Athlete
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An athlete is any person who participates in a sporting event. An athlete can be a man or a woman; old or young; and any race. Further, athletes can be professional (paid) or amateur (unpaid). A superior athlete is one who has above average physical skills (strength, agility, and endurance) and is thus suitable for physical activities, in particular, contests. An ancient Greek word for "contest" was athlos, and those competing in the games were called athletes.
Most professional athletes have particularly well-developed physiques obtained by extensive physical training and strict exercise accompanied by a strict dietary regiment.
In more specific settings, an athlete is one who participates in competitive events such as professional sports. In British English this is often limited to athletics.
[edit] All-around athlete
An all-around athlete is a person who competes in multiple sports at a high level. For instance someone who plays both basketball and baseball professionally. An example is the 1920s athlete, Rick Wellington[citation needed]. Also, Jim Thorpe(male) and Babe Zaharias(female) played numerous sports professionally.
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