Win Butler, Henry Rollins and Lars Ulrich of Metallica.
Olivia Newton-John isn’t the only chart-topper who likes to get physical.
Rock ’n’ roll and sports may not always be compatible lifestyles — “I used to jog, but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass,” David Lee Roth once quipped. But there are plenty of musicians who are just as comfortable on the court, the course or the diamond as they are onstage. And with the Summer Olympics on in London, there seems no better time to assemble our own squad of athletic rockers. These are the champions, my friends. They’ll keep on fighting till the end. Or at least until closing time.
Bruce Dickinson | Fencing
Iron Maiden’s energetic frontman is also a world-class swordsman — he was ranked seventh in Great Britain on foil in the late ’80s — who could send opponents running to the hills.
Lars Ulrich | Tennis
In his youth, Metallica drummer Ulrich was a top-ranked junior player in his native Denmark. He still plays a couple of times a week, often against his ex-pro father Toben.
Ben Gibbard | Marathon
The recently svelte Death Cab for Cutie frontman quit drinking and started running in 2008. He hasn’t stopped since, and now competes in (and completes) marathons. Cancel that cab.
Flea | Marathon
Another recent convert, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist laced up after reading Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run. He and Gibbard have run the L.A. Marathon together.
Henry Rollins | Weightlifting
The singer, writer and actor started pumping iron as a youth. “I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend,” he wrote. “Friends may come and go. But 200 pounds is always 200 pounds.”
Win Butler | Basketball
When he isn’t playing indie-rock superstar, Arcade Fire frontman Butler can apparently be found playing ball. He’s said to have a serious basketball jones — and the skills to match.
Master P | Basketball
After his rap career began to wane in the late ’90s, Percy Miller hit the hardwood, playing professionally for the Las Vegas Rattlers and Fort Wayne Fury.
James Allan | Soccer
Before turning to rock, the Glasvegas frontman was a footballer. As a winger for several teams, he made 105 appearances in the Scottish Football League.
Alice Cooper | Golf
OK, golf isn’t an Olympic sport this time. But it will be in 2016 — and everyone’s favourite shock-rocker is well-known as a real killer on the links, boasting a two handicap.
Robert Pollard | Various Sports
As a lad, the beer-swilling frontman of indie-rock legends Guided by Voices excelled as a high school athlete in baseball, football, and basketball.
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