Olympic Athletes Who Look Completely Different Today

Shaquille O'Neal snagged gold at the 1996 Olympics as part of the inspiring U.S. basketball "Dream Team." This was during the very promising early years of Shaq's NBA career, and his transition to the L.A. Lakers from the Orlando Magic was announced on the first day of the Games in Atlanta. He continued his storied career for another 15 years, before announcing his retirement from the sport in 2011.

O'Neal has enjoyed a busy retirement that includes acting, TV appearances, law enforcement, and even a wrestling stint. Though he's lost the trimmer figure of his NBA days, Shaq still stands an imposing and fit 7'1" tall, enough to make any opponent quake in their boots.

Before George Foreman started selling his "Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine" around the world, he was a world-famous boxer. The two-time World Heavyweight Champion was an Olympic athlete who won gold in the heavyweight category at the 1968 Games in Mexico City. He continued his successful boxing career another 30 years before retiring in 1997.

Foreman eventually redirected his ringside charisma into sales. His world famous line of George Foreman Grills has sold more than 100 million units and counting since its debut in 1994, reported CNBC . Even though he's much "heavier" today than in his heavyweight boxing years, there's no question that "Big George" will remains one of the heavy hitters in sports history.

When competing, Olympic athletes keep their bodies in top form, but when the torch goes out and the roar of the crowd fades, many Olympians let themselves finally relax and shift their focus to less physical pursuits. We've compiled a list of former Olympians who look extremely different since the Games. Take a look!

When Caitlyn Jenner was still known as Bruce Jenner, she became world-famous for her gold medal performance in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada. Her world-record finish over the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, paired with Jenner's victory lap carrying the U.S. flag (a tradition she started which continues to this day), transformed Jenner into an "all-American hero."

Today, Jenner continues to inspire millions through her groundbreaking physical and social endeavors. She's reportedly been taking hormone replacement therapy for years and officially came out as a transgender woman in 2015, showing off a completely new look on the cover of Vanity Fair.

While she never won a medal during her two visits to the Olympics, Tonya Harding was an extremely talented figure skater. She won the 1991 and 1994 U.S. Championships and became the first woman to successfully complete a triple axel in competition. She also became infamous for her alleged role in the brutal attack on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan—carried out by Harding's ex-husband—in an unsuccessful attempt to keep Kerrigan from competing at the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

After being stripped of her title and banned for life from the U.S. Figure Skating Association, Harding turned to other methods to earn money, including boxing, woodworking, releasing a sex tape, and even setting a car-racing land speed record. She also appeared in ESPN's documentary The Price of Gold (2014), which revisited the Kerrigan scandal.

What would Brian Boitano do if he was here right now? He'd probably fight some grizzly bears with his magical fire breath. How else could one possibly encore the 1988 Olympic gold medal for men's singles figure skating?

Boitano forged a successful post-Games career in professional skating before segueing his South Park fame into a cooking show, appropriately titled What Would Brian Boitano Make? Even though he has traded his fluffy hairstyle from the '80s for a more modern and age-appropriate cut, Boitano still looks great and more than ready to kick an arse or two.

American swimming legend Mark Spitz made history when he broke world records in all seven of his events at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. In total, during his career, Spitz won Olympic gold nine times, as well as silver and bronze medals. He decided to bow out of the sport while he was on top, retiring from swimming right after the Munich games at age 22.

He then began a successful career in television as a broadcast commentator before starting a real estate company in Beverly Hills. Spitz has long since ditched his trademark mustache, and his once-dark hair is now silver, but this iconic athlete is still making a splash.

Figure skater Tara Lipinski achieved international fame at the tender age of 15 when she won the 1998 Olympic gold medal in the ladies' singles category, setting a record for the youngest woman to win an Olympic figure skating title. After a professional career plagued with injuries, Lipinski retired from the sport to become a commentator, actress, and philanthropist.

Lipinski is all grown up now and looks much different from the fresh-faced teen at the Games in Nagano, Japan. Highly regarded for her keen fashion sense, she continues to work as a commentator for NBC during its Olympic coverage alongside BFF Johnny Weir.

In June 2017, she married sports producer Todd Kapostasy in a lavish Southern ceremony.

Swimmer Ian Thorpe represented his country on the national stage at a very young age. He was only 14 when he won the 400-meter freestyle at the World Championships in 1998. Thorpe went on to captivate the world when he dominated his swimming events at the 2000 Olympics, winning medals for Australia in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter freestyle events.

After the Games, the lanky young man was plagued with injuries and illness, which ended his bid for a comeback. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Thorpe has since become active in philanthropy, hosted a TV show called Undercover Angels, designed jewelry with Autore South Sea pearls, penned an autobiography and cookbook, and dabbled in acting—he even appeared on an episode of Friends. Though he isn't as svelte as he was as a teen athlete, he still looks good, especially when he's wearing pieces from the Armani clothing line he endorsed.

During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Shawn Johnson and her teammates on the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team captivated the world with a silver medal performance. Johnson also took home gold in the individual balance beam event, along with silver in the individual floor exercise. An unfortunate skiing accident in 2010 resulted in a knee injury that thwarted her efforts at a comeback for the 2012 Olympics.

The Dancing With the Stars winner retired in 2012 and turned her attention to a career in television and public appearances. Johnson looked radiant at her wedding in early 2016, and we think her post-gymnastics figure looks wonderful on her. After learning she suffered from an eating disorder during the Games in 2008, it's great to see Johnson happy and healthy.

Olympic athlete McKayla Maroney became everyone's favorite meme in 2012 thanks to the face she made after winning the silver, rather than the anticipated gold medal, in the women's individual vault finals; at one point, even President Barack Obama got in on the fun.

Years later, the gymnastic's looks are making headlines again, this time for the, uh, all-grown-up photos she posts on Instagram. The pictures prompted rumors that she'd had plastic surgery—rumors she denied. She continues to own her image on social media while putting her haters back in their place. To which we say: we're impressed.

Sarah Hughes became an overnight sensation in 2002 after she unexpectedly won gold over favorite Michelle Kwan in the women's figure skating finals in Salt Lake City, Utah. At the time, she was just a bubbly 16-year-old girl from New York with a huge smile and the kind of red hair that made her seem destined to one day play Reba McEntire in a biopic.

She has since ditched the red hair in favor of brown, curly locks, but Hughes has held onto that signature smile. She's also hung up her figure skates to study law at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. If she's as good in the courtroom as she is on the ice, all we can say is: look out!

Since winning gold in the women's individual all-around in Beijing, gymnast Nastia Liukin has stayed close to her roots, joining NBC as an analyst for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The New York University graduate, who retired from the sport in 2012, has also kept busy with other ventures, including a stint on Dancing With the Stars and writing a memoir.

On the personal front: Liukin got engaged to boyfriend Matt Lombardi in 2015. However, in May 2017, Liukin confirmed the couple had postponed the wedding due to her busy schedule.