An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track and field and marathon 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 all athletics (physical culture) participants of any sport. For the latter definition, the word sportsperson or the gendered sportsman or sportswoman are also used. A third definition is also sometimes used, meaning anyone who is Physical fitness regardless of whether they compete in a sport.
Athletes may be professionals or amateur sports.[Collins English Dictionary, Millennium Ed. - 'athlete'] Most professional athletes have particularly well-developed physiques obtained by extensive physical training and strict exercise, accompanied by a strict dietary regimen.
Definitions
The word "athlete" is a
romanization of the ,
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's
Third 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."
Physiology
Athletes involved in isotonic exercises have an increased mean left ventricular end-diastolic volume and are less likely to be depressed.
[MORGANROTH, JOEL, et al. " Comparative left ventricular dimensions in trained athletes." Annals of Internal Medicine 82.4 (1975): 521–524.][Oler, Michael J., et al. " Depression, suicidal ideation, and substance use among adolescents. Are athletes at less risk?." Archives of Family Medicine 3.9 (1994): 781–785.] Due to their strenuous physical activities, athletes are far more likely than the general population to visit
massage salons and pay for services from massotherapists and masseurs.
[Jönhagen, Sven, et al. " Sports massage after eccentric exercise ." The American Journal of Sports Medicine 32.6 (2004): 1499–1503.] Athletes whose sport requires endurance more than strength usually have a lower calorie intake than other athletes.
"Athlete Genes"
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.
Exploring this claim,
Meta-analysis of studies regarding two specific genes, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and ACTN3, 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.
Further studies on these and other genetic polymorphisms linked to athletic performance were recommended.
Titles
"All-round athlete"
An "
all-round athlete" is a person who competes in multiple sports at a professional level. Examples of people who played more than one sport professionally include
Jim Thorpe,
Lionel Conacher,
,
Danny Ainge,
Babe Zaharias and
Erin Phillips. Others include
Ricky Williams,
Bo Jackson and
Damon Allen, each of whom was drafted both by Major League Baseball and by professional gridiron football leagues such as the NFL and the CFL. Another female example is
Heather Moyse, a multiple Winter Olympic gold medalist in
Bobsleigh and member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame who also represented Canada internationally in
track cycling and competed at
U Sports in basketball and track and field. Japanese athletes such as
Kazushi Sakuraba,
Kazuyuki Fujita,
Masakatsu Funaki and
Naoya Ogawa have successfully performed in professional wrestling and competed in mixed martial arts. All these athletes are equally great at what they do. Whether it's on the basketball court, the
baseball field, the
tennis court or whatever sport, each of these athletes left an impact in sports
"World's Greatest Athlete"
The title of "
World's Greatest Athlete" traditionally belongs to the world's top competitor in the
decathlon (males) and
heptathlon (females) in track and field. The
decathlon consists of 10 events: 100 meters,
long jump,
shot put,
high jump, 400 meters, 110 m hurdles,
discus,
pole vault,
Javelin throw, and 1500 m. The
heptathlon consists of seven events: the 100 m hurdles,
high jump,
shot put, 200 meters,
long jump,
Javelin throw, and 800 meters. These competitions require an athlete to possess the whole spectrum of athletic ability in order to be successful, including speed, strength, coordination, jumping ability, and endurance.
Although the title "World's Greatest Athlete seems a natural fit for these two events, its traditional association with the decathlon/heptathlon officially began with Jim Thorpe. During the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, Thorpe won the gold medal in the Decathlon (among others). Thorpe competed professionally in baseball, American football, and basketball; and competed collegiately in track and field, baseball, lacrosse, and did ballroom dancing. King Gustav V of Sweden, while awarding Thorpe the decathlon gold, said: "Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world."
See also
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Athletics
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Sportswear (activewear)
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Outdoor enthusiast
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Jock (athlete)
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Athlete of the Year
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Women's sports
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Olympic Games athletes are also known as 'Olympians'
