Today’s Olympic hottie is brought to you by Slovakia – not a real powerhouse at the Summer Olympics and definitely not a contender in men’s gymnastics. Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993 when Slovakia became a nation, it has sent athletes to each Olympic Games, winning a total of twenty medals, mostly in canoeing. But the small nation has its hopes pinned on a local hero to bring home a medal in an sport in which the country has only recently even placed at the World Cup. Samuel Piasecky is a household name in his country, and stands a chance of becoming a world-recognized Olympian in London this year.

The 26-year-old gymnast’s international career began in 2001 at the World Championships held in Belgium where he placed 101st in the all around competition. Since then he has steadily improved, most recently qualifying for an Olympic berth in both the parallel bars and high bar events. At the European Championships late last month he finished in the 5th and 7th spots, respectively, and at the Olympic Test Event in London last January he introduced his signature element, a one rail giant swing to handstand, now known as the Piasecky, which he is expected to incorporate into his routine at the Olympic Games and which could easily place him in a medal position for the individual event on the parallel bars, though within three months another elite gymnast, Australian Thomas Pichler, had begun using Piasecky’s element in international competitions.

The Slovakian hunk, the fifth of eight children, had an early introduction to the sport in his home town of Košice when his parents, who could not afford hockey equipment, entered him in gymnastics at a sports school in town. At the age of 14 Samuel left his family to train in Bratislava, two years later he entered his first international competition. He recalls being exceptionally nervous in the early days of his career. “When I was little – before every competition, I was shaking,” he says. “Sometimes I even dropped out of an event”

But by the time he competed in Chile in 2004 his attitude changed. He now says he draws energy from the crowd, the more people the better. With good reason. His skill levels have improved and his smouldering good looks and toned body make him a crowd favorite. Since 2004 Samuel has competed successfully at each World Cup event, especially in the floor exercise, parallel bars, and horizontal bar. In 2010 he took fourth place in the World rankings for parallel bars and last year he was ranked fifth for the horizontal bar. All of which augurs well for the upcoming Olympic Games.

Though Piasecky has placed as high as 12th in the all around competition, he readily admits he is not as good at some events as others. He feels both his height and weight, as well as a weakness in his hands, keeps him from excelling at the rings. And while he has scored well on the floor exercise, atheistically he feels he can not compete with Asian gymnasts. “Asians have a smaller stature,” he says. “They have a larger diameter in turning and speed is not as difficult for them to achieve because of their small size.”

Piasecky also notes that in some events it is more difficult to keep tattoos covered; when visible to judges they deduct points for ink. He has recently begun a new diet, working with nutritionists from his government to keep his weight under control. His biggest problem though is inbred. “I’m terribly lazy,” he says, laughing.

Funding for his gymnastic career is also a problem for Piasecky. The Slovak Gymnastics Federation pays part of the cost for him to train and compete, the rest is made up by private donations from commercial enterprises. He hopes his Olympic results will help increase donations and governmental grants so that more Slovakian gymnasts can compete in international events. His training expenses are covered by the Slovakian military as is his salary for being a second degree soldier in his country’s army, though Piasecky’s concerns are not of war; “By being a soldier as a profession,” he says, “I can train in peace.”

Despite falling off the parallel bars mid routine at the World Cups in Tokyo last October, Piasecky finished high enough to move on to the Visa International Gymnastics Competition, the final Olympic Test Event, held in London last January where he secured his berth for the Games in his two best events. He stands poised to win a medal on the parallel bars, medalling on the high bar would be largely due to one of the top ranked gymnasts making a grievous error during the competition.

Win or lose at the Games, he is already a winner back home where Piasecky expects to become a national coach once his career is finished. But other options have been presented to him. The China Dragon circus act, where two friends he used to train with are employed, is interested in Samuel performing for them. At this point he is undecided, fearing such a move would mean starting all over again. For the time being his focus, however, is on London and on his chance to be the first gymnast from Slovakia to win an Olympic medal.

[‘The XXX Games’ are a series of posts about hot Olympians, gay competitors – both present and past – and general articles about the 2012 London Olympics of interest to gay men. So, yeah, lots of hot male eye candy. Click the XXX Games graphic below for additional news, stories, and pictures.]