An athlete 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 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 physically fit regardless of whether or not they compete in a sport.[1][2]
Athletes may be professionals or amateurs.[3] Most professional athletes have particularly well-developed physiques obtained by extensive physical training and strict exercise, accompanied by a strict dietary regimen.
- ^ "athlete in British English". Collins Dictionary.
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
- ^ "Definition of athlete noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary". Oxford Learner's Dictionaries.
- ^ Collins English Dictionary, Millennium Ed. - 'athlete'