Day Job: Captain in the British Army  Great Britain breathed a huge collective sigh of relief as 27-year-old Heather Stanning and her partner Helen Glover won the host nation’s first gold of the London 2012 Games in the women’s coxless pairs. Stanning only started rowing at university because she thought the sport offered the best opportunities for socializing. After graduation she joined the British Army, where she was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 2008 and spent 18 months as a Troop Commander in 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery. During this time Stanning continued to row, later putting her military career on hold to commit fully to the sport and prepare for the Olympics. She intends to return to the military in September, and could be deployed to Afghanistan next year.  (MORE: British Rowing Duo Strike Olympic Gold)  Next: Olaf Tufte, Rowing, Norway  Day Jobs: Fireman, Farmer and Underwear Model  It’s been a tough Olympics for Olaf Tufte. Having won silver in Sydney, then gold in Athens and Beijing at the single men’s sculls, the Norwegian, dubbed the world’s best rower, was unable to defend his title in London, having failed to qualify for the final. Not to worry, he’s got three other careers to fall back on. As well as working as a firefighter and underwear model, Tufte grows cereals at his family farm. While there he combines farming with his training regime, regularly running to his barn carrying sacks of grain. He also originated the Tufte Farmer Challenge, in which leading Norwegian athletes are tested in such disciplines as sawing, ax-throwing and tractor-tire-flipping.  (PHOTOS: Olympic Winners Savor the Moment)  Next: Gwen Jorgensen, Triathlon, United States
Not every athlete spends four years solidly training for the Olympics. Here’s our pick of the competitors who are keeping the amateur spirit alive in sport by going back to their day jobs.