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Since season 4 of Dancing With the Stars, Olympic athletes have been at the top of the list when it comes to celebrities to cast.
Apolo Ohno was the first Olympian to compete, taking home the mirrorball trophy alongside pro partner Julianne Hough in 2007. Ohno’s win got him invited back for the all-stars season in 2012, during which he was paired with Karina Smirnoff. However, he couldn’t snag the trophy during his second run.
In 2021, Suni Lee was one of the first stars announced for the epic season 30, fresh off her run at the Tokyo Olympics. Her former teammate, Laurie Hernandez, who won the mirrorball trophy for season 23, and Simone Biles, who came in fourth on season 24, contributed to her hopes to do the show.
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“I’ve seen so many people go out there and do Dancing With the Stars, so it was one of my goals after the Olympics,” she said at the time, noting that her friends mocked her because she isn’t a good dancer. Plus, she knew she’d struggle with letting herself smile and have fun on the floor. “You’re expressing yourself even more when you’re dancing, because you’ve kind of been locked up a little bit in gymnastics. Dancing is just super fun.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see every Olympian who has appeared on DWTS and how they did in the competition:
Credit: ABC(3)
Olympic Athletes Who’ve Competed on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Since season 4 of Dancing With the Stars, Olympic athletes have been at the top of the list when it comes to celebrities to cast. Apolo Ohno was the first Olympian to compete, taking home the mirrorball trophy alongside pro partner Julianne Hough in 2007. Ohno's win got him invited back for the all-stars season in 2012, during which he was paired with Karina Smirnoff. However, he couldn't snag the trophy during his second run. In 2021, Suni Lee was one of the first stars announced for the epic season 30, fresh off her run at the Tokyo Olympics. Her former teammate, Laurie Hernandez, who won the mirrorball trophy for season 23, and Simone Biles, who came in fourth on season 24, contributed to her hopes to do the show. "I've seen so many people go out there and do Dancing With the Stars, so it was one of my goals after the Olympics," she said at the time, noting that her friends mocked her because she isn't a good dancer. Plus, she knew she'd struggle with letting herself smile and have fun on the floor. “You're expressing yourself even more when you’re dancing, because you’ve kind of been locked up a little bit in gymnastics. Dancing is just super fun.” Scroll through the gallery below to see every Olympian who has appeared on DWTS and how they did in the competition:
Credit: Disney/Andrew Eccles
Jordan Chiles
Season: 34
Partner: Ezra Sosa
Credit: Disney/Eric McCandless
Ilona Maher
Season 33
Partner: Alan Bersten
Credit: Disney/Eric McCandless
Stephen Nedoroscik
Season 33
Partner: Rylee Arnold
Credit: Disney/Eric McCandless
Dwight Howard
Season 33
Partner: Daniella Pashkova
Credit: ABC/Christopher Willard
Suni Lee
Season: 30
Partner: Sasha Farber
Place: 5th
Credit: Courtesy Dancing With The Stars/YouTube
Johnny Weir
Season 29
Partner: Britt Stewart
Place: 6th
Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock
Mary Lou Retton
Season 27
Partner: Sasha Farber
Place: 9th
Credit: ABC/Kelsey McNeal
Jamie Anderson
Season 26
Partner: Artem Chigvintsev
Place: 9th
Credit: ABC/Kelsey McNeal
Tonya Harding
Season 26
Partner: Sasha Farber
Place: 3rd
Credit: ABC/Kelsey McNeal
Marai Nagasu
Season 26
Partner: Alan Bersten
Place: 4th
Credit: ABC/Kelsey McNeal
Adam Rippon
Season 26
Partner: Jenna Johnson
Place: 1st
Credit: Courtesy Chris Mazdzar/Instagram
Chris Mazdzer
Season 26
Partner: Witney Carson
Place: 4th
Credit: Shutterstock
Nancy Kerrigan
Season 24
Partner: Artem Chigvintsev
Place: 6th
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Simone Biles
Season 24
Partner: Sasha Farber
Place: 4th
Credit: Courtesy of Val Chmerkovskiy/Instagram
Laurie Hernandez
Season 23
Partner: Val Chmerkovskiy
Place: 1st
Credit: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
Nastia Liukin
Season 20
Partner: Derek Hough
Place: 4th
Credit: ABC/Kelsey McNeal
Meryl Davis
Season 18
Partner: Maks Chmerkovskiy
Place: 1st
Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock
Charlie White
Season 18
Partner: Sharna Burgess
Place: 5th
Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Hope Solo
Season 13
Partner: Maks Chmerkovskiy
Place: 4th
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Evan Lysacek
Season 10
Partner: Anna Trebunskaya
Place: 2nd
Credit: Joe Kohen/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Natalie Coughlin
Season 9
Partner: Alec Mazo
Place: 10th
Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock
Shawn Johnson
Seasons 8 and 15
Partners: Mark Ballas, Derek Hough
Place: 1st, 2nd
Credit: Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock
Misty May-Treanor
Season 7
Partner: Maks Chmerkovskiy
Place: Forced to leave due to injury
Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock
Kristi Yamaguchi
Season 6
Partner: Mark Ballas
Place: 1st
Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock
Apolo Ohno
Seasons 4 and 15
Partners: Julianne Hough, Karina Smirnoff
Place: 1st, 5th
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