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One of a kind, Ryk Neethling has achieved what not even Brad Pitt could achieve. That is, he's been voted as the hottest celebrity on the planet by heat readers for two consecutive years. "It means a whole lot, and I guess I must be thankful to people that voted for me!" he said. But he won't let the attention get to his head, "You have to be careful when too many people like you and I think society is full of people who have a big fall from grace. I'd just rather be myself and do the right thin
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Did you know Ryk Neethling had a near fatal drowning incident as a child? Yep, Ryk started taking water safety lessons when he was 6 years old. Clearly, he felt at home in the water...
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Since then, Ryk has also been a five-time finalist in the Olympics and the World Championships, and competed in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.
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He swam his way to the top ten in the 50, 100, 200 Freestyle and Individual Medleys.
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The Bloemfontein laaitjie headed to America when he was just 17 years old - even though he could barely speak English.
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Ryk is in top form - so much so that he refused a multimillion dollar offer by Qatar's Olympic body to switch nationalities and swim for Qatar at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Our hottie is proudly South African!
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Even Nelson Mandela looks impressed.
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He says, "My dream was to go to one Olympic Games, I never thought I would be going to my fourth!"
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Wonder how hard he works to maintain his physique? "The first three weeks is our "base" cycle and will consist of running 6 km twice a week, running 800 stadium stairs twice a week, lifting weights 3 times a week for 90min at a time, swimming 9 times a week (6km per practice) and doing 600-800 sit ups on Monday, Wednesday and Friday." So that's what it takes to get abs like Ryk. Take note, boys!
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Ryk has definitely left a mark in the sports world - and in literature too. In 2008, Clinton van der Berg wrote a biography about Ryk Neethling's journey to the Beijing Olympics, called Chasing the Dream.
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Ryk has partnered with Jenna Clifford for the Dream Big Initiative. Jenna created the Dream Big Rose pendant for Ryk...
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Isn't it gorgeous?
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