Athletes are the persons involved in the sport of athletics. Athletics include track and field events such as running, throwing, walking and jumping, the most common events being long distance running, cross-country running, and race walking. Athletics are very popular due to the fact that that such competitive events are simple to be organized and do not require expensive equipment. Mostly athletic events are individual sports though there are exceptions like relay races and cross-country races. Athletics have their origins in the ancient Olympic Games that were first held in 776 BC in Greece. Athletes have to maintain a very strict and healthy lifestyle which includes paying significant attention to their diets and exercise routines. They have to undergo a stringent training and practice routine in their chosen sports in order to compete professionally. Being a professional athlete is physically taxing and mentally exhausting. Since athletes are in their top form for only a few years, they are able to actively participate in competitive sports only for a limited period of time. Also they face the risk of injuries that might limit or even end their career. Some athletes may become coaches and instructors after their retirement from active sports. Browse this section to know about the life and works of various famous athletes from all over the world.
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One of the greatest athletes ever, Usain Bolt is popular by the nickname ‘Lightning Bolt’. He holds the world record for 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay and is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016).
From being an infant whose both legs were amputated below knee, Oscar Pistorius went on to become a top athlete with wins in Paralympic Games and other sporting events. The South African sprinter also became the first amputee runner to compete at the Olympics Games. However, later, he was convicted for the murder of his girlfriend and is currently imprisoned.
Jim Thorpe was an American athlete who was counted among the most versatile athletes of the modern era. Jim Thorpe won two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics and became the first Native American to give the United States an Olympic gold. He also played American football, professional baseball, and basketball. He was memorialized in the 1951 film Jim Thorpe – All-American.
Indian track and field legend Milkha Singh, also known as "The Flying Sikh,” was orphaned during the Partition of India. The former army man won four Asian Games gold medals. He also competed in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth in the 400-meter event in 1960.
Nadia Comaneci is a Romanian former gymnast. One of the best-known gymnasts in the world, Comaneci has five Olympic gold medals under her belt. Credited with popularizing gymnastics around the world, Nadia Comaneci was honored by the Laureus World Sports Academy by including her in their Athletes of the 20th Century list in 2000.
Russian star pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka had started training at age 9. He soared to fame after winning the world championship in Finland at age 15 and later became the first to jump 6.1m. He won the 1988 Seoul Olympic gold and shattered the global men’s pole vault record 35 times.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest track and field athletes of all time, Jesse Owens' three world records in less than an hour in 1935 came to be known as the greatest 45 minutes ever in sports. He was credited with destroying Adolf Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
