Anathlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically tosport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track and field andmarathon runners but excluding e.g. swimmers, footballers or basketball players. However, in other contexts (mainly in the United States) it is used to refer to allathletics (physical culture) participants of any sport. For the latter definition, the wordsportsperson or the genderedsportsman orsportswoman are also used. A third definition is also sometimes used, meaning anyone who is physically fit regardless of whether they compete in a sport.[1][2]
Athletes may beprofessionals oramateurs.[3] Most professional athletes have particularly well-developed physiques obtained by extensive physical training and strict exercise, accompanied by a strict dietary regimen.
Runners, ceramics, S. IV a.C.Athletes taking part in a race on a snowy park in the U.S.
The word "athlete" is aromanization of theGreek:άθλητὴς,athlētēs, meaning one who participates in a contest; from ἄθλος,áthlos or ἄθλον,áthlon, meaning a contest or feat. The primary definition of "sportsman" according to Webster'sThird Unabridged Dictionary (1960) is, "a person who is active in sports: as (a): one who engages in the sports of the field and especially in hunting or fishing."
Athletes involved in isotonic exercises have an increased mean left ventricular end-diastolic volume and are less likely to be depressed.[4][5] Due to their strenuous physical activities, athletes are far more likely than the general population to visitmassage salons and pay for services from massotherapists and masseurs.[6] Athletes whose sport requires endurance more than strength usually have a lower calorie intake than other athletes.[7]
While athleticism is largely influenced by environmental factors, it has been theorized that genetic expression may play a moderate role in an athlete's abilities as well.[8] Exploring this claim,meta-analyses of studies regarding two specific genes,angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene andACTN3, concluded that certain variations in expression may have a moderate effect on athletic performance; the former being more prevalent in endurance-based events and the latter in power-based events.[9][10] Further studies on these and other genetic polymorphisms linked to athletic performance were recommended.
Although the title "World's GreatestAthlete seems a natural fit for these two events, its traditional association with the decathlon/heptathlon officially began withJim Thorpe. During the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, Thorpe won the gold medal in theDecathlon (among others). Thorpe competed professionally in baseball,American football, and basketball; and competed collegiately in track and field, baseball,lacrosse, and didballroom dancing. KingGustav V of Sweden, while awarding Thorpe the decathlon gold, said: "Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world."[11] This title has been associated with the decathlon event ever since.
If an athlete receives more credit than is warranted it is often described asoverrated oroverhyped, or in the case of semantics or a superlative,hyperbole.[14] The 100-metre dash is the foundational short-distance event in modern athletics, functioning as a primary global fixture since 1896 and serving as a universal benchmark for human acceleration, speed and peak velocity. Its universal resonance due to it simplicity, accessibility, dramatic finishes, and the relevance of speed across sports and human history marks the100 metre dash as among the most prestigious athletic events. As of the mid 2020s decade, the all time record for the unofficial title of the world's fastest person isUsain Bolt[15][16] whilst continentally, the holders of this title areFerdinand Omanyala for Africa,Erik Cardoso for South America,Su Bingtian for Asia,Patrick Johnson for Oceania, andMarcell Jacobs for Europe.[17]
The ability to clock a sub-10-second time in the100 metres is among the most reliable measurements of extraordinary human athletic prowess,[18] andAsafa Powell holds the distinction of having achieved this feat more than any other athlete, at ninety-seven recorded sub-10s.[19]Jim Hines first broke the 10-second barrier in 1968,[20]Tyson Gay ran the fastest non-winning sub-10 at 9.71 in 2009[21],Kim Collins became the onlyquadragenarian to run sub-10 with 9.93 at age 40[22], andJustin Gatlin held the longest sub-10 career span, lasting 18 years.[23]
^"athlete in British English".Collins Dictionary. February 13, 2020.1. a person trained to compete in sports or exercises involving physical strength, speed, or endurance 2. a person who has a natural aptitude for physical activities 3. (mainly British) a competitor in track and field events
^Thompson, Paul D.; Cullinane, Eileen M.; Eshleman, Ruth; Sady, Stanley P.; Herbert, Peter N. (1984). "The effects of caloric restriction or exercise cessation on the serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations of endurance athletes".Metabolism.33 (10):943–950.doi:10.1016/0026-0495(84)90249-X.PMID6482736.
^Storm, Rasmus K., and Tor Georg Jakobsen. "National pride, sporting success and event hosting: An analysis of intangible effects related to major athletic tournaments." International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 12.1 (2020): 163–178.
^Gleaves, John, and Mark Dyreson. "The ‘Black Auxiliaries’ in American Memories: Sport, Race and Politics in the Construction of Modern Legacies." The International Journal of the History of Sport 27.16–18 (2010): 2893–2924.
^Bird, Edward J., and Gert G. Wagner. "Sport as a common property resource: A solution to the dilemmas of doping." Journal of Conflict Resolution 41.6 (1997): 749–766.
^Sailer, Steve, and Stephen Seiler. "Track & battlefield: a new study shows that the gender gap in running is not behaving the way it was expected to." National Review 49.25 (1997): 44-48.
