40+ Freaky Photos of Olympians and Other Athletes to Give You a New Perspective on the Human Body

Olympians are at the peak of physical fitness but it doesn’t come without hard work and sacrifices. From gigantic thighs to ice baths, this list shows why not everyone is an Olympic athlete. These freakishly Olympic athletes will make you see the human body in an entirely different light. The world at the pinnacle of sport is far more bizarre than anyone would imagine.

50 Shades of Leg

This is the leg of ex-world champion cyclist Janez Brajkovic after a race. The official doctor of the Croatian Cycling team said, “I have seen cyclists shortly after three weeks of cycling races in France, Italy, and Spain, who looked like him.”

Janez’s legs are purely made of muscle so it makes sense as to why his calf looks like this after an intense race. Let’s just hope the swelling has gone down since this photo was taken.

A Master at Work

This is Olympian Yang Wang. In any other scenario, if someone saw another person bending into this shape, they’d assume that a very bad accident had occurred. Not in this photo, though. This is a master performing their craft.

How can she be expected to land this? Flying through the air has never looked so elegant. Most people would like a fish out of water but Yang looks like an angel.

Cupping Therapy

Everyone will recognize the man in this photo. Michael Phelps is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals and this therapy certainly helped him along the way. Cupping therapy is a form of alternative medicine.

Cupping therapy helps with pain and inflammation. It’s also used as a type of deep-tissue massage. Apparently, this does help athletes but is it worth it? Because they do look freaky.

The Risks of Cycling

No — this is not a picture from a new Alien movie. This is George Hincapie’s leg after the Tour De France Race. It looks as though his brain traveled through his body and down to his leg. Hincapie is suffering from an unsightly case of varicose veins.

It’s likely caused by the hours upon hours sitting on his bike. Varicose veins indicate that veins are blocked and are failing to function. Thankfully, George was completely fine.