Showbiz surprises for celebrity Olympic team

The surprising showbiz names with sporting prowess who’d make our celeb Olympic team.

While all eyes were on the Olympics in Paris, we spent two weeks star-spotting plenty of big names, from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion performing in the opening ceremony, to everyone from Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, to Anna Wintour and Ed Sheeran, enjoying some of the sporting action.

But as the A-listers cheered on their nations, some may also be experiencing a little exercise-envy as, in another life, many celebrities could have – and in some cases, did – competed on the world’s athletic stage.

The Hockeywho’s

Kate Middleton, now Princess of Wales, was captain of her school hockey team. Picture: AFP Photo/Pool/Arthur Edwards

Forget the Hockeyroos, it’s the Hockeywho’s, as we could field a whole team of celebrity hockey players with serious stick-skills. Team Captain would have to be Keanu Reeves, who played ice hockey in Toronto and street hockey in LA. As the nicest man in Hollywood, we think he would make sure it’s a fair game. He could field Emma Watson, who found time post-Harry Potter to play field hockey for Brown University. She’d previously played at school. Other hockey stars include Kate Middleton, who was captain of her school hockey team.

Soccer All-Stars

Similarly, if we had to pull together a celebrity soccer side, there are plenty of players to choose from. Top of the list is hardman Vinnie Jones, who went from professional football player to actor. The Gentlemen star played for Wimbledon and Chelsea, among other sides, and was renowned for his colourful antics on the pitch. He’s joined by equally tough-talking chef Gordon Ramsay, who was in Scottish club Rangers’ youth trials and could have enjoyed an alternative career as a football player, had it not been for a knee injury seeing him pivot into the pantry. They can be managed by Natalie Portman, who co-founded a women’s football team in LA, and, of course, Ryan Reynolds who own Wales’ Wrexham FC.

Dashing divers

Action star Jason Statham represented England in diving at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

No wonder he’s so fit – action-man Jason Statham enjoyed a previous career as a diver before he found fame as an actor. He trialled for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Games. The Expendables star competed in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, representing England, but didn’t medal. However, he would later make a much bigger splash in movies, telling the BBC, “I think what I didn’t achieve (in sports) has probably helped me focus more and take my acting career more seriously.” Other members of our celebrity diving team can come from what must have been one of the most dangerous reality shows ever thought of – Seven’s Celebrity Splash! – which saw Olympic runner Tamsyn Manou come runner-up in diving.

Super-swimmers

Recently retired Cody Simpson helps partner Emma McKeon celebrate winning gold in Paris. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Sylvia Jeffreys has built-in flippers and is not afraid to use them. Picture: Lachie Millard

Other celebrities who enjoy more than their fair share of the talent pool include Hilary Swank, who competed in a Junior Olympics in swimming, Australia’s Cody Simpson, who makes the list because he manages the incredible feat of being a singer, actor and competitive swimmer, winning gold and silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He almost qualified for the Paris Olympics but, having lost out, says he’s hanging up his goggles. “I did what I could do, and that’s all you can do. I’ve come a lot further in the last four years than perhaps I could have bargained for,” he said. Also on the team is Nine’s Sylvia Jeffreys, who swam in a celebrity relay at the recent Australian Swimming Trials. “My swimming career may have peaked in high school as seventh place at district championships, but with size 12 feet I have built-in flippers and I’m not afraid to use them,” she said.

A-list Archers

Geena Davis tried out for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

For showbiz shooters, first up is Geena Davis, who is a keen archer and tried out for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but didn’t make the shortlist. “My archery hadn’t become public knowledge until now,” she told the New York Times, back then. “This was my little secret.”

Track stars

Finally, our titans of the track include marathon runners Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds (is there anything he can’t do?), Kevin Hart and Princess Beatrice, who ran the London Marathon. And we couldn’t leave out our actual Olympian, Michelle Jenneke, who combines her hurdling career with a modelling one, plus studied for an engineering degree at Sydney University. Now that’s a jiggle.

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