Gold, silver and bronzed

Zara Dampney

Beach volleyball

The 26-year-old from Dorset in south-west England began playing indoor and beach volleyball for Great Britain in 2002. She plays with team partner Shauna Mullin.

How important is your appearance when you’re competing?

You always want to be confident and feeling your best when you’re on the court, so being happy with your appearance is one less thing to worry about.

Describe your beauty routine.

I use Nelsons Pure & Clear Purifying Daily Facial Face Wash (£7.85) and Balancing Moisturiser (£8.49), and use a simple body moisturiser daily because being in the sun makes my skin very dry.

Do you use sunscreen?

I wear it religiously. Mine is Neutrogena Wet Skin Sunblock Spray SPF85+ (NZ$30.99/£15.80), which I buy from New Zealand.

What’s your beauty essential?

Nelsons Arnicare Cream (£6.99). It helps to speed up the healing of any bruising, which I get from lifting heavy weights and throwing my body around.

Top tip for staying in shape?

Drinking lots of water and finding an exercise you enjoy so that you stick to it.

Do you have any post-Olympic beauty treats planned?

Getting my nails done, as they won’t chip so much when I’m not training!

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Simeon Williamson

100m relay

The 26-year-old from London has been an elite athlete since 2005.

How important is your appearance when you’re competing?

Very important. I always get a haircut a couple of days before a competition, and iron and hang up my racing kit and tracksuit so it looks immaculate.

How would you describe your style?

Well-groomed with a stylish flair. I like modern designers but without the labels showing. I try to dress to impress, even when I go to the corner shop.

What is your grooming regime?

Day to day it’s easy as I don’t have much hair. I just go for a cut every two weeks then tidy up my beard, and use Hugo Boss Skin Smoothing Face Scrub (about £13) every couple of days. For aftershave, I’m a fan of Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme (from £40) and Hugo Boss’s Hugo XY (£26).

What’s your grooming essential?

It would be my Wahl Duo Beard & Detail Trimmer (£30.63).

Are you a fan of grooming treatments?

Yes. I think guys need to look after themselves as much as girls so I have a manicure and pedicure every few months and the occasional facial.

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Tonia Couch

Synchronised pair diving

The 23-year-old from Plymouth, south-west England, began diving at the age of 10. After coming eighth at the 2008 Olympics, she will compete this year in the synchronised pair diving with Sarah Barrow.

How important is your appearance when you’re competing?

It’s very important. Because our hair is wet and slicked back in a plait or bun and we can’t wear lipstick, I’ve found other tricks to make myself look a bit more glamorous. Urban Decay Cannonball Ultra Waterproof Mascara (£15) is my must-have as it’s the only one I’ve found that doesn’t run down my face after being in the pool.

Does your style differ when you aren’t competing?

I like to look beachy and casual during the day in jeans and cool flip-flops, or a maxi-dress if it’s sunny. I’ll straighten my hair and add volume with backcombing so I look different. I wear blusher and mascara and sometimes golden eyeshadow like Urban Decay in Blunt (£14) during the day. For evening, I’ll add lots of black eyeliner and a standout pink colour. Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Crush (£13) is great.

Describe your beauty routine.

My skin is very sensitive so I avoid masks and scrubs and just use a simple moisturising cream that I was prescribed. I mix and match Herbal Essences, VO5 and Aussie shampoos and conditioners so my hair doesn’t get used to one product.

Do you do anything special to recover from the chlorine?

It’s really ruined my hair and the only thing that makes it look and feel healthier is regular trims. My skin gets very dry as well, so I use lots of Palmers Cocoa Butter Lotion (£3.85) on my body.

What’s your beauty essential?

Aside from my mascara, it has to be nail colour. I always have either Minx or Shellac done professionally as it lasts a couple of weeks. At the moment I have a cool blue shade with a Union Jack on one nail.

Do you have any post-Olympic beauty treats planned?

I’m definitely getting my nails done as by the time I’ve finished competing they’ll be well overdue to be polished again.

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Luke Patience

Sailing (470 dinghy class)

Patience, 25, from Helensburgh, Scotland, has competed at international level since he was 18. Alongside teammate Stuart Bithell, he is ranked first in the 470 class in Britain, and fourth in the world.

How important is your appearance when you’re competing?

I try to look sharp, neat and ready to compete, as there are always photographers and TV crews around.

Does your style differ when you aren’t competing?

Often the beard gets more out of control and I surf a lot too so the hair does what it wants.

Describe your grooming regime.

Simple and quick. Shower, deodorant then hair wax and Hugo Boss Black eau de toilette (from £39).

What’s your grooming essential?

Fish Stonefish Styling Clay (£5.99). It isn’t greasy but it’s strong enough to give my hair spiky wildness!

Top tip for staying in shape?

Circuit training is motivating and varied while two hours on an exercise bike is dull and one dimensional.

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Lutalo Muhammad

Taekwondo

Inspired by his father who has more than 40 years’ experience in martial arts, Muhammad, 21 from London, has been practising Taekwondo since the age of three.

How important is your appearance when you’re competing?

It is quite important but I don’t stress about it. I generally like to get a haircut before a competition but I’m fairly laidback so don’t have a firm routine.

How would you describe your style?

Young and trendy but erring on the “preppy” side. I love wearing a suit with a crisp shirt, dress tie and a shiny pair of brogues. Oswald Boateng is my favourite designer and is someone I’ve always admired and respected. Unfortunately, I train six days a week so it’s only on rare occasions that I get to show my style.

Describe your regular grooming routine?

I don’t really have a particular regime but I shower twice a day and moisturise with Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion (£27.50). I like using Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lotion (£3.85) on my body and a splash of Givenchy RW PLAY FFW (£39.50) too.

What is your go-to grooming product?

My hair has a wavy old-school style that was popular in the 40s, 50s and 80s so I have to use a really heavy product every day. My favourite is Luster’s S-Curl 360 Wave Control Pomade ($2.69) from the US, which is a gel-pomade that gives me the kind of wave-like lines I like in my hair.

Do you follow any special diet?

For most elite athletes food is simply fuel and what enables you to keep from fatiguing so I eat around 4000 calories a day. Half of those are in liquid form like high-energy isotonic drinks, protein shakes or carbohydrate gels. I eat lots of fish chicken, brown rice and haricot beans, which are very high in protein. And I love fruit.

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Lawrence Clarke

110m hurdles

The 22 year-old, who is heir apparent to the Clarke baronetcy, gained a bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and won the Aviva world trials and UK Championships to gain selection for the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in 2011.

How important is your appearance when you’re competing?

Not important, to be honest. My main concern is to keep my hair out of my eyes. I get a haircut before races, and wear a bandana while I’m training. I also use a VO5 moulding gel to keep it smoothed down.

Does hurdling/ training takes its toll on your appearance at all?

It can. After hard sessions you go white as a sheet because you’ve been sick. You can definitely see when people have been training hard. Appearance is very important in races too - not your own, but other people’s. You can see how people are feeling, if they’re sweating too much, for example, and are getting anxious or nervous. It’s another part of the mind-games.

How do you counteract the challenges of travel and competing?

Sunblock is really important, and not just a sun-cream but a really high-factor block. The sun dehydrates and tires so it’s really important to keep the sun off you. Sunburn can cause real problems. There’s no trying to get a tan.

What grooming products do you use?

I use cocoa butter for my skin, and I shave with Gillette shaving cream and a nice badger hair brush.

Is there any stigma amongst male athletes when it comes to looking after your appearance?

People spend too much time doing it. Definitely, for a male athlete, if you have make up done for a photoshoot people will really rib you. God, they really get it taken out of them for that. For girls, on the other hand, they feel it’s really important to look good when the camera’s on them.

Interview by Peter Leggatt

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