If Rolex watches were Olympic athletes

This week the 2021 Summer Olympics kicked off in Tokyo. While Omega announced some new Seamaster watches tied with the 2022 Games, we’re here to discuss some of our favorite all-time Summer Olympic athletes and what Rolex model is their anthropomorphic equivalent.

This article is just a fun exercise and in no way are the athletes mentioned below tied in with Rolex. In fact our favorite Rolex brand ambassador athlete Roger Federer won't be participating these Games due to a knee injury.

Photo by Lifetime

photo by Jeyroll

Mary Lou Retton as the ladies Datejust: Small, powerful with a winning attitude that captured the hearts of America, Retton was one of the all-time great American gymnastics stars, having secured the all-around gold medal in 1984. Small, yet powerful could also be used to describe the 26mm Datejust, Rolex’s top selling model.

Photo by NBC Sports

Carl Lewis as the Daytona: Fast and versatile, Lewis could sprint and long jump and was dominant on the track with nine Gold Medals. Lewis is like the Daytona as it’s built for the racetrack and instantly identifiable as a standout even among thoroughbreds. The Daytona shares Lewis’ penchant for performance combined with flash.

Photo by Olympics.com

Photo by Bob's Watches

Rulon Gardner as the Deepsea Sea-Dweller: Gardner may have pulled off the greatest upset in sports history when he defeated Aleksandr Karelin for the Olympic gold medal in Greco Roman wrestling in 2000. Karelin had not lost in international competition in over a decade (and hadn’t had a point scored on him in six years before this match with Gardner) and somehow the farm-strong Gardner beat him 1-0. Gardner is the Deepsea Sea-Dweller of Olympic athletics being big and strong and known for doing the impossible feats that defy convention.

Photo by Olympics.com

Michael Phelps as the Submariner: Phelps is perhaps the greatest Olympian of all time just based on medal count. He won the most gold medals at a single Olympics with eight in 2008  and holds 28 medals (23 being gold) in total. He’s an icon just like the Submariner, the most heralded watch in the world.

Photo by Brittanica

Florence Griffith-Joyner as the Milguass: The late Flo Jo showed off her flamboyant personal style (famous for her colorful nails) and had the performance to back up her showboating outward appearance. She holds the world records she set in 1988 for both the 100 and 200 meter sprints. Flo Jo won three gold medals in the 1988 Olympics. The Milgauss is a fitting watch to pay tribute to her as this watch was built to perform well in spite of magnetic fields in laboratories and showcases dashes of bright color and a lightning bolt seconds hand.

Who are your favorite Summer Olympic athletes and which Rolex would  be a fitting tribute to their style?

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