Finding success in sports isn’t just about having incredible skills; it also takes a lot of courage. Look at legends like Simone Biles, Tiger Woods, and Kevin Durant—they’ve all shown what it takes to be the greatest in their sports. Just recently, during the 2024 Paris Olympics, we learned that Biles’ calf injury was more serious than she let on. Her coach, Cecile Landi, mentioned she was feeling “a little pain,” but a trailer for the upcoming part two of the Simone Biles: Rising documentary reveals that things were much tougher behind the scenes.

In one of the clips from the documentary teaser, you can see Simone Biles frantically telling her coach, “My calf or something just pulled all the way.” A fellow gymnast who was anchor at the Paris Olympics, Aly Raisman shared in a confessional interview just how intense the pain was for Simone and why she chose to push through. When Aly asked her, “How did you do it in so much pain?” Simone responded, “I couldn’t have people tell me I was a quitter again.” (At the Tokyo Olympics when she withdrew from the finals she was tagged as “Quitter of the year”).

It’s amazing to think that, despite her injury, Simone still managed to snag four medals in Paris, including three gold and one silver. After competing, she even wore a boot on her left leg, showing just how hard she pushed herself. Simone’s experience highlights the toughness that elite athletes need. She told NBC News, “I feel like elite athletes are pretty tough. So, through pain or pleasure, we’re ready for whatever.”

This mindset is similar to that of Tiger Woods, who has also faced numerous physical challenges throughout his career yet continues to rise to the occasion.

Tiger Woods has dealt with a host of injuries throughout his career, particularly with his knee and back which over the years have really affected his game. He had knee surgery in 2007 for a torn ACL and then went through reconstructive surgery in 2008. His back has also been a major issue-he’s had four surgeries from 2013 to 2017 to tackle problems with herniated discs and to regain mobility. Since 2015 he has been dealing with Achilles discomfort. He also experienced a wrist injury in 2011 that affected his golf swing.

During a media event, at the U.S Open held in Pebble Beach, Woods pondered the struggles athletes encounter by stating, ” “Why do we do it? Because we’re competitors. As athletes, our job is to make the human body do something it’s never meant to do and do it efficiently and better than anyone else is doing it at the same time. Well, things sometimes go awry.”He expressed a feeling when discussing Kevin Durants injury incident, in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals – initially thought to be a calf strain but later disclosed as an Achilles injury that might sideline him for a portion of the forthcoming season.

Woods expressed his empathy for Durant, recalling his own experiences with injury: “It was sad. As athletes we’ve all been there at the spot when you just know it, that something just went, and you can’t move, can’t do much of anything. And you see it on his face, how solemn his face went, and he knows it; when things pop, you just know, and I’ve been there. I’ve had it to my own Achilles, I’ve had it to my own back; I know what it feels like. It’s an awful feeling and no one can help you; that’s the hard part.”

Even back in 2018, Simone Biles showed just how determined she was by competing at the gymnastics world championships in Doha, Qatar, even though she was dealing with a kidney stone. Less than 24 hours before the event, Biles found herself in the emergency room and tweeted, “Nothing like a late night ER visit less than 24 hrs before world championships.” Instead of opting for surgery, she decided to go for it, saying, “This kidney stone can wait…doing it for my team!” And compete she did! Biles dominated the competition, scoring an impressive 60.965 in the all-around qualifying round and leading the U.S. team.

Biles mentioned that adrenaline helped her push through the pain, stating, “The adrenaline definitely helped because even when I’m walking or doing some stretches, I’m in a bit of pain.” In the end, the experiences of Durant, Biles, and Woods show the tough side of professional sports, where the drive to compete often goes hand in hand with dealing with injuries.