While professional swimmers aren't typically considered beauty trendsetters, more eyes were on British swimmer Rebecca Adlington's Union Jack nails than her bronze medal when she came third in the 400m freestyle on July 29.

And Adlington isn't the only one to have embraced the trend -- with US tennis ace Venus Williams flashing stars-and-stripes themed nails during a press conference at the Olympic Stadium and Mexican archer Aida Roman sporting a gold design with her country's national colours for the women's team quarterfinal.

Other impressive manicures have included German track cycling team member Kristina Vogel's black, red and gold design and Mexican weightlifter Luz Mercedes Acosta Valdez's incorporation of both Mexico's and Great Britain's flags.

The woman behind many of the most impressive Olympic manicures is London nail artist Sophy Robson, who joined forces with Procter & Gamble (P&G) to provide nail services to athletes and guests at the Olympic Village in Stratford.

"For Max Factor, I created 207 country flag designs, which are being hand painted on athletes and their families at the P&G salons across London. Each design is based on the flags colours; however people can come in and choose whatever they want or a variation of different flags," Robson told MTV Style.

"The focus on the athletes' nails has been unprecedented and I think it is brilliant for the nail industry that the mainstream is noticing it. If it takes athletes of world class status to bring nail art in to peoples living rooms and makes it acceptable, then I think it's a great thing."

Meanwhile, an array of Olympic nail art tutorials can be found online, with a design blending Union Jacks with the Olympic Rings by pixiepolish one of the most impressive.