Aug 4, 2012

Emotions run rampant for competing Olympians and having a strong support system is crucial to their success. Here’s a look at the wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, coaches, teammates, friends and family who support their athletic superstars and celebrate their victories during this monumental competition.

: Jessica Hardy of the U.S. kisses her boyfriend Dominik Meichtry of Switzerland during a training session at the Aquatics Centre before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games July 27, 2012. (Toby Melville/Reuters)

: US gymnast Gabrielle Douglas (R) celebrates with teammate Alexandra Raisman after winning the artistic gymnastics women’s individual all-around final at the 02 North Greenwich Arena in London on August 2, 2012 during the London 2012 Olympic Games. (Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images)

: Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov celebrates with his coach Jorg Rosskopf after defeating Taiwan’s Chuang Chih-yuan in their men’s singles bronze medal table tennis match at the ExCel venue during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 2, 2012. (Grigory Dukor/Reuters)

: Reese Hoffa of the U.S kisses his wife Renata (L) as he celebrates after placing third in the men’s shot put final at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the Olympic Stadium August 3, 2012. Poland’s Tomasz Majewski finished first ahead of Germany’s David Storl who placed second and Hoffa who finished third. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)

: Germany’s players celebrate a point against Serbia during their men’s Group B volleyball match at Earls Court during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 2, 2012. (Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)

: France’s Florent Manaudou hugs his sister Laure after winning the men’s 50m freestyle final during the swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Park on August 3, 2012 in London. (Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images)

: Mexico’s Ivan Garcia Navarro (R) and German Sanchez Sanchez hug after winning silver in the men’s synchronised 10m platform final during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre July 30, 2012. (Toby Melville/Reuters)

: Donald Suxho (L) and Russell Holmes of the U.S. celebrate a point against Brazil during their men’s Group B volleyball match at Earls Court during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 2, 2012. (Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)

: Geraint Thomas of Great Britain celebrates with his girlfriend after winning gold and setting a new world record after the Men’s Team Pursuit Track Cycling final on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Velodrome on August 3, 2012 in London, England. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

: The Netherlands’ Sanne Keizer (R) and Marleen van Iersel celebrate after they defeated Argentina’s Maria Virginia Zonta and Ana Gallay during their women’s preliminary round beach volleyball match at Horse Guards Parade during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 2, 2012. (Marcelo del Pozo/Reuters)

: U.S. Olympic tri-athlete Sarah Groff and her boyfriend Ben True (L) sit in an ice bath at their home in Hartford, Vermont after a day of training May 22, 2012. Groff, 30, will be one of three U.S. athletes to compete in the women’s triathlon on Aug. 4, starting with a 1,500 metre swim in the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park and followed by a a 40-kilometre bike ride and a 10-kilometre run. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

: Senegal’s Moussa Konate (L) celebrates his goal with teammate Sadio Mane during their men’s Group A football match against UAE at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the City of Coventry stadium August 1, 2012. (Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)

: Italy’s Federica Pellegrini (R) and Filippo Magnini kiss after training at the main pool at the Aquatics Centre before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games in London in this July 26, 2012 file photo. The ancient Greeks believed athletes should avoid sex before sport, but modern Olympians and scientists are torn over the merits of in-competition coitus and whether abstinence enhances performance. (David Gray/Files.Reuters)

: Britain’s Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins (L) celebrate after winning the women’s double sculls final A at the London 2012 Olympic Games in Eton Dorney August 3, 2012. (Jim Young/Reuters)

: Vincent Hancock of the U.S. kisses his wife Rebekah as he holds their baby Brenlyn after he won the gold medal during the men’s skeet finals at the Royal Artillery Barracks during the London 2012 Olympic Games July 31, 2012. (Cathal McNaughton/Reuters)

: South Africa’s John Smith (R) and Sizwe Ndlovu celebrate after winning the gold medal in the men’s lightweight four final rowing event event during the London 2012 Olympic Games at Eton Dorney August 2, 2012. (Damien Meyer/Pool/Reuters)

: Germany’s Kristina Hillmann celebrates with a team member after defeating South Africa during their women’s Group B hockey match at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Riverbank Arena on the Olympic Park August 2, 2012. (Chris Helgren/Reuters)

: Katerina Emmons of the Czech Republic (L) poses for a photograph with her husband, U.S. shooter Matt Emmons, at the Czech House, Islington, in London July 28, 2012. (Paul Hackett/Reuters)

: Brazil’s Larissa Franca (front) and Juliana Silva celebrate after defeating Czech Republic’s Hana Klapalova and Lenka Hajeckova during their women’s preliminary round beach volleyball match at Horse Guards Parade during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 1, 2012. (Marcelo del Pozo/Reuters)

: Silver medalist Marcel Nguyen (C) of Germany celebrates with a team member after the men’s individual all-around gymnastics final in the North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 1, 2012. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

: Britain’s Prince William (C) and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, smile next to Peter Phillips (L) during the Eventing Jumping equestrian event at the London 2012 Olympic Games in Greenwich Park, July 31, 2012. (Luke Macgregor/Reuters)

: First placed Regina George (R) of Nigeria hugs third placed Marlena Wesh of Haiti after heat 3 of the women’s 400m during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium August 3, 2012. (David Gray/Reuters)

: Caitlin Leverenz, of the United States, gets a kiss from her boyfriend Collin Smith after winning bronze in the women’s 200-meter individual medley Tuesday, July 31, 2012, during the Summer Olympic Games in London, England. (Karl Mondon/Contra Costa Times/MCT)

: US’ Sanya Richards-Ross (R) greets Puerto Rico’s Carol Rodriguez after competing in the women’s 400m heats at the athletics event during the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 3, 2012 in London. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

: Gold medalist US swimmer Michael Phelps (R) embraces silver medalist US swimmer Ryan Lochte on the podium after winning the men’s 200m individual medley swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 2, 2012 in London. (Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images)

: Gold medalist Mahe Drysdale (C) of New Zealand hugs silver medalist Ondrej Synek (L) of Czech Republic and bronze medalist Alan Campbell of Great Britain before receiving their medals during the medal ceremony for the Men’s Single Sculls final on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Eton Dorney on August 3, 2012 in Windsor, England. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

: US swimmer Rebecca Soni (R) embraces US swimmer Micah Lawrence (L) after winning gold and breaking the world record in the women’s 200m breaststroke final swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 2, 2012 in London. (Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images)

: Britain’s Jessica Ennis (R) hugs Belgium’s Sara Aerts after their women’s heptathlon 100m hurdles heat at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium August 3, 2012. (David Gray/Reuters)

: Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) celebrates Tagir Khaibulaev of Russia’s gold medal in the Men’s -100 kg Judo on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on August 2, 2012 in London, England. (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and her boyfriend and golfer Rory McIlroy smile as they arrive during the Olympic Village arrivals ahead of the London 2012 Olympics at the Olympic Park on July 26, 2012 in London, England. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

: Australia’s goalkeeper Toni Cronk (C) and Emily Smith celebrate after their women’s Group B hockey match against the U.S. at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Riverbank Arena on the Olympic Park August 2, 2012. (Cathal McNaughton/Reuters)

: Mongolia’s Tuvshinbayar Naidan (blue) celebrates after winning against Korea’s Hwang Hee-Tae (white) after their men’s -100kg judo contest semi-final match of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 2, 2012 at the ExCel arena in London. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)

: Great Britain’s Peter Robert Russell Wilson is congratulated by his girlfriend Adelle after winning the men’s shooting double trap final at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Royal Artillery Barracks in London, on August 2, 2012. (Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images)

: China’s Lu Xiaojun (L) celebrates with his coach during the men’s 77kg group A weightlifting event during the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Excel Centre in London on August 1, 2012. (Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

: Norway’s Bartosz Piasecki celebrates with his coach his victory over South Korea’s Jung Jinsun at the end of their Men’s epee semi final bout as part of the fencing event of London 2012 Olympic games, on August 1, 2012 at the ExCel centre in London. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: Brazil’s defender Danilo (L) celebrates with Brazil’s defender Marcelo after scoring during the London 2012 Olympic Games men’s football match between Brazil and New Zealand at St James’ Park in Newcastle, north-east England on August 1, 2012. (Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images)

: U.S. Olympian Kayla Harrison and fiance Aaron Handy visit the USA House at the Royal College of Art on August 2, 2012 in London, England. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOC)

: Bulgaria’s Teodor Salparov celebrates victory with an unidentified player in the Men’s Preliminary Pool A volleyball match between Poland and Bulgaria in the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on July 31, 2012. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)

: Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins of Great Britain celebrate before receiving their gold medals during the medal ceremony for the Women’s Double Sculls final on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Eton Dorney on August 3, 2012 in Windsor, England. (Harry How/Getty Images)

: Laura Ludwig of Germany and Sara Goller of Germany are congratulated by Katrin Holtwick of Germany and Ilka Semmler of Germany after the Women’s Beach Volleyball Round of 16 match between Germany and Germany on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Horse Guards Parade on August 3, 2012 in London, England. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

: Sir Chris Hoy of Great Britain celebrates with his wife Sarra Hoy and his gold medal after setting a new world record in the Men’s Team Sprint Track Cycling final on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Velodrome on August 2, 2012 in London, England. (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

: Maialen Chourraut of Spain celebrates after her run during the Women’s Kayak Single (K1) Slalom on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Lee Valley White Water Centre on August 2, 2012 in London, England. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

: Vitaliy Fridzon #7 of Russia celebrates with teammate Anton Ponkrashov #14 after hitting a three-point shot to win the game 75-74 over Brazil during the Men’s Basketball Preliminary Round match on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Basketball Arena on August 2, 2012 in London, England. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

: Members of the United States team celebrate with their gold medals during the medal ceremony after the Women’s Eight final on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Eton Dorney on August 2, 2012 in Windsor, England. (Harry How/Getty Images)

: Ismaeil Matar of United Arab Emirates celebrate his goal during the Men’s Football first round Group A Match between Senegal and United Arab Emirates, on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at City of Coventry Stadium on August 1, 2012 in Coventry, England. (Francis Bompard/Getty Images)

: Sheng Lei of China celebrates with his coach after winning the Men’s Foil Individual Gold Medal Bout against Alaaeldin Abouelkassem of Egypt on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on July 31, 2012 in London, England. (Hannah Johnston/Getty Images)

: Teodor Salparov #13 and Viktor Yosifov #12 of Bulgaria celebrate the match win over Poland during Men’s Volleyball on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Earls Court on July 31, 2012 in London, England. (Elsa/Getty Images)

: (L-R) Nicholas McCrory and David Boudia of the United States look on from the pool deck as they compete in the Men’s Synchronised 10m Platform Diving on Day 3 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre on July 30, 2012 in London, England. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

: Kayla Harrison (USA) celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women’s 78kg final in the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCel-North Arena 2. (Andrew Weber/USA TODAY Sports)

: Jennifer Kessy (R) and April Ross of the United States celebrate during Women’s Beach Volleyball Preliminary match between the United States and Argentina on Day 2 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Horse Guards Parade on July 29, 2012 in London, England. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)