There's no bigger stage than the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and no better way for athletes to gain global acclaim.
Each athlete qualifying for their respective events enters Rio with plenty of renown as is, some more than others. But fame doesn't equate to hardware attained for a country by any means, as not everyone can casually jump in a pool the way Michael Phelps does or captain a team and score at will the way Carmelo Anthony can.
In fact, odds are fan favorites might not medal at all. According to Danyel Reiche of the Washington Post, 1960 was the last time the majority of participating countries won a medal.