TOKYO (AP) — A lifetime of work, and it can go in a blur. On the track, in the air,…
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_97269 Athletes compete during the track cycling women's keirin at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Izu, Japan. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
AP Photo/Thibault Camus
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_11595 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)
AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_21298 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)
AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_74698 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)
AP Photo/Francisco Seco
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_93897 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)
AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_16396 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)
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_70842 Sofiia Lyskun of Ukraine competes in women's diving 10-meter platform preliminary at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_77360 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)
AP Photo/Thibault Camus
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_77380 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)
AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_26959 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)
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_05103 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)
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_10275 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)
AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_97954 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)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_20017 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)
AP Photo/Matthias Schrader
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_95678 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)
AP Photo/John Locher
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_08521 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)
AP Photo/David Goldman
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_56674 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)
AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_75955 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)
AP Photo/John Minchillo
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_97506 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)
AP Photo/Vincent Thian
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_29025 Han Da-kyung, 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)
AP Photo/Matthias Schrader
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_89699 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)
AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_53341 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)
AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Tokyo_Olympics_Medal_Worthy_Motion_Photo_Gallery_54726 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)
AP Photo/David Goldman
TOKYO (AP) — 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.
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.
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