Nick Symmonds

Sport: Track and Field

Nation: United States of America

DOB: December 30, 1983

Hometown: Springfield, OR

Career Highlights: The part owner of a tanning salon, Symmonds is also part 800m Olympic runner and part entrepreneur. He auctioned off the right to put a temporary tattoo on his left shoulder in January - an opportunity a Milwaukee ad firm took decided was worth $11,000 - and also put the company's Twitter address just above his bicep. Symmonds uses the phrase "brand identity" like a CEO and rubs many the wrong way - perhaps stemming from an association with Paris Hilton after he was so smitten with the socialite that he asked her father if he could date her. On the track, though, his skills are tough to ignore. A five-time U.S. outdoor champion, Symmonds qualified for the Beijing Olympics but finished fifth in his semifinal heat. He's perhaps better positioned to make noise in London after a 1:43:92 finish at Oregon's Hayward Field in the 2012 U.S. trials, the fastest time ever in the 800m on the hallowed track. So far, he's had to put white tape across the Hanson Dodge logo, though Symmonds is fighting to allow the ad to be shown during the Olympics. If he can make his way to the podium, Symmonds might find that he has a few more interested buyers.

Olympic History: 2008