The Olympics bring together the best athletes from around the world, but we can’t help but notice that so many of them look like they’ve stepped straight out of a Calvin Klein campaign.
They train for years in a bid to call themselves an Olympian, but many of these sportspeople have a lot more than a gold medal riding on their success.
With million dollar endorsement deals, modelling contracts and advertising campaigns up for grabs, the pressure to not only be the best, but also a marketable and attractive role model is mounting.
And it’s easy to see this demand shining through in Rio 2016.
While training for the biggest event of their lives, athletes are striving for a different kind of perfection with spray tans, faces of makeup and pearly white teeth all part of the preparation process.
Perhaps its the pressure of lucrative deals on the line, the influence of social media or maybe it’s just a way to boost confidence before the big show – but these Games have certainly been the most glamorous.
“I do wear make-up on game days,” Aussie hurler Sydney McLaughlin told Elle magazine.
“Obviously what’s most important is your performance, but it’s psychological, too. If you feel good about yourself, you’ll be faster.”
Take a look through the gallery at some of the most beautiful Olympians from all around the globe.
A natural beauty, Australia’s Ella Nelson, 22, is a sprinter competing in the 200m.
Another one of our very own, Rhys Howden is a member of the Australian water polo team.
The captivating Deajah Stevens is a track and field athlete from team USA known for sprinting events.
Like Ryan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love, Chinese swimmer Ning Zetao’s abs look Photoshopped.
25-year-old beauty Darya Igorevna Klishina is a Russian long jumper and model.
Silver medalist Evan Reese Jager is an American long distance runner.
Ibtihaj Muhammad is known as the the first Muslim-American woman to wear a hijab while competing for the United States in the Olympics for fencing. She proudly took out a bronze medal.
Grigor Dimitrov is a Bulgarian tennis player currently ranked world number 8.
The stunning Jaqueline Maria Pereira de Carvalho Endres is a member of the Brazilian volleyball team.
Luca Dotto, 26, is an Italian swimmer and model.
Leila, Liina, Lily Luik are Estonian triplets who competed together in the women’s marathon. Watch them cross the finish line together in the next slide!
Say hello to Brazilian swimmer Marcelo Chierighini.
Natasha Monique Hastings is an American sprinter.
The aptly named Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, is regarded as the fastest human alive.
Sarai Gascón Moreno is a swimmer from Spain, who took out the silver medal in the 2012 Paralympics.
USA’s Ryan Lochte is competitive swimmer and a 12-time Olympic medalist.
Samir Ait Said is a French artistic gymnast who famously snapped his lower leg on day one of Rio 2016.
Aleksandra Soldatova is a Russian rhythmic gymnast.
Anouk Verge-Dépre is a beach volleyball player from Switzerland.
Pictured here at New York Fashion Week, Race Imboden is an American fencer and male model.
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