×

13 Photos that Show the Extraordinary Dedication of Athletes to Be the Best

An athlete’s participation in important competitions is sometimes years of hard work, requiring a lot of sacrifices. Sometimes nothing says it more than a single, accurate photo.

Here is a collection of photos that say more than a thousand words.

#1 Cupping Is Very Popular Among Many Athletes

m_phelps00/insta

#2 It Is Not Necessarily Pleasant and You Look “A Little” Weird Afterwards

m_phelps00/insta

#3 Many Athletes Endure Years of Chronic Pain Related to Their Sport and Sometimes Visit Hospitals

devinlogan/insta

#4 Alex Gregory’s Hands After Hours of Training

Alex Gregory/insta

#5 Sometimes Some Muscles Just Can’t Handle the Pressure They’re Under

magadget/insta

#6 The Hand of Gymnast Ellie Black. What’s a Little Blood When There’s Gold at Stake

ellieblack/insta

#7 And Sometimes You Get Corns and Abscesses on Every Finger. But for This Special Medal – It’s Worth It

Paolo del Rosario/twitter

#8 Extreme Effort Requires Extreme Swimming

ryanlochte/insta

#9 After Annemiek Van Vleuten Suffered an Accident Leading the Pack in Rio, She Didn’t Talk About Her Stitches and Wounds, but Apologized for Failing

Annemiek van Vleuten/twitter

#10 One Has a Way

Zdjęcie profilowe eythora
eythora/insta

#11 Do Anything Needs to Be Said Here?

robertfoerstemann/insta

#12 Muscles Ready for an Unearthly Workout

janibrajkovic/insta

#13 …When It Comes to the Most Important Trophy in an Athlete’s Life

Zdjęcie profilowe scverschuren
scverschuren/insta

Which photo surprised you the most?