6 celebrity Olympic wannabes, from Jason Statham to Caitlyn Jenner and even K-pop’s Jackson Wang

Jul 23 , 2021

Jackson Wang, Vera Wang and Cody Simpson are three stars who are, or were, Olympic hopefuls in their chosen sports. Photos: Handout, German Larkin, @jacksonwang852g7/Instagram

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Kendall and Kylie’s mum and step-mum to the Kardashians won gold in 1976, while Fast & Furious star Statham dived for Britain at the Commonwealth Games

Fashion’s Vera Wang was once a professional skater, while Got7 rapper Jackson Wang was eleventh representing Hong Kong in the fencing at the 2010 Youth Olympics

Before making it big in showbiz, many celebrities dabble in a wide (and often unexpected) range of income-earning activities and odd jobs. That goes as far as a few having professional careers as athletes, with a sprinkling of them being so successful that they tried out for, or even made it all the way to, the Olympics.

Now that the 2020 games are finally about to begin, it seems fitting to look back at some of them and see just how far they got ...

Caitlyn Jenner

Before skyrocketing to international stardom as Kendall and Kylie’s mum and step-mum to the Kardashian clan, Caitlyn Jenner was a lauded American athlete.

Back in 1976 at the Montreal Olympics, Jenner won gold in the prestigious decathlon event. Not only did the trailblazing celebrity win gold for the USA, she even set a world record score of 8,617 points. No wonder she’s looking to politics next!

Vera Wang