ReligionspiritualityOlympics athletes

23 Times Olympic Athletes Tapped Into Their Spirituality

These are powerful images of spirituality on and off the field.
By 

Religion Reporter, HuffPost

and

Photo Editor, HuffPost

Olympians and Paralympians came to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this year after decades of practice, determination, and sacrifice.

But after all is said and done, and these athletes step out onto the field to compete, some also look to a higher power to give them strength for whatever lies ahead.

HuffPost Religion put together this collection of striking images of athletes tapping into their spirituality. Scroll down to see how these athletes took time to look inward and upward.

YASUYOSHI CHIBA via Getty Images
Brazil's Thalita Vitoria Simplicio da Silva prays before women's 400 meter final of the Caixa Loteiras Athletics Open championship as a test event for Rio 2016 Paralympic games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 21, 2016.
CHRISTOPHE SIMON via Getty Images
USA's team prays before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games women's water polo semifinal game against Hungary at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 17, 2016.
ODD ANDERSEN via Getty Images
Players of Honduras pray together after being defeated by Brazil 6-0 in a Rio 2016 Olympic Games men's football semifinal match at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 17, 2016.
JEWEL SAMAD via Getty Images
Jamaica's Yohan Blake prays after competing in the Men's 100m Round 1 at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 13, 2016.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos via Getty Images
Teofimo Andres Lopez Rivera of Honduras prays after his fight with Sofiane Oumiha of France in the Men's Light 60 kg preliminary bout.
Mikhail Metzel via Getty Images
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia (L) blesses members of the Russian Olympic team during a prayer service at the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, before the Russian team's departure to Rio de Janeiro.
JOHN MACDOUGALL via Getty Images
Fiji's rugby players pray after victory in a match between Fiji and Britain during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Deodoro Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 11, 2016.
Dylan Martinez / Reuters
Mo Farah of Britain prays after the Men's 10,000m final race.
Ammar Awad / Reuters
Palestinian swimmer Mary Al-Atrash, 22, who will represent Palestine at the 2016 Rio Olympics, prays at The Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem June 27, 2016.
Ivan Alvarado / Reuters
Ali Khamis Khamis of Bahrain prays after Men's 400m heats.
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Salem Eid Yaqoob of Bahrain prays after Men's 200m heats.
Alex Livesey via Getty Images
Carlos Zenon Balderas Jr of USA prays in a corner after a fight against Lazaro Jorge Alvarez of Cuba in the Men's Lightweight (60kg) Preliminaries bout on Day 7 of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
David Gray / Reuters
Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar prays after winning silver during the Men's High Jump Final.
MARTIN BERNETTI via Getty Images
Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro celebrates after winning his men's singles quarter-finals tennis match against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut at the Olympic Tennis Centre.

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