Whose star will be brightest in Rio?

If desperately trying to hold on to my youth has taught me anything, it's that a near daily check-in is required to stay on top of what's "in." In a blink, Snapchat took over the social media landscape for the young and hip, leaving twenty- and thirtysomethings scrambling to figure out how to turn our tongues into rainbows and light our heads on fire.

Mom jorts are somehow still in, man buns are already out and I should apparently be listening to more K-pop. We hated Justin Bieber, but now we love him -- or at least his music. We hated Taylor Swift, but now we love her -- except maybe I think we're supposed to hate her again. Someone check Kim Kardashian's app and let me know. "Orange is the New Black," Hiddleston is the new Harris and Pokemon is going to get us all robbed.

I guess Heidi Klum is right: One day you are in, the next you are out. No one knows that better than Olympic athletes, who toil away in relative obscurity for years so they can enjoy the biggest stage in the world for one week, one day, sometimes just a few seconds. And then the spotlight is gone again and it's back to work, or, for many, the reality of a future without that Olympic goal four years away.

There are a few athletes every go-round that do manage to capture America's heart and hang on, turning their crowning athletic achievement into years of endorsements, commercials and speaking engagements. The mere mention of these folks conjures up patriotic fever dreams of bald eagles, perfectly grilled hot dogs and Ralph Lauren blazers. I'm talking about the Mary Lou Rettons, Jackie Joyner-Kersees and Michael Phelpses of the world -- athletes forever etched in our minds.

There are other athletes who never reach that kind of Olympic-recognition zenith, but who can still parlay their moment of Games glory into a pretty great career -- maybe even a stint on "Dancing With The Stars." This summer we'll see the return of some big names -- like Phelps, Alex Morgan, Missy Franklin and Gabby Douglas -- but also some fresh new faces poised to steal our hearts -- and a future cover of People magazine.

Let's take a guess at which Rio stars might become our new American heroes -- or at the very least be doing the paso doble with Val Chmerkovskiy come September.

Simone Biles: With a gold in Glasgow last year, Biles became the first woman to win three straight all-around world titles. There's a ton of hype for the 19-year-old heading into Rio, including former Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin calling her "the best gymnast who ever lived." Since winning the U.S. all-around title in August 2013, she's won every all-around competition she's entered -- 11 straight. Successful U.S. women's gymnasts tend to make the most out of their time in the Olympic spotlight, so it's safe to say Biles could be on her way to American hero status.

Miles Chamley-Watson and Ibtihaj Muhammad: Chances are the only fencing you've seen in the past four years has involved light sabers and that brooding dude from "Girls" in a creepy mask. Well, en garde, because you're about to meet two of the most intriguing athletes at this year's Olympics. Chamley-Watson is a part-time model with bleached hair and tattoos who regularly posts shirtless snaps to his Instagram and calls his fencing peers "vanilla" and "super boring." Muhammad is a New Jersey native who will make history as the first U.S. woman to compete wearing a hijab. She's funny and outspoken and will no doubt be the focus of a lot of attention during this divisive time in our country. She's more than able to turn her Olympic platform into something truly inspiring.

Katie Ledecky: At just 15 years old Ledecky shocked even her U.S. teammates, winning Olympic gold in the 800 meters in London. Since then she's set 11 world records and won every major international competition she's entered. She heads to Rio with world records in the 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyle. In USA Today, 11-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte said of Ledecky, "I guarantee in Rio everyone's mouths are going to drop during one of her races. She's going to do a time where everyone's going to be like, 'What the heck just happened?'"

Adeline Gray: Ever since her first wrestling class at age 6, Gray has been a natural. As a girl she fought attempts to keep her off the boys' teams and won a lot of matches via forfeit when the guys weren't willing to fight her. As women's wrestling grows, she gets to be the kind of role model that she didn't have growing up. After baring all in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue, the 25-year-old is ready to leave it all on the mat in Rio. If fans get a chance to hear much from Gray, they'll fall in love instantly. Her skill, wisdom and charm could make her a star.

Kanak Jha: Table tennis doesn't usually get much play during prime-time coverage of the Olympics, but you can bet there will be a feature or two on Jha in the coming weeks. A 16-year-old out of the Bay Area, he's the youngest Olympian on the U.S. team and was the first athlete born in the 2000s to qualify. While his path to the podium seems even tougher than Stephen Colbert's at last week's Democratic National Convention (Jha's currently ranked 272nd in the world), he's sure to get plenty of attention in his first trip to the Olympics. And at the very least he can probably show the older athletes how to turn on two filters at once on Snapchat.

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