The hunkiest Olympians revealed – with tiny speedos sending followers wild

Social media is in raptures over a flurry of lesser-known handsome faces taking to the Olympic pools, gyms and tracks in Paris this week. 

Their arrival has seen many develop a sudden, if not over-night passion for men’s artistic gymnastics, while others have taken a keen interest in synchronized diving.

Two pictures, bursting with masculinity, have left watchers particularly slack-jawed.

The first, a toned surfer captured spectacularly airborne above a wave. The second, a certain Frenchman in his oh-so-tiny speedos.

But who are these men – and what are their stories? Here, DailyMail.com rounds up the top 10 hunks, and gives you all the juicy details…

Jules Bouyer 

French diver Jules Bouyer, 22, sent the internet into a frenzy this week after his teammate shared a photo of him in his impossibly small trunks.

In the snap, Bouyer is giving a thumbs up to the camera ahead of a diving event. 

Many were quick to point out his physique, with fans gushing online: ‘This is the only reason I love the Olympics.’

But Bouyer seemed unperturbed by the attention, telling reporters on Friday: ‘If some people find it amusing to look at my pants, that’s their problem… I prefer people to look at my dives rather than my briefs, but there’s nothing to worry about.’

After all, he is no stranger to admiration, already pulling in over 150,000 followers on Instagram and working in his spare time as a model in Paris.

Bouyer started his sporting career aged six. This is his first Olympics, qualifying for both synchronized and individual three-meter springboard.

Thomas Ceccon

Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon, 23 – who is known to fans as ‘The Shark’ – made headlines after bagging a gold in the 100m backstroke and a bronze for the 4x100m freestyle relay this week.

But he received arguably more attention for a wardrobe ‘malfunction’ on the podium which made him into an instant viral sensation. 

As he joined his teammates to collect their bronze medals, he lifted his arms above his head in triumph, causing his jumper to ride up and inadvertently reveal his abs.

‘This is the sluttiest thing a man can do,’ one fawning fan commented.

Victor Wembanyama

At a staggering 7’4”, Victor Wembanyama, 20, even stands out among his French basketball teammates. 

And when France played Japan on Tuesday, and he was matched against 5′ 6” Yuki Togashi, his stature was even more apparent. 

Fans took to social media to joke about clips of the Frenchman next to his diminutive opponents. 

Towering Victor has long sparked ‘Wembymania’, with his 8ft wingspan and impressive play.

His mother was a professional basketball player, and his two siblings also play, while his father was a high jumper. 

Drew Kibler

American swimmer Drew Kibler won silver in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay on Tuesday. 

But he also won himself many admirers. Fans flocked to lust over the 24-year-old online. 

One video of compiled pictures and clips was captioned: ‘I fell in love with so many Olympians. Drew Kibler is one of them.’  

Kibler, from Carmel, Indiana, already had a healthy fanbase following his appearance at the last Olympics in Tokyo.

He was born with a hearing impairment and wears hearing aids when he’s not in the pool. He has revealed he finds it difficult to hear the starting whistles at competitions.

Florent Manaudou

It is not hard to see why Florent Manaudou – who one admirer described as ‘godly’ this week – was chosen by France to be the national flagbearer during last Friday’s Opening Ceremony.

The 33-year-old is a veteran swimmer, making his first Olympic appearance at the London 2012 games where he won gold in the 50m freestyle event.

At 6’6” he is a hulking competitor, having previously served in the French army. And swimming prowess clearly runs in the family: his sister, Laure, won gold in the 400m freestyle at Athens’s 2004 games. They are the first siblings in history to both win Olympic golds in swimming.

Manaudou proposed to his girlfriend and fellow swimmer Pernille Blume, from Denmark, in 2021 – but the engagement broke off two years later.

He now has a new girlfriend, Lola Dumenil, a 23-year-old business student from France.

Jeong Seung-Won

Jeong Seung-Won has emerged as one of the most popular Olympians this year on social media.

Hailing from South Korea, the soccer-player has built up a huge fanbase.

And his admirers are clearly trying to work out if they have a chance with the 27-year-old, because ‘Jeong Seung-Won girlfriend’ is among the top suggested searches on TikTok. 

Luckily for those hopeful fans, his relationship status is unknown. 

The 27-year-old midfielder – who boasts a large, stylized tattoo on his bicep – normally plays for the Suwon FC.  

Gabriel Medina

A dazzling snapshot of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina – captured mid-air, as if he were floating above the waters off the French Polynesian Island of Tahiti this week – was quickly branded ‘the picture of the Olympics’.

It was taken mid-celebration, with Medina raising an arm to supporters after delivering a breathtaking performance which earned him a near-perfect score of 9.9 (out of 10) in men’s shortboard.

The handsome 30-year-old is a three-time surfing world champion, winning in 2014, 2018 and 2021. 

He started surfing when he was just eight and made his Olympic debut in Tokyo.

Gianmarco Tamberi

Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi, 32, has garnered attention in a particularly unusual way. 

The athlete went viral not for his sporting ability, but after making a heartfelt and very public apology to his wife of two years Chiara on social media.

Tamberi admitted his wedding ring had slipped from finger and into the water while enjoying last week’s opening ceremony celebrations on the River Seine.

However, his romantic apology was met with near-universal praise.

He wrote to his wife: ‘I think there might be a huge poetic side to yesterday’s misdeed, and if you want, we’ll throw yours into that river, too, so they’ll be together forever, and we’ll have one more excuse to, like you’ve always asked, renew our vows and get married again.’

Chiara replied to her husband’s post: ‘Only you could turn this into something romantic.’

Noah Lyles

Team USA sprinter Noah Lyles has fast become one of the most ‘popular’ athletes in the Olympic village this year.

The Florida-born star won a 200m bronze medal at his first Olympics, three years ago in Tokyo. But he is tipped to take home gold in Paris. 

Lyles, 27, has a personal best of 19.31 seconds in the 200m, which is the current American record and ranks fourth fastest of all time.

Originally training alongside his brother Josephus as a gymnast, his aspirations turned to the track after he watched the London 2012 games on TV, during which Jamaican star Usain Bolt famously took home gold in the 100m event. 

The boys’ parents both competed in running events while at university. In 2016, Noah and Josephus both signed a lucrative deals with Adidas.

Arno Kamminga 

Jules Bouyer wasn’t the only swimmer to stir up an internet storm this week thanks to his revealing sportswear.

Arno Kamminga, 28, from Netherlands, donned a bizarre pair of mesh trunks that instantly sent watchers flapping, as the design appeared to create an unfortunate optical illusion. 

Thanks to the swimsuit’s flesh-colored tones and geometric pattern, certain parts appeared to be transparent on first glance.

Sadly, the trunks did Kamminga no favors in the pool, as he came sixth in Sunday’s 100m breaststroke final and fifth in the 200m.