10 of the greatest nicknames in Olympic history
From 'Pocket Rocket' to the 'Frog Princess', the nicknames of Olympians are almost as iconic as their performances on the field of play.
Throughout the extensive history of the Olympic Games, athletes have earned nicknames inspired by a wide range of subjects — including animals, heroes of myth, and iconic television characters.
The number of fantastic and funky monikers is too great to count, but we've done our best to narrow it down to the 10 best from both the Winter and Summer Games.
Naim Süleymanoğlu (weightlifting) - Pocket Hercules
At just 1.47m (4-foot-10) in height, Naim Süleymanoğlu was one of the shortest weightlifters to ever take to the platform.
But when it came to lifting massive weights above his head, the athlete from Türkiye towered above his competition, winning seven world titles, three Olympic gold medals, and setting an astonishing 46 world records.
Süleymanoğlu's stature and great strength led to him being nicknamed 'Pocket Hercules' — an apt title for the man many consider the greatest pound-for-pound weightlifter in history.
Chloe Kim (snowboard) - Imugi (Young Dragon)
USA snowboard star Chloe Kim was born in the Korean zodiac year of the dragon, which led her father to nickname her 'Imugi' — an adolescent dragon in Korean culture.
In Korean tradition, a person must wait 1,000 years to become a dragon, but Kim's father Jong Jin said that his daughter became a full-grown dragon when she made history by becoming the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboard gold medal at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, aged just 17.
The seven-time X Games gold medallist and two-time world champion became the first female snowboarder to win back-to-back gold medals in the snowboard halfpipe event when she successfully defended her Olympic crown at Beijing 2022.
The 24-year-old is expected to compete for her third consecutive Olympic gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games Milano 2026.
Aleksandr Karelin (wrestling) - The Experiment
Former Greco-Roman wrestler Aleksandr Karelin was such a dominant force on the mat throughout his career that he was given not one, not two, but five nicknames, all of them fantastic: 'Russian Bear', 'King Kong', 'Alexander the Great', 'The Crane from Novosibir', and 'The Experiment'.
The last label was given to him by his rivals, implying that he was the result of a science experiment designed to produce the perfect wrestler.
Aleksandr Karelin
So it would seem, as his wrestling record at the senior level was 887 wins and just two losses.
Karelin went undefeated at the world championships, winning nine titles, and earned gold medals at the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympic Games.
Mark McMorris (snowboard) - McLovin
Canada's Mark McMorris is something of a hippy at heart, which led to his nickname 'McLovin'. But he is also known as 'McRib', 'Sparky' and 'The Closer', the last of which is particularly apt given McMorris' propensity for reaching the podium.
The 30-year-old holds the record for most Winter X Games medals with 22, including 11 golds split between the Big Air and slopestyle events.
He's also a three-time medallist at the world championships, and won three consecutive bronze medals in the slopestyle competition at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
McMorris is targeting a fourth Olympic apperance at Milano Cortina 2026.
Lang Ping (volleyball) - The Iron Hammer
When contemplating what makes an awesome nickname, you can't go wrong with slapping "iron" somewhere in the title.
The word exudes strength, and that's exactly what Lang Ping was known for on the volleyball court. Her galvanic striking powered the People's Republic of China to four consecutive international championships – the 1981 and 1985 World Cups, the 1982 World Championship, and the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984.
After retiring, the outside hitter became the head coach of the Chinese women's team in 1995 and guided the squad to the silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and second place at the 1998 World Championships in Japan.
She later became the head coach of the US national team in 2005, leading them to the silver medal at Beijing 2008. Her second stint as China's head coach resulted in a gold medal at Rio 2016 — a historic moment as Lang became the first person to win Olympic gold as both a player and a coach.
Michael Edwards (ski jumping) - Eddie the Eagle
Arguably the most iconic nickname in Olympic history, Michael David Edwards, better known as Eddie the Eagle, shot to fame at the Olympic Winter Games Calgary 1988 when he became the first athlete to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping.
Despite finishing last in both the normal and large hill events, Hill's charismatic persona (Edwards competed while wearing his now-iconic glasses) and will to become an Olympian endeared him to millions around the globe. Edwards' story was even turned into the biographical film Eddie the Eagle in 2016.
As for the origins of his moniker, Edwards explained that his schoolfriends used to call him 'Ed' due to his surname, and a group of Canadian supporters christened him Eddie the Eagle after a BBC interview with the athlete was aired in the country. When he arrived at the Calgary airport, he was greeted with an enormous banner on the wall that read "Welcome to Calgary, Eddie The Eagle!", and the legend was born.
Laura Flessel-Colovic (fencing) - La Guêpe (The Wasp)
The best nicknames perfectly encapsulate an athlete's style in competition. For one of the best examples, look no further than fencing icon Laura Flessel-Colovic.
Laura Flessel-Colovic of France looks on against Courtney Hurley of the United States during the Women's Epee Individual Fencing round 32 of on Day 3 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on July 30, 2012 in London, England.
The Frenchwoman's relentless attacks and darting athleticism (similar to the infamously aggressive insect) often overwhelmed her opponents, and propelled her to two gold, two bronze and a silver at three separate Olympics (Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004). La Guêpe remains France's most decorated female Olympian to this day.
Eileen Gu (freestyle skiing) - Frog Princess
Eileen Gu is known worldwide for her incredible freestyle skiing ability. She has already claimed seven gold medals at the Winter X Games, world championships, and Olympic Games combined, with titles in Big Air, halfpipe, slopestyle and superpipe split between the three competitions. Her accolades don't stop there; she is the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing and the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Olympics (a feat she achieved at Beijing 2022).
In China, the nation she represents on the slopes, the 21-year-old is affectionately known as the 'Frog Princess' — a nickname that comes from a green helmet she once wore during competition. Gu herself uses the label on her Chinese social media accounts.
Eileen Gu celebrates her Big Air freeski gold at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games
Should she qualify for the freestyle competition at Milano Cortina 2026, Gu will be considered the favourite to top the podium once again.
Michael Jordan - His Airness
Michael Jordan's exploits on the basketball court were so legendary that his name — and nicknames, for that matter — have become synonymous with the sport.
The two most famous ones ("Air Jordan" and "His Airness") are a nod to his unbelievable athleticism; Jordan had a running vertical jump of 48 inches and a hang time of 0.92 seconds, which allowed him to soar over defenders and finish spectacularly at the rim (check out his iconic dunk from the free-throw line in the 1988 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Competition if you want to see a man fly).
Jordan brought his acrobatics to the Olympics at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and the 1992 Games in Barcelona, winning gold as part of the USA men's team on both occasions.
Hallgeir Engebraaten (speed skating) - Potato Chips King
Beijing 2022 men's team pursuit gold medallist Hallgeir Engebraaten has two loves: speed skating and potato chips. In fact, he loves potato chips so much that his friends chose a nickname for him based on the tasty snack, rather than the sport in which he so obviously excels.
"I'm more than fond of potato chips," he said on social media. "They call me the 'potato chips king'."
