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Now that the games in Beijing have come to a close, it's time to reassess our rankings when it comes to the greatest female athletes in the world. Of course, if you visit our site very much, you already know that when we say "greatest," we actually mean "hottest."

Regardless of where they stood on the medal stand in China or in previous Olympics, the lovely athletes in the gallery below will always medal in our hearts as well as give us a reason to watch women's sports.


So for one final send-off until London 2012, we present the 15 Hottest Olympians Ever (or at least those that we could remember).


Hottest Olympians

    15. Amanda Beard We give Amanda plenty of credit for her brave willingness to stand proud, even when faced with a full wardrobe of clothing.

    PETA

    14. Heather Mitts She's an incredible soccer player, but she still needs help buttoning up.

    Karen Pearson, Retna

    13. Serena Williams The tennis star always seems to be in the public eye. That's a very good thing.

    Chris Gordon, WireImage.com

    12. Amy Acuff The U.S. high jumper turned her Athens 2004 Olympic fame into a Playboy spread. We fully support that leap.

    ZUMA Press / playboy.com

    11. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Besides looking fantastic in the sport's standard sport bikini, this pairing also happens to be the greatest in the history of women's beach volleyball.

    Thomas Coex, AFP / Getty Images

    9. Gretchen Bleiler Since we're not excluding the ladies of the winter Olympics, snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler has to make the list. She may be at home on the half-pipe, but she also looked pretty comfortable in Maxim and FHM spreads.

    Jesse Grant, WireImage

    8. Guo Jingjing This Chinese diver won gold in 2004 and says she plans to retire following the games in Beijing. We've already sent her brochures about retirement communities in the U.S.

    Gerard Julien, AFP / Getty Images

    7. Allison Baver This short track speed skater is so fast, she can barely even hear the male's in the crowd whistling as she cruises past.

    Matthew Stockman, Getty Images

    6. Alina Kabayeva This rhythmic gymnast from Russia is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of her sport. She is now a member of the Russian parliament, leading aspiring bureaucrats everywhere to start playing with rubber balls.

    Tatyana Makeyeva, AFP/Getty Images

    5. Candace Parker Known for being the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game, Parker was named to Team USA in 2008. She's welcome to school us, on or off the court, any day.

    John Shearer, WireImage