Making it to the Olympics is a feat that countless athletes dream of their entire lives. After years of blood, sweat and tears, participating in the most prestigious athletic event in the world is a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Some athletes compete one time in the Olympic Games and hang up their hats, stepping gracefully into retirement. Some, however, spend their days training to return to the competition. And others, of course, split their time between athletic passion and real-life responsibilities.
Alpine skier Ted Ligety, for example, has competed in four consecutive Winter Olympic Games and has not announced any plans to break the pattern. But the athlete does not only dedicate time and energy to the sport; he also has a family.
“My wife and I have been together for eight-ish years, give or take now, and she has been traveling with me now for the last bunch of years, so that’s really good,” he told Us Weekly exclusively in February 2018, prior to competing in the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. “I’m traveling so much that it would be impossible to have a relationship when you’re that far away for that many years and it’s good.”
Ligety and his wife, Mia Pascoe, have also learned to balance raising a child on the road. “Having [son Jax is] a new adventure,” he noted. “My life has changed a lot in the last couple years.”
Swimmer Nathan Adrian, for his part, was forced to step away from his sport when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. “After a few tests and visits with a specialist, I unfortunately learned that I have Testicular Cancer,” he announced via Instagram in January 2019. “On the bright side, we caught it early, I have already started treatment and the prognosis is good.”
The eight-time Olympic medalist assured fans that he would fight the illness and still had his “sights fully set on Tokyo,” where the 2020 Games will be held.
Keep scrolling to see the progress of more Olympians throughout the years!
