With the 2016 Summer Olympics upon us, the eyes of much of the world turn to Rio de Janeiro. The eyes of several of the athletes on TeamUSA, meanwhile, remain fixed on Jesus.

Christianity Today profiles 23 of TeamUSA’s Christian athletes, from four-time Olympian Allyson Felix to 16-year-0ld first-timer Laurie Hernandez; from a diver saved by God in a potentially-fatal diving accident to Paralympic athletes who’ve lost more than competitions but still stay in the game.

Defending diving gold medalist David Boudia, author of the upcoming book Greater than Gold: From Olympic Heartbreak to Ultimate Redemption tells the magazine, “If I represent a good God, I need to be that visual representation of him all the time, not just when I feel like it.”

Volleyball player David Smith, who was born with hearing loss, is taking part in his second Olympics. His thoughts capture a recurring theme of the Christian athletes profiled. “It’s been a big thing for me to understand that my joy and peace do not revolve around my performance or how I do compared to other people,” he told Athletes in Action. “My joy comes from the fact that I am playing a game I love and that he created me to play.”

We pray for these competitors as they “run the race” set before them — or spike the ball or swim the lane or tumble the mat in front of them — and pray safety and best wishes for all 10,000 athletes assembling in Rio.

The full Christianity Today article is here.