I'm a bit obsessed with Olympic swimming at the moment. Not because of Leon Marchand's victory in both 200m butterfly and breaststroke just two hours apart, or the doping scandal swirling around the Chinese swimmers. Rather it's the walk-ons I'm glued to – specifically, which headphones the swimmers are wearing as they approach their lanes.
Not all of the swimmers wear headphones. While some opt for in-ear models, over-ears are far more common. And you can see why. They really complete the look, especially if the athlete has accessorised their cap and goggles with a puffer jacket, as many of them are doing. Add in a pair of over-ear headphones, and they look like they're DJing at a drum and bass rave.
It's surprising how many pairs are instantly recognisable. So we put together this quick game. See how many you can identify.
1. Ryan Murphy – USA
An easy one to start. Look at that distinctive design. Need a clue? They're from Ryan Murphy's home country of the USA, and feature telescoping headband arms and acoustically engineered memory foam. If you can't get this one, give up now. Or maybe Think Different.
2. Maxime Grousset – France
Not sure what's happened here. Maybe Maxime is trying to listen to his cans via bone conduction. Hint: these are not bone conduction headphones. They're made by another American company – often known as the kings of noise cancellation. But it's not their latest model...
3. Oliver Morgan – Great Britain
Time for a Brit. But what's Team GB's Oli Morgan wearing? This pair has consistently ranked as one of the best noise cancelling headphones around – it's a 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards winner, no less. That 'noiseless' design – with no exposed hinges, intended to cut wind noise during calls – should be a dead giveaway.
4. Martin Espernberger – Austria
A tricky one. Austria's Martin Espernberger clearly doesn't follow the crowd – he's chosen a more obscure pair of headphones compared to his rivals. Sadly it seems his 'Endurance' was lacking, as he only managed sixth place in the men's 200m fly at Paris 2024.
5. Hugo González – Spain
That white design is distinctive, of course, but do you know which model of AirPods Spain's Hugo González is rocking? Unless they're a knockoff pair of course, but let's hope not.
Answers
- 1. Apple AirPods Max
- 2. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
- 3. Sony WH-1000XM5
- 4. JBL Endurance Peak 3 (we think?)
- 5. Apple AirPods Pro 2
So there you have it. Some pairs are so distinctive they're identifiable from a quick glance, while others are so generic even we couldn't name them (if anyone knows which pair Canada's Ilya Kharun was wearing, please drop it in the comments). Headphone makers, take note.
MORE:
Check out the best headphones you can buy
Find how to watch the Olympics in the best possible quality
And the best sports headphones
