Olympic Athlete Couples Competing in the London 2012 Games
The Olympic couples we're rooting for on and off the podium.
Aug. 1, 2012— -- intro: Despite rumors of a down-and-dirty Olympic Village, the Games can also be a place for athletes to find true love.
Grueling training schedules take priority when you're preparing to square off against the most talented competitors in the world, but these athletic pairs have found a way to make time for romance.
Here are five couples we're rooting for, both on and off the podium, who are seemingly in it for the long haul.
quicklist: 1category: London 2012 Athlete Couplestitle: Rebecca Soni and Ricky Berensurl: text: Soni, 25, and Berens, 24, both swimming for the United States, share a condo together in Manhattan Beach, Calif. The two train together with Trojan Swim Club, a USC-based, post-graduate club team under coach Dave Salo.
"It's just great to have a companion that is as focused as you are and also will help you along the way," Soni said of Berens in a video for BP's athlete ambassadors campaign. media: 16899773 caption: use
quicklist: 2category: London 2012 Athlete Couplestitle: Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisenurl: text: Eaton, 24, and his fiancée, Theisen, 23, met as students at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where they train together. While they are both track and field superstars -- she is a heptathlete and he is a decathlete -- they will not be waving the flag for the same team. Theisen, who is originally from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, will be competing for Canada, while Eaton will be representing Team USA. media: 16899809caption: use
quicklist: 3category: London 2012 Athlete Couplestitle: Matthew and Katerina Emmonsurl: text: Known as the "golden shooting couple" for their prowess in the sport, the pair met at the 2004 Athens Games in the beer garden, after Matthew accidentally shot at the wrong target during an event. After their chance encounter, a courtship ensued, and the 31-year-old from New Jersey and the 28-year old from the Czech Republic were married in 2007.
"There's no better support I could ever have in the world. It works both ways. I wouldn't have it any other way," Emmons said of his wife to Agence France-Presse news service. media: 16899734 caption: use
quicklist: 4 category: London 2012 Athlete Couplestitle: Darcy Marquardt and Richard Hortness url: text: The Canadian couple met at the 2008 Beijing Games, but 27-year-old swimmer Hortness and the 33-year-old rower Marquardt worked at a long-distance relationship until he moved to London, Ontario, after finishing his degree in education at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. The duo moved in together May 2011.
Marquardt told the Toronto Star, "We had to go all the way to Beijing to find each other. There comes a point when you realize that you don't see your life without that someone in it. Rich is my rock."media: 16899785 caption: use
quicklist: 5Category: London 2012 Athlete CouplesTitle: Russell and Lauryn Markurl: text: The Australian Olympic shooting duo Russell Mark, 48, and Lauryn Mark, 32, raised a stink when the Australian Olympic Committee told them they would not be able to share the same room in the Olympic Village during the London 2012 games. But the two will still compete for Olympic glory, despite not being able to live together.
The couple married in 2004 and have two children together. Their daughter, Sierra is 7, and their son, Indiana, is 5. media: 16899821 caption: use
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