The chances of playing elite level sport at the highest level is very slim. In some sports it can be one in million that make it. Therefore, what are the chances of competing at an elite level in two sports?
Here is five sporting stars who have succeed in two different sports at an elite level.
Katie Taylor- Boxing and Football
The greatest female boxer of all-time. A bold statement but one not many can currently argue. She is an Olympic champion and a two-weight world champion and the current undisputed lightweight champion. Successfully defending this title since 2017.
Taylor before all this played senior football for the Republic of Ireland. She played 11 times scoring two goals from 2006-2009. A fearless player with an eye for a goal in 2010 she hung up the boots to focus on her Olympic dream.
Pita Taufatofua- Taekwondo and Skiing
One Olympic sport wasn’t enough for Taufatofua, instead he had the goal of becoming the first Olympian to attend three different Olympic Games for three different sports.
The Tongan athlete originally competed in taekwondo losing in his first bout at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Next up was the 2018 Winter Olympics where he competed in the 15km skiing freestyle race, finishing 114th.
Taufatofua finally attempt to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in sprint canoeing. However, he failed to qualify, instead he competed again in taekwondo this time winning the gold medal.
Ashleigh Barty- Tennis and Cricket
The 2021 Wimbledon champion in 2014 decided to take a break from tennis due to burnout and a lack of interest in the sport.
During this time, she picked up the cricket bat playing in the 2015 Women’s Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat.
Her career never really took off, but the break massively helped her tennis career.
Carlin Isles- Athletics and Rugby Sevens
His dream was always to be an Olympian. A school sensation Isles broke his school 100m sprint record with a time of 10.58 seconds.
In his chase for London 2012 his personal best time of 10.13 seconds made him the 36th fastest man in the United States.
Due to the high levels of competition in the US, he switched to rugby sevens. Since then, he has scored over 200 tries for his country and been to two Olympics.
The dream came true.
Greg Rutherford- Athletics and Bobsleighing
The 2012 Olympic long jump champion is looking to join this successful list of converts.
He has recently joined the Team GB bobsleigh setup with a goal of competing in 2020 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Although a shoulder injury has prevented his anticipated debut in the 2021 World Cup.
Who is next?
A new challenge, a mental break or a lack of opportunities have all been reasons for these athletes to cross sports.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting if any current sporting superstars have a similar plan on the horizon.
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