has 2, so he must be happy! Plus, he went to my Alma Mater, so I have to love him!
Yeah, Walter Dix is great but you screwed this one up. May and Walsh have won 108 matches in a row! They haven’t lost in over a year, and this is their second consecutive gold medal (and might I point out they haven’t dropped a set in both Olympic tournaments).
That bests a bronze and a cute comment any day.
I’m right there with you. Walter Dix is beautiful. I’ve been drooling over him since the semis.
I’ve been feeling Dix since the beginning, he seems to have a level head on his shoulders. He’s got 2 bronze medals! I do like that the announcer basically says “no matter where is is expected to finish, he’s going to do better than that” – that’s pretty cool.
Misti & Kerri – no words for the domination – go girls!!
I think you need to switch those around. Misty and Kerri for the win and Walter as the the runner-up. You just can’t ignore their complete and utter domination. They didn’t lose a single set the ENTIRE Olympics! Actually, they didn’t lose one in the last Olympics either. And who didn’t LOL at Misty trying to copy the bikini girls’ dance?!
Is anyone else getting as fed up as I am with some of those NBC sideline reporters over at the Bird’s Nest? They have a way of really coming across as heartless. Example: last night interviewing the American who originally won the bronze in the men’s 200 RIGHT AFTER he found out he’d been DQ’ed. It was so incredibly insensitive with, “Oh why do you think this happened? How do you feel? What are you going to do now?” Dude, he just had one of his major dreams crushed. It’s just painful to watch someone suffer like that because some reporter thinks that they have a right to ask questions. Same thing with the Lolo Jones interview the night before. NBC’s track and field reporters need more class.
Thanks for giving Dix some love! I’ve been very impressed by him since the 100M. However, Misty-May and Kerri deserve some love too – maybe they can all be co-studs for the day?
Natalie du Toit in the 10K swim. I’m not sure I could finish that swim, and I’m a pretty good swimmer, let alone do that race missing part of a leg. And she finished in the middle of the pack, ahead of the American.
I have all respect for the female athletes. That said, Lisa, being 5′-2″ MUCH sexier than essentially being built like a man.
WATCH YOUR MOUTH, FLETCH!
I think that Misty and Kerri deserve “stud of the day”, seeing how they won gold and haven’t lost a match for over a year. Yeah, Walter Dix is gorgeous, but without two DQs, he wouldn’t have collected his medal.
I have to agree with Megan about the reporters and their lame interviews. Poor Haley trying to compose herself made me want to smack the reporter and give her a hug. It just seems cruel to interview someone who has just experienced a crushing loss, and asking, “How do you feel?” is the most idiotic move.
Fletch, if you think the women’s volleyball players are built like men, then you know some very *interesting* men.
Megan – well said. I agree 100 %.
OSD should have gone to Misty and Kerri. I was so worried that their white “uniforms” were going to become transparent. That alone is stud-worthy.
Watch my mouth because I find shorter, petite women more attractive than the more athletic types? Am I not allowed to have a preference? Wow, where is the tolerance? I did preface my comments by saying that I had all respect for the female athletes, you know?
And, with some exceptions, many of the female athletes are taller and have broader shoulders. Is that not typically what you think of when you think of men?
Jeez, sorry to enflame the lynch mob. My apologies…
Spearmon who initially took bronze in the 200m. He was a nice counterpoint to Bolt and humanized him. Did I fail to mention he was a cutie? My heart sank for him after the disqualification. The NBC interviewer was an insensitive idiot. A lot of them could use improvement. Speaking of NBC – Chris Collingsworth – MY STUD of the Olymics. Something about him – Just the right amount of brain and heart. When he smiles, my whole world lights up.
I was just kidding. I should not kid in all caps.
Either that or maybe I should go down to the habadashery and get fitting for a thicker skin…
No worries!
Fitted, I meant. Dammit!
May and Walsh should have been the OSotD. Playing in the rain, didn’t drop a set, and the 1st beach VB team to repeat their gold. Definitely deserving of being the studs.
Just so you know, Fletch, I was kidding, too, but no, taller with broader shoulders doesn’t mean “built like a man” to me. Would Kerri Walsh truly be mistaken for a man? Some of the women bodybuilders, OTOH…
Maarten van der Weijden is definitely the Stud of the Day. He won the 10k Open Water Marathon Swim last night, and won it in the last 200 meters. To boot, he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001, had a stem cell transplant, and came back in 2003 faster than ever. Amazing.
Well, in all fairness, I do have the hots for Lolo Jones and Amanda Beard. I don’t think either one of them would be considered men…
Walsh and May totally deserve the title! And the USA women’s soccer team won gold, too! Come, on, let’s hear it for the American women who make us proud.
I would have said May-Treanor & Walsh, but I was turned off by the sight of Misty May-Treanor flinging her mother’s ashes up in the air after the match was over. It wasn’t like she quietly and respectively sprinkled the ashes over the sand, she just opened the bottle and let ‘em go.
Should definitely be Misty and Kerri. They were amazing last night – I was hollering at my television set. What an accomplishment – back to back gold medals and this one won in the pouring rain. Go girls!!!
Aside from Adam van de whatever from Canada (who is hot, to be fair), the kayakers have not been getting their fair share of love here. Gabor Kucsera (I noticed him and his red mohawk while watching the parade of nations on fast forward), Shaun Rubenstein, and Markus Oscarsson. Mmmph.
I’m with most people cheering for misty and kerri, I almost never cheer for the American teams, partially becuase the un der dog is fun to root for, mostly due to the obnoxious NBC coverage we get in Canada….ugh….shows something you don’t win every once and a while or ever something you aren’t heavily favored in….they deserve recognition too….but it is very hard to not cheer for them, they seem to be such genuine competitors. They are a pretty amazing team. But the NBC coverage still blows.
I have to say Wallace Spearmon. He won, and then he didn’t. I actually almost cried for him. He was so heartbroken.
Gotta agree that Kerri/Misty May should be OSOTDs. Honorable mention goes to Wheating, the 800m runner from Oregon who admitted he made amateur mistakes and didn’t qualify for the finals (this is a college sophmore who never ran track in HS). But just seeing the joy on his face before the race started was priceless. When he mouthed the word “WOW” in response to the roar of the crowd when his name was announced, even a shlub like me could imagine how it would feel to find yourself in such an elite setting.
Can I nominate Hickstead the horse. He’s responsible for a gold, and a silver medal at these games