No pain, no gain

A snowboarder hones his skills at the Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand on September 22
Players on the ice during the official announcement of the curling team selected for Team Great Britain in Stirling, Scotland, the United Kingdom, on October 14
Brazilian bobsledders pose for a photo during their training in Sao Caetano do Sul, Brazil, on May 20
The Republic of Korea's Park Jong-ah (left) and Iceland's Arndis Sigurdardottir battle for the puck during an ice hockey pre-qualifier match in Nottingham, the United Kingdom, on October 8
Members of the Russian national skeleton team prepare for a training session at Rosa Khutor ski resort, Russia, on September 28

In the run-up to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the cream of the winter sports athletic world is upping their training to the most intensive levels. Nearly 2,900 athletes will compete for only 109 coveted pieces of Olympic gold from February 4 to 20 next year, according to the organizing committee of the Beijing 2022 Games.

(Photos by VCG)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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