From Olympian to Singer

They conquered the Olympic stage, but what about the music world? See the results for yourself!

Olympic athletes have long been more than just their sport, and for many, entertaining on the field of play also translates into other forms of entertainment, like singing.

The “Blitz from Kitz” also croons

On the most recent episode of the podcast, we discovered that Alpine skier Toni Sailer, hero of the Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 Winter Olympics, successfully parlayed his fame into a career as a pop star and actor. With camera-ready good looks and a pleasant voice, it’s not surprising that he was a hit with audiences in the late 1950s and 1960s.

Check out one of his tunes, “Oh Sulaika” from the 1959 movie Zwölf Mädchen und ein Mann, (12 Girls and One Man) an Austrian crime comedy where Sailer plays an undercover policeman/ski instructor investigating a burglary at a ski resort. Sailer’s character is excited about the assignment because also vacationing at the resort are 12 young women, so the stage is set for some romantic hijinks.

I did not watch this movie, so I don’t know what all happened when 12 women vied for the attention of one man. Were there no other men skiing at the resort this week?

Another song from Sailer’s lengthy catalog is “Du mußt nicht schön sein” (“You Don’t Have to Be Beautiful”). Maybe he should have sung that to the 12 women.

Toni Sailer is not the only Olympian to try their hand at a career in music, but he might be the most successful of the bunch. Let’s look at a few of the other Olympians who tried to add a singer hyphenate onto their title.

Carl Lewis is a Modern Man

One of the stars of the LA 1984 Olympics, Carl Lewis ended those Games with four gold medals in all four of his athletics events. Somehow between the LA 1984 Games and the Seoul 1988 Olympics, Lewis had time to record the album “Modern Man.” It featured the single “Break It Up,” which was a hit in Sweden. According to SwedishCharts.com, it peaked at #3, and it also got to #24 in Belgium.

The video is truly something to behold. As you might expect, it features clips of Lewis competing, as well as him working out in very 1980s workout attire (notice that he never stands up in the video). Inexplicably—but maybe not so weird for a video of this era—it also features an implied tryst with a grandmotherly type who lures Lewis with bubbles, setting up bizarre scenes in a hot tub and sauna.

Carly Patterson flips for singing

Athens 2004 Artistic Gymnastics All-Around gold medalist Carly Patterson turned to the microphone after her retirement from gymnastics, determined to live out her dream as a musician. She made demos with Jessica and Ashley Simpson’s dad Joe and was on FOX’s Celebrity Duets (she did not win).

In 2008, she released a single called “Temporary Life (Ordinary Girl).” If you’re a Radio Disney aficionado from this era, you might recognize it:

Patterson did release a full album in fall 2008 called “Back to the Beginning.” She co-wrote six of the songs on this album, including “Here I Am,” which gets into her Olympic experience.

This appears to be the end of the road for Patterson’s recording career. She’s now married, has three children and is a public speaker.

Shaun White’s Bad Things

Along with five Olympic appearances and three gold medals, snowboarder Shaun White formed a band called Bad Things. Check out his guitar licks on their single “Caught Inside, filmed partly at Lollapalooza in 2013, where they were a last-minute replacement on the lineup:

It’s a pretty pedestrian song—not bad, but not memorable. Maybe White should have kept his long hair to bring a little more attitude to the music.

The band seems to have kept at it for a little while, but they haven’t updated their YouTube page for 12 years. The only other headlines it made was in 2016, when the band’s former drummer Lena Zawaideh sued White for sexual harassment. The matter was settled out of court for undisclosed terms in 2017.

Matthias Steiner lifts a mic

Three-time Olympian Matthias Steiner had one of the more memorable storylines from the Beijing 2008 Olympics. In 2007, his wife of two years Susann Steiner died in a car accident. Although he considered quitting sport, Steiner continued training and went to his second Olympics.

At Beijing he struggled to get clean lifts, but his coach told him he could be in the medals, and he ended up taking the gold medal in his last attempt. In one of the most emotional moments of the Games, he showed a picture of his late wife on the podium.

In 2017, Steiner recorded an album and showed off his vocal chops. Here’s the title track, “Zurückgeliebt”:

These days, Steiner refuses to be labeled. He’s an entrepreneur and fitness consultant, among other things.

But that’s not all!

Some athletes have tried to build a recording career, but ended up being one-song wonders. We haven’t even gotten into all of the soccer stars and pro basketball players who also dropped songs and albums (three words: Shaquille O’Neal, rapper).

Slovenian skiing star Tina Maze released the single “My Way Is My Decision” ahead of the 2012 ski season. Perhaps the girl power anthem propelled her to win double-gold at Sochi 2014.

Which athletes could have a successful music career?

Sprinter Usain Bolt has made a name for himself as a DJ and producer. He’s put out a number of reggae and dancehall albums, including the 2021 album “Country Yutes,” where he features along with other singers. That album debuted at #6 on the Billboard Reggae Album chart.

The world’s best pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis has vaulted his way into the recording studio. Duplantis writes and performs under the stage name Mondo. He released his first single “Bop” in 2025, and this year performed “Feelin’ Myself” on Sweden’s Carina Bergfeldt TV show. Watch that live performance:

Do these singers get the gold?

Let’s face it. While some of these athletes made successful crossovers to the world of music, it seems like Olympic medals opened doors that would normally be closed. There’s no doubt that passion fueled these athletes’ attempts, but many of them missed the mark.

Maybe Usain Bolt has the right idea–maybe once you conquer sports’ biggest stage, the best way to be a musician is to be behind the scenes.

—Jill