Medal worthy Olympians, caught in motion

A lifetime of work, and it can go in a blur.

On the track, in the air, underwater, from the mound — Olympians are built for moving fast. In the briefest flash, much can be revealed.

Slow the shutter speed just a tick and see the focus-amid-chaos as Spain's Daniel Sarmiento Melien leaps for a handball shot.

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Runners compete in a heat of the men's 5,000-meters at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

As a competitor prepares to whiz by, mountain biker Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands comes to a unintentional halt, tumbling to the ground while his ride flies off.

Runners in the mens' 5,000-meters with their feet fuzzy beneath them. A swirl of splashes and outstretched arms around an up-for-grabs ball at water polo. The stillness of Dallas Escobedo's head as the Mexican softballer spins her arm around to deliver a pitch.

Caught in motion for a lasting moment.

Sofiia Lyskun of Ukraine competes in women's diving 10m platform preliminary at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Brazil's Gabriel Medina rides a wave during a training session at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, at Tsurigasaki beach in Ichinomiya, Japan. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands tumbles on a downhill during the men's cross country mountain bike competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Izu, Japan. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Spain's Begona Garcia Grau, left, drives the ball past China's Jinrong Zhang, right, during a women's field hockey match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Runners compete in a heat of the women's 5,000-meter run at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Miltiadis Tentoglou, of Greece, competes in men's long jump final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, in Tokyo.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Pamela Ware, of Canada, competes in women's diving 3-meter springboard preliminary at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Huang Xuechen and Sun Wenyan of China compete in the duet technical routine at the the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Flora Duffy, of Bermuda, runs during the women's triathlon competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Mexico's Dallas Escobedo pitches during a softball game against Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Dakyung Han, of South Korea, swims in a heat during the women's 1500-meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Sara Kolak, of Croatia, competes in qualifications for the women's javelin throw at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Players race for the ball at the start of a preliminary round men's water polo match between Hungary and Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Kyra Condie, left, of the United States, races against Aleksandra Miroslaw, of Poland, during the speed qualification portion of the women's sport climbing competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Anita Blaze of France, right, and Arianna Errigo of Italy compete in the women's individual Foil semifinal competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Chiba, Japan. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Swimmers dive in for the final of the men's 400-meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Chizuru Arai of Japan, left, and Clarisse Agbegnenou of France compete during their gold medal match in team judo competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 31, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Runners compete in a heat of the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Spain's Daniel Sarmiento Melian scores during the men's Preliminary Round Group A handball match between Spain and Argentina at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Argentina players warm up before a men's field hockey match against Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Germany's Dorothee Schneider, riding Showtime FRH, competes in the equestrian dressage individual final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

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Text from AP News story, Medal worthy Olympians, caught in motion