Why Sibling Athletes Are the Breakout Stars of Rio

The Rio Olympics have been jam-packed with moments that are by turns inspiring, nail-biting, exciting, and sweet. Some moments even manage to capture them all. One of the most touching examples came on Sunday, when twins Anna and Lisa Hahner, competing for Germany, crossed the marathon finish line holding hands. Neither athlete ran her best race, but the image of sisters joyfully completing one of the world’s most exhausting events had viewers captivated. Unfortunately, their country’s track and field officials were less impressed

Detractors are arguing that since the women were lagging significantly behind, the hand-grab was also an attention-grab, while the Hahners have shot back, denying that their clasp was anything more than sisterly support. But there’s another story here. Let’s set controversy aside for a moment and marvel at the utter unbelievable-ness that sisters, nay twins, both managed to make it to the Olympic Games. What’s more, it turns out, this is actually not that uncommon. Of course, we all know about Venus and Serena Williams, who, despite their losses in Rio, are perhaps the most famous genetically linked athletes. But a cursory search for more examples unearths more than 30 families who have sent forth their exceptional offspring to the games.

Take the Downie sisters, Ellie and Becky, who competed in gymnastics for Great Britain. Viewers cringed as Ellie suffered a terrifying fall during a floor tumbling pass. She got back up, shaken, and attempted to restart her routine as Becky watched anxiously from the sidelines, unable to help. (Ellie didn’t end up completing that routine, but triumphantly returned for the vault in team all-around qualifications.) Or did you know that Andy Murray’s brother Jamie plays tennis too? The Scottish men competed side-by-side as a doubles team before they were knocked out rather early in the competition.

It’s easy to dismiss the sibling-athletes phenomenon as a lucky genetic lottery draw. But that doesn’t take into account the years of grueling daily training that is just as important (if not more so) than being built for sport. The alliterative Estonian triplets Lily, Leila, and Liina Luik, for example, didn’t just emerge from the womb as long-distance runners—the 30-year-olds have been marathon training for years in order to get to that moment. It takes a special kind of drive to push yourself that hard—and perhaps, it’s easier when you have a family member right there with you, urging you on. Or maybe it’s just good old-fashioned sibling rivalry.

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