Name: Race Imboden
Country: USA
Sport: Fencing
Age: 19
Why He’s a Gold Medal Hottie: Apparently some athletes are born, not made: a stranger who spotted a young Imboden playing with a sword on the playground suggested that he take up fencing. Even Imboden has no idea where his talent came from, but what he does know is that it certainly has its drawbacks–drawbacks he believes he can overcome. “I’ve hit a lot of boundaries, especially with fencing – whether it’s how much I can travel or I’ve got to do a certain amount of school or my sport isn’t the most publicized – just those boundaries that if you really want to do anything, if you really want to achieve anything, it’s possible,” he says. And after a series of disappointing losses, Imboden won a bronze medal at the Seoul World Cup in May of 2011, which bumped him to #4 in the world, we know that he’s right—even against all odds, anything’s possible.