World's 10 most beautiful athletes

"Lets find the most beautiful athletes of the World"

MARIA SHARAPOVA (TENNIS) COULD we justify starting this list with anyone else? Never has any woman made grunting on a tennis court look this sexy, and it helps that she is pretty handy with the tennis racket too. Not only is she a three-time Grand Slam champion, Sharapova was deemed stunning enough to model for Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition. Born in Siberia, Russia, she and her father moved to the US when she was seven so she could train at the famed Nick Bollettieri tennis academy. Both of them could not speak English when they arrived in the US, and had to undergo much hardship early on. However, the Russian beauty has made good since she turned professional in 2001. Within her second year of being a pro, she won both the junior Australian Open and Wimbledon titles. Now, seven years on, she has won Wimbledon (2004), the US Open (2006) and the Australian Open (2008), and has also enjoyed stints as the world No.1. MARTINA MORAVCOVA (SWIMMING) ONE of the greatest athletes Slovakia has ever produced, and what a stunner! Between 1993 and 2003, she was named Slovakia's Sportsperson of the Year six times, and has taken part in every Olympics since 1992, with her last one being in Beijing. She also won Olympic silvers in the 100m butterfly and 200m freestyle events in Sydney00. Moravcova once held the 100m individual medley and 100m butterfly short- course world records, and has also won seven gold medals in the world short-course championships. You may have noticed we have featured her in these pages before, but can you blame us for featuring this sexy Slovak again? ROMY TARANGUL (JUDO) ADMIT it, you would not mind being pinned down by this gorgeous German. And this 20-year-old could easily pin even the most wayward of men down. Having excelled at junior level since 2002, she finally broke through this year with a first-place finish in the World Cup event in Sofia, and finished with a silver medal in the 2008 European championships, both times in the 52kg class. In Beijing08, she fell in the round of 16 to eventual bronze-medallist Misato Nakamura, but she scored a gold for controversy before the Games. Along with three other female Olympians, Tarangul appeared on the cover of the September issue of Germany's Playboy magazine. In all honesty, who could fault their choice? She is an Olympic knock-out. JEANETTE LEE (POOL) OUT on a pool table somewhere, the pool sharks tremble at the idea of the 'black widow' approaching. And it is likely to be a tremble of fear, as they know not to be deceived by this lusciously lithe beauty and that she could probably give most of these pool sharks an embarrassing lesson on how to control that elongated object. A pool pro since 1993, Lee picked up the moniker of the 'black widow' not so much for her sting on the table but for her tendency to favour black clothing. She was the No.1 player in the world in the '90s, and a gold medallist at the World Games in 2001, and now plays professional speed pool. What is even more remarkable is that she has done all this despite suffering from scoliosis. Alas, she is already married. But seeing Lee brandishing her cue is still a sight to behold NATALIE COUGHLIN (SWIMMING) WHEN Ethan Hall says his fiancee is as good as gold, he could very well mean it literally. At Beijing08, Coughlin - Hall's fiancee - became the first American female to win six medals in one Olympics, winning her only gold in the 100m backstroke. That gold made her the first person to win back-to-back golds in the event, and she earned it as she fought off intense pain to win. Golden attitude, golden personality, and judging by her picture, a golden body to boot. Hall is one lucky sod. MIWA ASAO (BEACH VOLLEYBALL) CREDITED with single-handedly popularising beach volleyball in Japan, it's not hard to see why she has people (mostly men) following her everywhere. Known as the 'pixie of beach volleyball' for her good looks, this 22-year-old has also been labelled Japan's answer to Anna Kournikova. She released a best-selling photobook last year, and has done part-time modelling and appeared as a TV personality. Unfortunately, her performances on the sand have not been nearly as prolific, having failed to make the cut for Beijing08, and making very little impact in FIVB and international events, with a best placing of 25 in any event. Despite rumours of her retirement from the sport, she has said she still wants to represent Japan at the 2012 Olympics. So guys, if you want to catch this bodacious babe clad in nothing more than a bikini, flailing about to spike a ball, you had best start praying she does not go the way of the Kournikova. GUO JINGJING (DIVING) WITH consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008 in two events, 'The Princess of Diving' has proven she rules the diving boards. And we should savour every minute of her rule! Even if you don't care much for the sport, it is a pleasure to sit back and admire her stunning form as she twists and contorts her body in mid-air. Just makes you imagine what else she can make her body do. DANICA PATRICK (MOTOR-RACING) IT takes a lot of gumption for a woman to survive in a man's world. Fortunately for Patrick, she has plenty of it and the skill to excel in the men's world of motor-racing. She was the 2005 IndyCar Rookie of the Year, and she won her first race in Japan this year after three podium finishes before that. However, we are fortunate she is hotter than any race car driver ever, with a body good enough to grace Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition. AMANDA BEARD (SWIMMING) ANOTHER swimmer whom we have featured in these pages, and once again, we could not resist featuring this beauty either. Granted her name probably evokes visions of big lumberjacks or Santa Claus, but the reality of her in the flesh is anything but that. This 26-year-old is a four-time Olympian, having competed in every edition since 1996, winning seven medals and two golds in the 1996 4x100m medley and the 2004 200m breaststroke. She has not only featured in magazines like FHM, but has bared all of that remarkable body in Playboy. She may have bombed in Beijing08, she can still create waves with her mere appearance. ANA IVANOVIC (TENNIS) SHE has been voted by tennisreporters.net as the sexiest female player for three years running, and was voted by FHM as the 28th sexiest woman in the world. And it's not hard to see why. At 1.86m tall, this 20-year-old goddess is stunningly beautiful, on or off the court. This Serb is also one smart cookie who can speak three languages and is even studying finance at a private university. On court, she has already won a Grand Slam (the 2008 French Open) and was world No.1 for a short while. Drop dead gorgeous, smart and talented, she is about the best thing there is about tennis now.