Article:2008 Hottest Female Athlete Tournament - Fourth Round Voting (The Sultry Sixteen)

If you’ve made it this far you know how these, the Sultry Sixteen, made it this far.

=REGION 1=

Amanda Beard vs. Niki Gudex
These two lovely ladies are carrying the banner, very nicely I might add, for their respective sports. Beard is the last of watery swimming tarts left and Gudex has been the lone mountain biker.

Amanda Beard: Born October 9, 1981, Newport Beach, California. Oh ye of the Playboy spread and a constant fixture in various hotness countdowns, Beard has displayed a raw sensuality that few women possess. She is awfully fond of the camera no matter how little clothing she has on. A multiple Olympic gold medalist she is one of the few that combines stunning looks and wild athletic success.

Niki Gudex: An Australian biker who competes in both downhill and cross country disciplines, Gudex has been named one of the world’s hottest women by the Aussie version of FHM Magazine every year from 2002 to 2006. And who could seriously argue with a publication held in such high regard by the testosterone set.

Prediction: This will be a really tight match with Beard pulling out a narrow 5% victory.

Ashley Force vs. Allison Stokke
The lone drag racer in the field, Force is also the last driver remaining while Stokke is the last of the track vixens.

Ashley Force: Her first career NHRA win came ironically enough at the expense of her legendary father John Force. The 26 year old Ashley is a former high school cheerleader and college graduate. She regularly runs the quarter mile in less than 5 seconds at a speed in excess of 300 mph.

Allison Stokke: Born in 1989, Stokke is the youngest athlete in the Sultry Sixteen. She currently is on scholarship at Cal. Berkley. Stokke has arguably the best legs on earth and knows how to handle a pole.

Prediction: Stokke has the chance to make this a blowout…Stokke by 25%.

=REGION 2=

Maria Sharapova vs. Amy Taylor
The Russian tennis goddess Maria Sharapova is one of two WTA players left and Amy Taylor is the last of the soccer players.

Maria Sharapova: At 6'2", Sharapova cuts a striking figure. Not only is she tall, she has an amazing body, is extremely photogenic, and is a dominant athlete. Sharapova has won three Grand Slam titles, 19 individual tournament titles, has graced magazine covers world wide. According to Forbes Magazine, Sharapova was the highest paid female athlete in the world in 2007, netting a cool $23 million in endorsements. Add that to the over $12 million in career prize money and you get one of the most desirable women on earth.

Amy Taylor: The 28 year old Australian bombshell is easily one of the sexiest women down under. She has competed at the international level as a defender for The Matildas, Australia's women's international side. Taylor has posed topless, has a golden smile, and is Australian. And let's face it, Aussie women are freakin' hot! Did I mention she’s from Australia? Just checking.

Prediction: An absolute dead heat…I have no idea who’ll win this one.

Alina Kabayeva vs. Jennie Finch
Only a few gymnasts qualified for the tourney, and Kabayeva is the last one standing. Finch is the lone softballer remaining.

Alina Kabayeva: This Russian seductress is one of the most successful rhythmic gymnasts in history. She has won scores of international medals and at one time was rumored to wed Russian premier Vladimir Putin.

Jennie Finch: The 6'1" Finch is arguably the most famous player in United States softball history. She's made appearances on Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice and Pros vs. Joes on SPIKE TV, in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and has been named the most attractive female athlete by multiple publications. Finch married former MLB reliever Casey Daigle in 2005, with which she has one son.

Prediction: ''Finch is just hot, so is Kabayeva. Finch by 5%.''

As always, we are planning to end the voting at around one week from now, which means that the voting for this region will close at about 9:30 AM on December 2, 2008 (Tuesday). And (again) feel free to add more pictures of these lovely ladies to help convince other people that one's hotter than the other.

=REGION 3=

Erica Blasberg vs. Malia Jones
Blasberg is the lone golfer left while Jones is one of two surfing hotties still in the hunt.

Erica Blasberg: She turned pro in 2004 and has yet to make much noise on the LPGA tour. But she is easily one of the sport’s most photogenic stars. Before turning pro she was an All-American for the University of Arizona and was the country’s #1 ranked player as a freshman. Blasberg is 24 years old.

Malia Jones: Jones is a sumptuous mix of Hawaiian, Spanish-Filipino, and German ancestry. She has appeared on dozens of magazine covers, was named one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People, and was named by Esquire Magazine as one of the ten sexiest athletes in America.

Prediction: Jones will cruise in this match and win by 25%.

Feres Twins vs. Anna Kournikova
The delectable Feres Twins are the last synchronized swimmers remaining and Kournikova is among a handful of tennis hotties still alive.

Feres Twins: These Brazilian goddesses are barely 20 years old but are unbelievably hot; hotness squared, in fact. They represented Brazil in the 2007 Pan Am Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Um, and yeah, did I mention they're smokin' hot? For evidence check out this link…

Anna Kournikova: One of the most photographed faces in the world, the iconic Anna K established her hotness nearly a decade ago. She has graced the pages of the SI Swimsuit Issue and People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People edition, and has been named as one of if not the hottest female athletes by FHM, ESPN, and Maxim. She is currently dating Enrique Iglesias and has been romantically linked with Pavel Bure and Sergei Federov.

Prediction: Feres Twins by 15%...I hope.

=REGION 4=

Leryn Franco vs. Kristi Leskinen
Don't mess with Franco or she’ll throw a javelin through your forehead. And Kristi Leskinen will impale you with a ski pole.

Leryn Franco: The former runner-up for Miss Paraguay, Franco has represented her country in the 2004 & 2008 Summer Olympics. Now Franco is a model and has competed in the Miss Bikini Universe pageant. Franco is impossibly gorgeous and even has her own calendar, which you can view here…

Kristi Leskinen: The freestyle skier is one of the most gorgeous girls in sports. She has won a Winter X-Games medal and was the first woman to pull a rodeo 720. A native of Pennsylvania, Leskinen once considered becoming a professional wake boarder but thankfully chose freestyle skiing instead. She was featured in a scintillating spread in FHM and was #90 on their 100 Sexiest Women of 2005.

Prediction: Franco big, by 25%.

Veronica Kay vs. Ana Ivanovic
Only tennis has produced three of the Sultry Sixteen but surfing has two hotties left that could both conceivably take the tourney title.

Veronica Kay: Though she is no longer competing on surfing's pro circuit, Kay has made an indelible impression on the testosterone set. She has been featured in Maxim, Men's Journal, as well as a handful of surfing publications. Stuff Magazine named her one of the 102nd sexiest women in the world in 2002.

Ana Ivanovic: The 6'1" uber hottie has blossomed into maybe the best female tennis player on earth. Currently ranked #5 by the WTA, Ivanovic is the defending French Open champion, and was the doubles partner for Second Round casualty Maria Kirilenko. Since turning pro in 2003, she has earned more than $6 million in prize money.

Prediction: Kay by 15%