Fans at the Rio Olympics will be seeing triple in the women's marathon on Sunday. Identical triplets will race together in an Olympic first.
Calling themselves the "Trio to Rio" and sporting identical uniforms and blonde ponytails, Estonians Liina, Leila, and Lily Luik (left to right in the photo) are used to people’s confusion.
"They don't know who is who," Lily says. "Commentators see one of us is coming, and the other is a little bit later, and then comes the third one. It's like: 'So fast, you are already here.'"
Twins are not uncommon in the history of the Olympics. But triplets are a first according to Olympic historian Bill Mallon.
Whether training or racing, these triplets have a competitive drive and family unity. They’re always vying to break each other's personal best—currently held by Leila. The triplets also race tactically, taking turns at leading the pack to face greater wind resistance.
"We all push each other—'Go, go on, come on, don't stop,'" says Leila. "Together we are like a dream team."
The sisters aren’t favorites to medal. Leila's best time is 2 hours 37 minutes 11 seconds—almost 15 minutes slower than the Olympic record. But the triplets look forward to having three times the fun in Rio.
