10 Rio Olympians Who Might End Up on the Upcoming Season of Dancing With the Stars
By Isobel Moody
Aug 12, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Anthony Ervin (USA) celebrates. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA Today Sports
Anthony Ervin, Swimming
While there’s been speculation about him, even if Micheal Phelps might not be too famous to say yes, he may be simply too mad if they did cut off his longtime friend Lochte. (However justified their doing so might have been.) Anthony Ervin might work as an alternative. His story started all the way back in 2000. That was when he became the first African-American swimmer to win Olympic gold, tying for it in the 50 meters. Three years later he would walk away as a shock early retirement. He would go off to do things like wandering the world looking for himself, playing guitar in a band, and auctioning off that gold to raise money for tsunami victims.
Finally he returned, and made it back to the Olympics in 2012. He wouldn’t medal there, but this year was another matter. He made history for the second time in the 50, getting a solo win this time, becoming the oldest swimmer to win an individual Olympic event. He took a relay gold too. He’s since spoken about possibly wanting to compete in 2020 too, but that remains to be seen. In the meantime, he’s not only inspiring enough a story but also interesting enough a character, with his down-to-Earth view of his life and the world, to bring his own flavor to enrich the cast. Such people aren’t always willing to do Dancing with the Stars, but they sometimes are. Besides, there’s reason to believe he wouldn’t have a problem with taking the months off from the pool.
Next: David Boudia, Diving