Adorable cheetah cubs will be named after the fastest American Olympians

The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., recently debuted a pair of cheetah cubs and announced that the big cats would be named after American Olympians. The brother and sister cheetahs will take the names of the fastest Americans in the 100-meter dash track and field event during the London games.

The cubs arrived at the zoo in May from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. Their mother abandoned them after birth, so they were transferred to the National Zoo's care. The three-month old cubs made their first public appearance on Tuesday.

For those looking to watch the races that will determine the cubs names, the Olympics will be livestreamed by NBC and YouTube.

[Image credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo]

This article was written by Anna Washenko and originally appeared on Tecca

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