noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ elite , fine , good , great , Olympic , outstanding , talented , top , world-class
▪
one of the greatest ~s of all time
▪ natural
▪
She has the build and strength of a natural ~.
▪ all-around ( AmE ), all-round ( BrE ), track , track-and-field
▪ endurance
▪ amateur , professional
▪ college , high-school , student (all esp. AmE )
ATHLETE + VERB
▪ train
▪
The ~s are training hard for the Olympics.
▪ compete , perform
▪
Our field ~s have performed well.
▪ play ( AmE )
▪
~s playing pro football