10 Rio Olympians Who Might End Up on the Upcoming Season of Dancing With the Stars
By Isobel Moody
Aug 20, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Allyson Felix (USA) defeats Novlene Williams-Mills (JAM) to anchor USA to victory. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Allyson Felix, Athletics
This wasn’t quite the Olympics Allyson Felix was hoping for. Even before the Games, she only qualified for one individual event, the 400 meter race, and then in the final in Rio she lost it at the line. However, getting a silver out of it was still enough to officially crown her as the most decorated American woman ever in track and field. A title like that automatically makes her eligible for an invite, if they want an American female athlete.
It also got noticed because of the crazy way the race ended, although Felix wasn’t the one responsible for that. Dancing with the Stars likes it when that sort of thing getting their celebs more attention. She already had an individual gold from London, and she now has five relay golds, two of them won in Rio. Though thanks to the first, they would have had her as a candidate before she ran any of her three events.
Dancing with the Stars has had two track and field athletes compete. One, hurdler Lolo Jones, was infamously bad, but that could largely be attributed to her attitude. The other, sprinter Maurice Green, did very well for himself, making the quarterfinals, even when he was four years into retirement. If Dancing with the Stars looks to the latter example rather than the former, they may extend the invitation.
Next: Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali, or Kristi Castlin, Athletics