Richard Ellis/UPI/Shutterstock©Are some people just destined for greatness based on their names? Discover the top Olympians and athletes who just so happen to have the most apt names in their sport.
An aptronym or aptonym is a name that happens to be very appropriate for the owner because it relates to their occupation or a situation they find themselves in. This is often humorous or ironic.
Sports is an arena that seems to be full of professionals with strangely apt names.
Discover some of our favourite aptronyms from this year’s Paris Olympics, as well as Olympic Games past and other sporting events.
Success was written in the stars… and in the names of these top athletes.
Rosalind Canter of Team GB during the Eventing Individual Jumping Final Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Image: Shutterstock.
Olympians at the Paris 2024 Games with apt sports names
- Rosalind Canter — Equestrian Eventing. She won gold medal in Team eventing as part of Team GB. The canter and gallop are variations on the fastest gaits for a horse. Rosalind Canter is our favourite of the most apt names in sport at this year’s Olympics.
- Thomas Ford and Emily Ford — Rowing. Brother and sister Olympians both competing for Team GB. In the Paris Olympics, Emily was part of the women’s eight that won bronze and her older brother Tom won gold in the men’s eight. A ford is a shallow place within s river or stream that can be crosses on foot or by vehicle.
- David Goodfield — Hockey. This year is his Olympic debut for Team GB in hockey.
- Seth Rider — Triathlon. Helped Team USA win silver in the Olympic triathlon mixed relay event.
Nathan Leeper competed for Team USA in the high jump in Sydney at the 2000 Olympics.
More Olympians with the most apt sports names
- Usain Bolt — Usain “lightning’ Bolt is an eight-times Olympic Gold medallist and the sprinter with one of the most apt names ever in sport. Bolt still holds the world record for the 100-meter dash at 9.58 seconds, set in 2009, and the Olympic record of 9.63 seconds set in 2012.
- Lisa Lightfoot — was an Australian 800m runner at the 1996 Olympic Games.
- Jeff Spear — competed in fencing for Team USA in 2012.
- Nathan Leeper — was an American high jumper who finished eleventh at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
- Tennys Sandgren — competed in tennis for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics. He reached the semi-finals in doubles with partner Austin Krajicek, but they lost to the year’s gold medallists Mate Pavić and Nikola Mektić.
- Malcolm Champion — was the first swimmer to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games. He went on to win gold in Stockholm 1912.
Chuck Long is a former NFL quarterback who played professionally between 1986-1994.
General athletes with hilariously appropriate names
- Marina Stepanova – a former Russian athlete who competed for the Soviet Union in the 400 metres hurdles at various world events. She became the first woman ever to complete the race in under 53 seconds in 1986.
- Chuck Long – a former NFL quarterback who played professionally for the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams on and off from 1986-1994. Chuck Long is one of the most apt names ever seen in the sport of American football.
- Anna Smashnova – Soviet-born retired Israeli tennis player who competed in 13 Women’s Tennis Association finals, of which she won 12 of them. Her highest singles ranking of world was No. 15 in 2003 and she retired after Wimbledon 2007.
Hannah McLaren I've worked at DC Thomson for six years! I began as an intern at My Weekly and The Scots Magazine, which was extended by a few months to help out at The People's Friend. I then covered maternity as Celebrity Editor for My Weekly, before I became Multimedia Journalist at The Scots Magazine. Currently I'm writing digital content across each title.
