Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White were the third- and fourth-most Google-trending athletes in the world in 2018.
The full list:
1. Tristan Thompson, Basketball
2. Alexis Sánchez, Soccer
3. Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skiing
4. Shaun White, Snowboarding
5. Khabib Nurmagomedov, MMA
6. Kawhi Leonard, Basketball
7. Naomi Osaka, Tennis
8. Philippe Coutinho, Soccer
9. Conor McGregor, MMA
10. Harry Kane, Soccer
The list is based on search terms that had the highest spike in 2018 compared to 2017. Which would explain why Winter Olympians would outrank the likes of LeBron James and Tom Brady.
In the U.S., “Olympic medal count” ranked ninth in trending news, just behind the royal wedding. White and Vonn were Nos. 2 and 3 on the U.S. athletes top 10, with Chloe Kim in eighth and NBC Sports figure skating analyst Johnny Weir in 10th as the only retired athlete on the list.
Google also published a Year in Search video that included Mirai Nagasu and Kim.
In 2016, the Rio Olympics was the top trending sporting event, while Michael Phelps was the No. 3 trending person behind Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, with Simone Biles in fifth and Ryan Lochte ninth.
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