A set of triplets from Estonia will make history this summer as they vie for gold in the Rio 2016 Olympic marathon.
Leila, Lily and Liina Luik call themselves the “trio to Rio”.
The 30-year-old sisters are unlikely Olympians in every way.
From rural Estonia, they only turned pro at the relatively late age of 24, and don’t come from an athletic family.
After a couple of years, they realized they were good enough to compete on the international stage, and from there, they decided to try for the Olympics.
While they all want to break the trio’s personal best (currently held by Leila), they also race tactically, taking it in turns to shoulder the wearying task of running up front and facing the wind.
Despite their determination, the triplets are not expected to win medals at Rio.
Leila is the fastest, with a personal best of two hours 37 minutes and 12 seconds, which is almost 20 minutes slower than the world record.
But it’s not all about winning for the triplets.
All three say their main goal in Rio is to finish together, and to cross the line with a smile.
Twins are not uncommon in the history of the Olympics, but an Olympic historian who keeps a database of every athlete ever to compete confirms that triplets are a first.