Adam Rippon- Figure Skating
Again, we don’t need to tell you much about where American figure skater Adam Rippon has been. Although this skater did not win gold, he did take home bronze for the 2018 Winter Olympics. However, it was not just his impressive performances, but his personality that rocketed him to international fame. I mean, he had celebrities like Zach Braff, Reese Witherspoon and Sally Fields tweeting at him! Rippon became the first openly gay athlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics and is not shy about speaking out against Vice President Mike Pence’s anti-gay stance. In a photo he tweeted at Mike Pence, he was seen kissing fellow Olympian Gus Kenworthy.
Mckayla Maroney – Gymnastics
McKayla Maroney created quite the storm during the 2012 Olympic Games, and not just because of her performance in the vault, which earned her a silver medal, but also largely due to her infamous “not impressed” facial expression while she was on the podium receiving her medal. She also contributed to the team winning gold that same year. Since then, she has actually retired from gymnastics due to health issues and is instead focused on building an acting and singing career while simultaneously building a massive social media following.