The Best Olympic Hairstyles

Laura Trott, British Track Cyclist, wears pigtails while riding

This year’s Olympics has arguably been the most stylish – well, it is being staged in London after all... There's been Stella's Team GB kit, a sea of neon trainers and catwalk-to-track nail art (courtesy of backstage manicurist Sophy Robson). 

Besides watching the sports intently (of course), we've also been kept busy checking out the various hairstyles these Olympic athletes deem exercise-appropriate. 

Cue plenty of braids; functional accessories used in ingenious ways; more hair gel than most of us would wear in a lifetime (and that's just the synchronised swimmers); oh, and the Olympic rings shaved into the side of Jamaican hurdler Nickiesha Wilson's hair. Okay, the latter two may not make it onto our hair repertoire for the gym, but the rest just might...

Carolina Del Pilar Costagrande, Italian Volleyball player, gets experimental with her ponytail and hair clips

This year’s Olympics has arguably been the most stylish – well, it is being staged in London after all... There's been Stella's Team GB kit, a sea of neon trainers and catwalk-to-track nail art (courtesy of backstage manicurist Sophy Robson). 

Besides watching the sports intently (of course), we've also been kept busy checking out the various hairstyles these Olympic athletes deem exercise-appropriate. 

Cue plenty of braids; functional accessories used in ingenious ways; more hair gel than most of us would wear in a lifetime (and that's just the synchronised swimmers); oh, and the Olympic rings shaved into the side of Jamaican hurdler Nickiesha Wilson's hair. Okay, the latter two may not make it onto our hair repertoire for the gym, but the rest just might...

Venus Williams, Tennis player from the USA, with patriotic braids

This year’s Olympics has arguably been the most stylish – well, it is being staged in London after all... There's been Stella's Team GB kit, a sea of neon trainers and catwalk-to-track nail art (courtesy of backstage manicurist Sophy Robson). 

Besides watching the sports intently (of course), we've also been kept busy checking out the various hairstyles these Olympic athletes deem exercise-appropriate. 

Cue plenty of braids; functional accessories used in ingenious ways; more hair gel than most of us would wear in a lifetime (and that's just the synchronised swimmers); oh, and the Olympic rings shaved into the side of Jamaican hurdler Nickiesha Wilson's hair. Okay, the latter two may not make it onto our hair repertoire for the gym, but the rest just might...

Marta Pihan Kulesza, Gymnast from Poland, with tri-colour hair

This year’s Olympics has arguably been the most stylish – well, it is being staged in London after all... There's been Stella's Team GB kit, a sea of neon trainers and catwalk-to-track nail art (courtesy of backstage manicurist Sophy Robson). 

Besides watching the sports intently (of course), we've also been kept busy checking out the various hairstyles these Olympic athletes deem exercise-appropriate. 

Cue plenty of braids; functional accessories used in ingenious ways; more hair gel than most of us would wear in a lifetime (and that's just the synchronised swimmers); oh, and the Olympic rings shaved into the side of Jamaican hurdler Nickiesha Wilson's hair. Okay, the latter two may not make it onto our hair repertoire for the gym, but the rest just might...

Sanya Richards Ross, USA Athlete, pairs a halo braid with wavy lengths for an eye-catching half up-do

This year’s Olympics has arguably been the most stylish – well, it is being staged in London after all... There's been Stella's Team GB kit, a sea of neon trainers and catwalk-to-track nail art (courtesy of backstage manicurist Sophy Robson). 

Besides watching the sports intently (of course), we've also been kept busy checking out the various hairstyles these Olympic athletes deem exercise-appropriate. 

Cue plenty of braids; functional accessories used in ingenious ways; more hair gel than most of us would wear in a lifetime (and that's just the synchronised swimmers); oh, and the Olympic rings shaved into the side of Jamaican hurdler Nickiesha Wilson's hair. Okay, the latter two may not make it onto our hair repertoire for the gym, but the rest just might...

Irina Karpova, Heptathlete from Kazakhstan, ties her hair back with a criss-cross pattern of white elastic bands 

This year’s Olympics has arguably been the most stylish – well, it is being staged in London after all... There's been Stella's Team GB kit, a sea of neon trainers and catwalk-to-track nail art (courtesy of backstage manicurist Sophy Robson). 

Besides watching the sports intently (of course), we've also been kept busy checking out the various hairstyles these Olympic athletes deem exercise-appropriate. 

Cue plenty of braids; functional accessories used in ingenious ways; more hair gel than most of us would wear in a lifetime (and that's just the synchronised swimmers); oh, and the Olympic rings shaved into the side of Jamaican hurdler Nickiesha Wilson's hair. Okay, the latter two may not make it onto our hair repertoire for the gym, but the rest just might...