Chefs Pick Their Summer Olympic Idols

Chef: Jose Garces

Olympian: Bruce Baumgartner, Men's Wrestling

Inspiration: Long before Garces was winning battles on The Next Iron Chef, he was winning matches as a wrestler in his youth. The 2009 James Beard Award–winner (Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic) and Philadelphia restaurateur looked up to Bruce Baumgartner, one of the most celebrated American wrestlers in the history of the sport. "I'm inspired by Bruce's obvious natural talent, but also by the lengths he went to in making that talent work for him and staying in exceptional condition over the course of four separate Olympic Games," Garces says. Baumgartner won four Olympic medals between 1984 and 1996, in addition to nine World Championship medals, six Pan American medals, and 12 World Cup medals throughout his career.

PHOTOS: JASON VARNEY; GLENN CRATTY/GETTY