What These Olympic Athletes Look Like In Their Normal Clothes

The Olympics are a chance for the best athletes in the world to converge and go for gold, as a personal achievement and for their countries. With the whole world watching, the games are also an opportunity to show off unique fashion choices. For example, the opening and closing ceremonies are always a chance for designers to create memorable outfits. For America, "Ralph Lauren has been making Team USA's opening and closing ceremony uniforms since 2008," via Slate. While competing, the athlete's clothes are strictly for function — and some wear next-to-nothing, like men's divers in Speedos. But outside of competition, many of these world-class athletes know how to make a fashion statement.

The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and even after the games were rescheduled, officials determined that no in-person spectators would be allowed out of an abundance of caution. But among the top athletes to watch at the games, many were already making a name with their personal style. From casual wear to extravagant dresses to street style, these top performers know how to clean up well after dominating in their sport.

It's time to see what these Olympic athletes look like in their normal clothes.

One of the newest Olympic events to debut in Tokyo is rock climbing. The official event, called sport climbing, features 40 athletes "competing in three disciplines: bouldering, lead climbing and speed," per the Olympics. "In lead, athletes attempt to climb as high as possible on a wall" and for "bouldering, the objective is to overcome the most problems on a climbing route in the least number of attempts." One man went into the competition as a favorite — Adam Ondra from the Czech Republic. "The world's best rock climbers generally agree: Ondra is the best of them all," The New York Times reported. Ondra is also known for his passion when climbing. Like when he became "the first person to flash a route rated 9a+ (5.15a)." This meant he was able to climb the difficult route on his very first attempt. A Reel Rock video of the moment when he succeeded in St. Leger, France shows the climber screaming in joy. He's also shirtless, uninhibited by a top while scaling the incredible rock face.

When Ondra isn't competing or going shirtless during climbs, he generally stays in outdoorsy clothing. The climber posted a photo of himself on Instagram hiking in Italy with the stunning Lake Garda behind him (above). For the occasion, he wore a yellow, long-sleeve top made out of technical fabric, above-the-knee shorts, and bright red socks paired with hiking shoes, which had bright laces.

Fencer Miles Chamley-Watson was born in London but grew up in New York, according to Team USA. And you could easily mistake him as a fashion model and have no idea he's an Olympic athlete. "With ripped physique, dyed blond hair and tattoos, his unconventional appearance as a fencer gained him huge interest from the fashion world," the Olympics detailed. The American fencer "models for IMG, makes appearances at New York Fashion Week and walks the runway for major fashion labels." In fact, his Instagram account is filled with the model-athlete posing in different brands' outfits, including a pose in a leopard jacket, orange-lens sunglasses, and a leather cross-body bag for the American luxury brand Coach. He's one of the few fencers with major endorsements, with sponsorships by Coach and Red Bull, according to Highsnobiety, which actually labeled the star "fencing's Dennis Rodman." 

When he's spotted at events, Chamley-Watson is often wearing creative outfits. While at a launch event for the jewelry company Tiffany & Co., the fencer wore a faded-red suit (above). Under his jacket, Chamley-Watson sported a baby blue turtleneck, and for accessories, the athlete layered in a necklace and sunglasses with bright-red lenses.

India's team captain for the Olympic field hockey team, Manpreet Singh, knew his country's history while heading into the 2020 Olympics. The last time India earned a medal in the Olympic sport was at the 1980 event held in Moscow, Russia. And despite the Olympic losing streak, India was still "the most successful hockey nation in Olympic history," according to Reuters. After meeting a former player for India who played in the "Olympic title-winning teams between 1948-56," Singh told the news agency he felt even more inspired to win. "This is the biggest dream in my life now, to have an Olympic medal around my neck," he said. In addition to leading his team towards victory, Singh was also given the prestigious honor to be India's flag-bearer in Tokyo.

Singh's personal style is a mix of classic menswear looks, paired with occasional opulence. He posted a photo on Instagram of himself wearing a bold-red suit with a pink tie. His look matched his wife's gorgeous, embroidered red dress and ornate, red veil. In another Instagram photo (shown above), Singh walks in front of palm trees wearing a rust-colored, checkered sport coat with khaki pants. He also flashed leather Oxford shoes in a handsome, cognac color.

In the NBA, Kevin Durant won two championships with the Golden State Warriors. On top of that, Durant was the best player of them all for both final series, beating out his star teammate Stephen Curry in 2017 and 2018 to win the "NBA Finals MVP trophy in back-to-back seasons," via the NBA. And Durant has also been a key part of the U.S. men's Olympic team in basketball. He helped lead the team to back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. In both seasons, Durant "finished as the U.S. team's leading scorer," according to USA Basketball. He went into his third Olympics in Tokyo expecting to become the USA team's all-time leader for points scored, "trailing only four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony (336) by 25 points."

In 2015, he attended a party hosted by GQ and LeBron James to celebrate fashion in the NBA (above). Durant stepped up his game and wore a black leather jacket over an ombré button-up shirt that transitioned from white to gray. He buttoned up the shirt entirely for an "air tie" look and paired the outfit with amazing accessories — fingerless gloves and a black fedora. And Durant makes sure to look great when arriving before a game. He posted a photo in his Instagram walking in with a NASCAR shirt with athletic apparel. "Nike tech and vintage T's. It's the only way," he captioned.

A powerful force in a small size, Simone Biles is like no other when it comes to gymnastics. The American is "the best gymnast ever," according to Time. This is in part for her 30 Olympic and World Championship medals, which all came before she even participated in the Tokyo Olympics. Outside of her Olympic life, Biles still found a way to wow audiences, competing on "Dancing With The Stars" alongside partner Sasha Farber. One week before the final, Biles and her partner scored a perfect score from the show's judges but were eliminated by fan votes, via NBC. But it wasn't a total loss, and Biles and Farber continued to work together. According to Insider, Farber "helped choreograph Biles' routine for the Olympics."

The Olympian isn't always on the move and loves to pose in fashionable outfits. While attending a "2016 Women Of The Year" event in Los Angeles held by Glamour, Biles wore a sleeveless sheath dress (above). The asymmetric design of French blue and black intertwined paired perfectly with her strappy, heeled sandals. And she accessorized with a cute white and red clutch. Biles' Instagram is also filled with impressive fashion moments, including a post in which the gymnast wore a stunning rust colored suit with a pink bra underneath.

The youngest athletes to ever compete at the Olympics were both gymnasts — 10-year-old Dimitrios Loundras from Greece and 11-year-old Luigina Giavotti from Italy. "The youngest Olympian to ever win a gold medal, according to the IOC, was Marjorie Gestring, a diver from California," Today reported. Sky Brown from Britain joined this special company as a competitor in skateboarding at the Tokyo Olympics. According to The Guardian, the young woman turned 13 years old just before the games. She also became Britain's youngest athlete ever to compete in the Summer Olympics. "It's a crazy feeling. It's like more than a dream come true. I mean, it's insane," Brown said of her big moment.

The skater trained in California, and her street style reflects the state's famous ocean vibes. At a 2020 event in Berlin, Germany, Brown (above left) paired a leather jacket with a pink skirt and knee-high Nike socks. And the outfit couldn't be complete without her skateboarding shoes and carrying a pink skateboard. She was at the event with her brother Ocean Brown (above right), who is also a skateboarder. The two even have their own YouTube channel. The platform is a place for the Browns to show off all their talents. Of course, skating but also singing — like in 2020 when Sky released her single "GIRL." The caption for her song said, "Girls can do anything that boys can do. Girls can change the world."

Among the extreme sports that were added to the Olympics is BMX freestyle. BMX racing has been a part of the Olympics since 2008, but 2020 marked a new era for extreme bike riders. One of America's best athletes to compete in the Olympic debut for BMX freestyle was 19-year-old Hannah Roberts. She started at a young age — only eight years old — "after being inspired by her cousin, Brett Banasiewicz, a professional BMX rider," Forbes explained. Even with a cousin who knew the sport well, Roberts dealt with an early setback. When she was ten years old, Roberts fell off a six-foot ramp, leaving her with "a fracture to her T4 vertebra." Luckily, Roberts recovered and "entered her first competition at the age of 12."

In her personal life, Roberts' family grew considerably in 2020. She adopted a puppy named Koda and was engaged to her girlfriend Kelsey Miller in November. Roberts also "bought her first house in October, in Jacksonville, North Carolina." In a photo Roberts posted on Instagram, she and Miller, who wed at start of 2021, proudly hold keys in front of their new house. She also showed off her off-duty fashion style. Roberts, who came from Buchanan, Michigan, dressed in a simple mid-western style. This included a cap, khaki shorts, and bright, pastel shirt. Of course, her adorable dogs are by her side.

Brazil is synonymous with football. As of 2020, the country had the most world cup wins, five, according to Statista. And one of its most famous players, Pelé, was on three of those teams, which earned him the record for most world cup winners as a player, Guinness World Records reported. And yet, prior to the 2016 games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil had never won gold at the Olympics for men's football. In its home country, however, the team finally won. Missing from that winning team was defender Dani Alves. After a twenty-year career, the veteran player was named to the Brazilian team to play at the Tokyo Olympics. At the time, he was also the most decorated footballer ever "with 43 titles to his name," the Olympics reported.

Adding to his impressive resume is his impressive wardrobe. His posts on Instagram show an eclectic mix of looks, including when he posted a shot of himself wearing a short-sleeve turtleneck with a pearl necklace and round glasses. And the footballer also is no stranger to fashion week — he attended French luxury brand Balmain's Spring-Summer 2018 fashion week show. He wore a Balmain jacket, adorned with the fashion brand's iconic buttons and red, tartan plaid accents (above). The midfielder paired this with a white, kimono-style shirt underneath. Alves completed the look with rectangular glasses, black skinny jeans, and black leather boots.