Biography of female olympic athletes bodies

The images below show an incredible variety of women, ranging in weight, height, race and proportion.

What they all have in common is that they are professional athletes at their physical peak.

The images, taken by photographer Howard Schatz for his 2002 book, Athlete, recently resurfaced, reminding us of the diversity of women's bodies.

Biography of female olympic athletes bodies

Schatz interviewed and photographed hundreds of athletes for the book, a project he says was inspired by his interest in human variation and the musculoskeletal system. "I was also interested in passion," he told the Huffington Post in a phone interview.

"I was interested in what got them to do this. Because to become a champion, you have to put away so many things in life."

During his interviews, Schatz noted very little difference between how the male and female athletes approached their sport.

"I found that [the women in the project] were simply athletes," he told HuffPost. "Their commitment, their focus in life, their go