For more than 10,000 athletes in Rio for this year's Summer Olympics, this is their moment.
Throughout the games, spectators and judges will gape at every judo foot sweep, swing of an oar row, gymnast flip and poolside plunge: all extraordinary feats that exemplify how people use sports to show their fullest potential.
Now more than ever, new faces will be visible in Brazil, which is the first South American nation to host the games. This year's Olympics will have the most openly LGBT athletes competing and refugees are competing for the first time.
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For those whose legacies are in the making, these mesmerizing photos capture moments where their Olympic spirit burned brightest.