Plenty of celebrities worked odd jobs before catching their big breaks, but some left behind formidable careers to reach their current level of success. Cody Simpson had dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer that never came to fruition while K-pop singer Jackson Wang pushed his chances at a gold medal aside to pursue a career in music.
As the 2022 Olympic Games approach, here's a look at six celebrities you probably didn't know were Olympic-level athletes.
Vera Wang
The decorated fashion designer is famous for creating magnificent wedding gowns, but Vera Wang once donned leotards on the regular when she had aspirations of becoming a champion figure skater. Wang started skating at age eight and competed as a pairs skater in the 1968 U.S. National Championships, but sadly didn't qualify for the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble. Devastated, she decided to spend a semester abroad in Paris and serendipitously discovered her love for fashion design.
Cody Simpson
Australian heartthrob Cody Simpson made headlines after dating Miley Cyrus shortly after her split with Liam Hemsworth, but the singer has been popping up in the news again for his Olympic ambitions. Sadly, his dreams of competing this year were cut short when he finished in last place in the 100-meter butterfly final at the Australian Olympic swimming trials in June. Simpson plans to continue training for a shot at becoming an Olympic swimmer in the future.
Michael Jordan
We already know that Michael Jordan is an outstanding athlete, but did you know the legendary basketball player was an Olympic champion? In both 1984 and 1992, he helped the USA team win Olympic gold medals. It's no wonder Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
Jackson Wang
Pop sensation Jackson Wang—the cover star of L'OFFICIEL Hommes Fall 2020—has an incredibly successful career in KPop with his group Got7 alongside growing his solo career, but the singer once had dreams of making it as an Olympic fencer. He became an Olympic at age 16 and was on track to becoming an Olympic athlete, but he decided to pursue music instead.
Jason Statham
Jason Statham plays a badass onscreen in the Fast and the Furious franchise, but he's also a gifted stunt man in real life. The actor, who is married to supermodel Rosie Huntington Whitely, was rumored to be on track for the Olympics when he competed in the 1990 Commonwealth Games as a diver. Unfortunately, he didn't place as high as he had hoped and wound up finding more success as a Hollywood actor.
Shaquille O'Neal
From professional basketball player to sports analyst to actor, Shaquille O'Neal is a man of many talents. The seven-foot-tall athlete brought the USA basketball team to victory with a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. His Olympic team finished with a perfect 8-0 record that year.
