All the Olympians Who've Competed on “Dancing with the Stars” (and How They Scored!)
Suni Lee joined the ranks of fellow Olympians like Simone Biles and Tonya Harding who waltzed and jived on ABC's reality competition series
Craig Sjodin via Getty(2); Maarten de Boer/ABC via Getty
Adam Rippon on 'Dancing with the Stars'; Suni Lee on 'Dancing with the Stars'; Simone Biles on 'Dancing with the Stars'These Olympians went for the gold ... and the Mirrorball Trophy.
From swimmers and gymnasts to ice skaters and snowboarders, numerous athletes who've competed in the Olympics have also taken the stage on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. While they're no strangers to being judged on TV, the transition to dancing on the reality competition series still poses many challenges.
"I don't think anything will ever compare to the work I put into the Olympics. But I have to say, probably Dancing with the Stars [was harder]," Suni Lee — the gold medal-winning gymnast who competed in season 30 — told PEOPLE in December 2021. "I didn't expect it to go that way, and when I had to go into the gym every single day — or go into rehearsals, I was like — 'Why is nothing clicking?' So it was definitely harder that way."
Historically, however, Olympians have performed well (and won a lot!) on DWTS. Read on to see all of the Olympic athletes who've taken a turn in the ballroom — and how they fared.
Suni Lee
Maarten de Boer/ABC via Getty
Suni Lee and Sasha Farber wear red outfits in a promotional photo for 'Dancing with the Stars'During season 30 of DWTS, the six-time Olympic medalist Suni Lee used her gymnast agility to perform many dance routines with partner Sasha Farber — making it to the semi-finals and placing in fifth. Though she didn't get to the finale, Lee was more than pleased with her experience.
"I feel like I finally found myself, and I'm more confident in myself," she told reporters after being eliminated in November 2021. "And I feel like I'm more open now, and that was the main goal to come on this show. Obviously, winning was there, but I feel like I love myself more than ever and that is a really important thing."
Johnny Weir
Decorated skater Johnny Weir fell just short of the top in season 29 — coming in sixth place with partner Britt Stewart.
Mary Lou Retton
Craig Sjodin/ABC
Mary Lou Retton and Sasha Farber hug while wearing gold outfits in a promotional photo for 'Dancing with the Stars'In season 28 (with Sasha Farber), the beloved gymnast and five-time Olympic medalist was the fifth to go. "I hadn't challenged myself in decades," Mary Lou Rettonsaid as she was let go, revealing news of her divorce. "I challenged myself and I'm off to a fresh start."
Jamie Anderson
Two-time Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Jamie Anderson traded her board for dancing shoes to partner with Artem Chigvintsev for season 26, which was all athletes. She was, however, the first to go home.
Tonya Harding
One of the most controversial names in Olympic history, Tonya Harding competed with Sasha Farber on the show's all-athletes season — and came in third.
Mirai Nagasu
Mirai Nagasu said that she almost saw her free skate performance at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics as an "audition for Dancing with the Stars." It worked: she joined season 26 with partner Alan Bersten and came in fourth.
Adam Rippon
He won over America with his epic one-liners and graceful skates, and Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon tackled the dance floor alongside partner Jenna Johnson, taking home the coveted Mirrorball Trophy on the all-athlete 26th season.
Chris Mazdzer
Chris Mazdzer — who brought the United States its first-ever medal in men's singles luge (a silver) in the 2018 PyeongChang Games — danced with Witney Carson in the all-athletes season and was eliminated in the third week.
Nancy Kerrigan
In 2017, two-time Olympic medalist and figure skater Nancy Kerrigan partnered up with pro Artem Chigvintsev, making it to the seventh week of the competition show's 24th season.
Simone Biles
Partnered with Sasha Farber, Simone Biles — who later became the most decorated U.S. gymnast (11 medals!) in Olympic history in 2024 — consistently posted high scores throughout all of season 24, and was predicted to win the final prize. So when she was eliminated in fourth place, the audience was absolutely shocked — especially because the team had received two perfect scores that very evening.
Laurie Hernandez
Most viewers knew that in season 23, it was always going to be Laurie Hernandez. Fresh off her stint at the 2016 Rio Olympics, she was America's sweetheart, and the judges' sweetheart, too, scoring perfect 10s an astounding eight times. Competing at 16 years old, Hernandez became the youngest winner in DWTS history.
Nastia Liukin
Partnered with Derek Hough for the show's 20th season, 2008 all-around Olympic champion gymnast Nastia Liukin had consistently high scores throughout the season. She was eliminated in the show's ninth week, coming in fourth place — despite receiving the night's highest scores.
Meryl Davis
Meryl Davis was the front-runner on the show's 18th season from the get-go. Her dances with partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy never scored less than an 8, and from the semifinals on, they scored straight perfect 10s. She (obviously) won her season — and still holds the highest celebrity average of all time.
Charlie White
Davis' ice dancing partner kicked off his season 18 strong, scoring straight 9s and, from that point on, never dipping below a rare 7. However, he and partner Sharna Burgess came in fifth place, eliminated in shocking style one week ahead of the finale.
Hope Solo
Before her controversies, soccer goalie Hope Solo participated in the show's 13th season. She and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy came in fourth place.
Evan Lysacek
The men's singles gold medal-winning figure skater was paired with Anna Trebunskaya on the 10th season of DWTS, and he danced to the near-top of the competition: He made it to the finals and eventually came in second place.
Natalie Coughlin
Three-time gold medalist swimmer Natalie Coughlin was paired with Alec Mazo on DWTS's ninth season, on which she was a solid middle-of-the-pack competitor: She was the sixth contestant eliminated.
Shawn Johnson
If there was an Olympian-only season of DWTS, chances are, Shawn Johnson would take home the Mirrorball. Partnered with Mark Ballas, she won the show's eighth season in 2009 at 17 and was the youngest DWTS winner before Laurie Hernandez's 2016 win. In 2012, Johnson came back for the all-star season 15, this time partnered with Derek Hough. Even up against a group of champions, she was a standout, coming in second place.
Misty May-Treanor
Misty May-Treanor was a contestant on the seventh season of DWTS and partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Though the three-time gold medalist in beach volleyball posted relatively high scores throughout her four weeks of competition, she ruptured her Achilles tendon and was forced to withdraw.
Kristi Yamaguchi
The 1992 women's singles figure skating gold medalist was a force to be reckoned with in the ballroom in season 6. From the first week, Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Balls were scoring straight 9s — while her competitors couldn't even get one. In the show's final week, all three of her dances scored straight 10s. She took home the Mirrorball after defeating the runner-up, retired NFL player Jason Taylor.
Apolo Anton Ohno
Speed skater and eight-time Olympic medalist Apolo Anton Ohno has participated in two seasons of DWTS. The first was season 4, where he and partner Julianne Hough won — becoming the first-ever Olympian to receive the Mirrorball Trophy. (It was also Hough's first season as a troupe member!) The second was all-star season 15, on which he was a powerhouse contestant with partner Karina Smirnoff, but didn't fare quite as well, coming in fifth place.
Related: JoJo Siwa, Iman Shumpert, and Other Contestants Who Made History on Dancing with the Stars
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