ESPN releases 'Body Issue', with artist nudes of 19 of the top homegrown and international athletes.
'Body Issue' by ESPN is a maverick look at the world of sports from a different angle.
Featuring the top athletes of the generation, stripped down to the birthday suit, the photographers of ESPN have released a gallery of nude photographs of 19 top athletes from sports ranging from mixed martial arts, NFL, duathlon to fencing, wrestling and motocross.
This is a montage of the athletes, who have been featured in the Body Issue of 2016.
For your information, the following is the detailed list of all the athletes who have been featured and what they have accomplished so far.
1. Nathan Adrian, Swimming
Nathan Ghar-jun Adrian is an American swimmer and three three-timeic gold medallist currently holding the record in the long-course 50-metres freestyle event. With 15 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze, he has a total of 24 medals from major international competitions.
2. Jake Arrieta, Baseball
Jake Joseph Arrieta, the American baseball pitcher for 'Chicago Cub' for Major League Baseball (MLB), won the Cy Young Award and has also set the major league record of 0.75 earned run average (ERA), which is the lowest second half ERA. Against the Cincinnati Reds, Arrieta threw his second no-hitter on April 21, 2016.
3. Antonio Brown, NFL
Wide receiver and punt returner in American football for the Pittsburg Steelers, Antonio Brown also played college football at Central Michigan University. He earned the All-American honours as punt returner in years 2008 and 2009.
4. Emma Coburn, Steeplechase
Emma Coburn is an American middle distance steeplechase runner and the 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015 United States (US) National champion in 3000 metre steeplechase. Securing the 9th position in the 3000 metre steeplechase in 2012 Summer Olympics, she was also the only American to make it to the finals in the IAAF World Athletics Championship, finishing 12th.
5. Courtney Conlogue, Surfing
The only surfer on the list, Courtney Conlogue is a 23-year-old American surfer, who was shot for the ESPN Body Issue in Tahiti. She likes Tahiti as it is "beautiful and raw" and she rides the waves three to five days a week, six hours a day, depending on the waves.
6. Elena Delle Donne, WNBA
Elena Delle Donne is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Three times WNBA All-Stars champ, Elena has often received lewd flak on Twitter. She stripped down for ESPN Body Issue in the hope that it will help people lose their general notion on the bodies of athletes and impress upon them that they come in all shapes and sizes.
7. Ryan Dungey, Motocross
Ryan Michael Dungey, is an American professional motocross racer and also the current 450cc class Monster Energy Supercross champion and also the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) 450 Motocross champion. Hailed as one of the greatest among the motocross champions, he currently has seven major AMA championships.
8. Adeline Gray, Wrestling
Adeline Gray is an American wrestler who started wrestling with help from her father. She won gold in the 2012, 2014 and 2015 United World Wrestling (UWW) championships and bronze in 2011 and 2013.
9. Greg Louganis, Diving
Gregory "Greg" Louganis, besides being an American Olympic diver is also a LGBTQ rights activist. He holds the Olympic gold for the years 1984 and 1988 and the James E Sullivan Award from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) for being the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States (US).
10. Conor McGregor, Mixed Martial Arts
Known for his outstanding career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Conor McGregor is a Irish professional mixed martial artist who has competed in all of featherweight, lightweight and welterweight categories - a rare feat to achieve. He has an outstanding 19-3 record of the 22 mixed martial arts fights, of which he won 17 by knockouts.
11. Von Miller, NFL
Vonnie B'Vsean Miller Jr, is an American football outside linebacker for the Denver Broncos with an illustrious record. Super Bowl Champion and MVP for Super Bowl 50, two times First-team All Pro and the prestigious Butkus Award are only some of his career achievements.
12. Chris Mosier, Duathlon
Besides his unmatched athletic abilities, Chris Mosier is also known for his transgender advocacy. He made a place for himself in the Team USA sprint duathlon men's team for 2016 World Championship, making him the first trans athlete in the US national team to compete in a gender other than the one assigned to him at birth. He is also the first openly transgender athlete to be featured in the ESPN Body Issue.
13. Nzingha Prescod, Fencing
Nzingha Prescod is an American foil fencer who won the bronze medal at the 2015 World Fencing Championships. She was also in the individual event of the 2012 Summer Olympics, which she unfortunately lost to Hungary's Aida Mohamed.
14. Christen Press, Football
Christen Annemarie Press, is a soccer player playing forward position for Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League and the United States women's national soccer team. In 2015, Press represented the United States (US) at the FIFA Women's World Cup.
15. April Ross, Beach Volleyball
Beach volleyball player by profession, April Ross represented the United States (US) in the 2012 Summer Olympics at London, where the team won a silver medal. She was also the part of the team that won the gold at the 2009 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships.
16. Allysa Seely, Paratriathlete
The 2015 Paratriathlete Champion, Allysa Seely is headed to 2016 Rio Paralympics scheduled for September. In the Body Issue, besides talking about her training and what she learnt along the way, she would also talk about her love-hate relationship with her prosthetic leg.
17. Claressa Shields, Boxing
Claressa Shields is an American boxer who became the first woman boxer fighting out of the United States (US) to win a boxing gold medal, at the 2012 London Olympics. Besides that, she secured gold at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships and the Pan American Games for the years 2014, 2016 and 2015 respectively.
18. Dwyane Wade, NBA
Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr is an American pro-basketball player who currently plays for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). One of the most popular player in the league, Wade made his name with a series of career achievements, some of which include being the three times NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP and 12-time NBA All-Star, amongst many more.
19. Vince Wilfork, NFL
Vincent Lamar Wilfork, is an American football player in the nose tackle position playing for the Houston Texans in the NFL. Considered as one of the premier defensive tackles in the NFL, he was named in both the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro teams for the years, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, besides being 2-time Super Bowl Champion.
Besides, putting forward their sport and breaking past the discomforting barrier of posing naked, these athletes would speak of their personal and circumstantial hurdles that they had to overcome to reach the helm of success in their respective fields.
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 "Elena Delle Donne, WNBA star")
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