As the first week of the Olympics ends, we cannot help but wonder if our favorite fictional characters could make it against some of the best athletes in the world. With a myriad of different sports and sports romance books to choose from, this list comprises six fictional athletes who could give our real Olympians a run for their money.
Kulti by Mariana Zapata
Kulti by Mariana Zapata has two potential athletes who could shine at the Paris Olympics: Sal Casillas for the United States women’s soccer team and Reiner Kulti for Germany’s men’s soccer team. Sal worked her butt off to be the star player she is for her Houston, Texas professional soccer team throughout the novel. She is passionate about the sport and arguably works harder than anyone else on the team. Reiner, a soccer legend in his own right, inspired Sal to compete and improve her soccer skills. Breaking records in his youth when his career first started is what motivated Sal to be the best player she is now. Putting Sal on the field with Crystal Dunn and Lindsey Horan would make the U.S.A. team unstoppable.
Sal and Kulti’s story begins after Kulti retires from professional soccer and takes a job as Sal’s assistant coach for her women’s professional soccer team in Houston. While the age gap might not be for everyone, Sal and Kulti form a strong bond over their love for soccer and become best friends before a romantic relationship ever develops. Mariana Zapata is well-known for her grumpy sunshine and slow-burn writing, which makes this book a must-read.
The Right Move by Liz Tomforde
The Right Move by Liz Tomforde features star point guard Ryan Shay for the Chicago, Illinois professional basketball team. Throughout the book, Ryan is described as the best point guard in the league, which in real time would rank him with Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who is currently competing on the men’s United States basketball team at the Olympics. Ryan would be a beast and could help the men’s basketball team push for a gold medal for team U.S.A. in Paris. With a high shooting percentage and a killer work ethic, Ryan’s focus would be on winning the medal for his team and his family.
In the book, Ryan is very hard set on never getting involved with another girl after what happened to him before he was drafted to play professional basketball. He meets Indy when she is desperate for a roommate and a place to live, so Ryan’s sister introduces the two of them. This is a fake dating trope, as Ryan needs to convince his team’s manager that he is committed to the team, and what better way to convince him of that than planting roots? Ryan and Indy have a sweet love story that forms over a lengthy period and focuses on their trust and friendship before officially getting together.
The Hunger Games by Suzanna Collins
Katniss Everdeen is a name everyone may know from Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games series. Katniss perfected her aim with her bow and arrow through hunting and mastered the technique, never missing her target. In The Hunger Games, Katniss shoots an arrow at an apple that’s right next to a man’s head and manages to make the shot right through the center. No one can work a bow and arrow like Katniss, which is why she would make the perfect representative for the United States archery team at the Olympics. With her perfect aim, Katniss could win the gold for team U.S.A. against Deepika Kumari, the number one archer in the world from India.
The Hunger Games follows a dystopian world where teenagers are forced to compete in a deadly battle for money for their districts. From twelve districts, one boy and one girl are chosen as tributes to compete and fight to the death in a ruthless arena filled with obstacles. While there is a love story involved in the series that develops over time, the book focuses on Katniss as she learns to survive on her own while all of the odds are stacked against her.
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Emma Lord’s Tweet Cute features two competitive athletes who are sure to put up a fight in the swimming and diving divisions of the Olympics. Pepper Evans excels at everything she does, including being captain of the school swim team, while Jack Campbell is a member of the school’s diving team. Both swimming and diving are competitive and popular at the Olympics, especially when Pepper would be following in the footsteps of Katie Ledecky and Torri Huske, two strong swimmers on the U.S.A. swim team. With Pepper’s work ethic and determination, she could win a medal at the 2024 Olympics with Jack by her side.
Jack and Pepper are opposites of each other. While Pepper is driven, organized, and a perfectionist, Jack is a class clown, his only focus being to make everyone else laugh and never take anything seriously. Jack drives Pepper crazy as he tries to get into a Twitter war with her over her family’s popular food chain to take them down so his family’s deli can survive. Their Twitter war turns viral, and soon they are sending each other memes and retweets, all while they slowly fall for each other in real life.
The Olympics are not over yet. There is still another week of exciting competition among world competitors. Some sports are coming to an end while others are soon beginning, meaning there are still so many more medals left to win. The Olympics can be streamed on Peacock and NBC; be sure to watch your favorite athletes compete!
Read more fun articles about the Olympic Games on Bookstr like 7 Outstanding Fictional Sports We Want to See in the Olympics.
For more exciting books to add to your reading list, check out our shelf for dystopian books on bookshop.org.
