Life
Olympic Village Hookups: 6 Couples We Wish Would Get Together at the 2014 Sochi Games
There are many reasons we idolize Olympic athletes: for their dogged perseverance, their indomitable spirits, their superhuman accomplishments, and, of course, their physical excellence. Fortunately or unfortunately, athletes no longer compete in the nude, but we can still sit back and admire the fine physiques of these perfect specimens.
Odds are, the athletes themselves aren’t immune to the charms of their fellow Olympians. Which got us thinking: When they’re not off valiantly striving for Gold medal glory, what are these athletes up to? We’re willing to bet that there is more than a little — ahem — fraternizing with the enemy going on during off-hours in Sochi’s luxurious Olympic Village. After all, love knows no team, right? If it were up to us, here are the athletes we'd like to see hook up in the Olympic Village — and though we'd love to include LGBT couples, we all know about Russia's despicable stance on that.
New Zealand freestyle skier Anna Willcox-Silfverberg & Swedish hockey player Carl Hagelin
Team Sweden’s Olympic ice hockey roster boasts some fine looking men, but Carl Hagelin alone earns top honors for that fantastic flow. Slopestyle skier Anna Willcox-Silfverberg and her golden locks are the only possible match for Hagelin and his magnificent mane. Plus, Willcox-Silfverberg’s mother was born and raised in Sweden, so Anna’s Swedish heritage should be enough to woo the current New York Rangers forward. How do you say, “Hands off my conditioner!” in Swedish?
Image: Sochi2014.com
Canadian Luger Arianne Jones & Chinese figure skater Nan Wu
Why bother rooting for a country? We’re totally on Team Arinan. These two babyfaced athletes would make the most adorable couple. Wu and Jones are both making their Olympic debuts this year, and we’d love to see them navigate these new waters together. Plus, they both enjoy music, so that potential language barrier is really no hurdle at all; the duo can always resort to serenading each other instead of speaking. Ah, young love.
Image: JonesLuge/Twitter, Sochi2014.com
Russian Curler Anna Sidorova & Italian figure skater Matteo Guarise
When Matteo Guarise first made the transition from roller skating to figure skating, he had trouble finding a consistent partner. Though he’ll be competing alongside Nicole Della Monica in Sochi, who would be a better off-ice partner than Anna Sidorova? He’s a former model, and she’s enjoying her reign as 2013’s “most beautiful Russian athlete.” What’s more, Sidorova started out as a figure skater until an injury derailed her career, so she’s no stranger to Matteo’s field of expertise.
Image: Sidorova/Russian Personalities, Guarise/Bruno Staub.
Canadian hockey player Meaghan Mikkelson & U.S. speedskater Shani Davis
Trailblazers, unite! Both Mikkelson and Davis are enjoying decorated athletic careers while breaking barriers along the way — Mikkelson was the first girl to play on the boys’ hockey team in her hometown of Alberta, and in 2006 Davis became the first black athlete to win gold in an individual event at a winter Olympics. Nowadays, Mikkelson serves as an alternate captain for the Alberta team in the nascent Canadian Women’s Hockey League, and Davis could earn the additional distinction of being the first man to win three straight gold medals in the 1,000 meter speedskating event in Sochi. Most important, however, is the fact that Davis’ gleaming teeth are, incredibly, just as shiny as his medals. In sum: it’s about time these two dazzling Olympic veterans got together!
Image: MeaghanMikkelson.com
Great Britain curler Eve Muirhead & Austrian hockey player Daniel Oberkofler
At age 22, “Ice Queen” Eve Muirhead became the youngest skip ever to lead her curling team to a world championship crown last year in Latvia. Muirhead’s blazing baby blues reflect her unwavering dedication to the oft-maligned sport of curling — as do the Olympic rings tattooed on her lower back. (If anyone can “make curling sexy,” it’s this woman.) I’d pair her with Austrian hockey stud Daniel Oberkofler, who could also use his glass-cutting cheekbones to chip the ice for Muirhead’s curling team. What other purpose could those rugged angles possibly serve?
Image: Oberkofler/hockey-news.info
Norwegian snowboarder Silje Norendal & Norwegian speedskater Sverre Lunde Pedersen
Can someone check the water over in Norway? Why does seemingly every person from that country look like they’ve just stepped out of Disney’s Frozen? (Hey, you never know. These two Norwegians very well could have been the inspiration for, say, Elsa and Kristoff.) There’s no need for either Lunde Pederson or Norendal to branch out, since they’re quite clearly so perfect for each other. Norendal was “basically raised with a snowboard strapped to her feet,” as she began competing at the precocious age of six, and Lunde Petersen began skating at the comparably young age of five.
