Yu Darvish

Japan
Baseball

He's already a superstar in Japan, but a successful Olympic campaign for the Japanese baseball team will make pitcher Yu Darvish a legend. The 21-year-old [he turns 22 on Aug. 16] stands 6 foot 5 inches tall and has an Iranian father and Japanese mother. Darvish is married to a famous actress, Saeko, and stars for the wonderfully named Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, whom he helped in 2006 to their first Japan Series win since 1961. Since then he's become a key member of Japan's fancied Olympic team, which bagged silver in Athens. If the team goes one better in Beijing, Darvish's profile—and earnings power—will soar.