What professional athletes of different types looked like 100 years ago (13 photos)

Time moves forward, human technology also does not stand still, so today’s representatives of various professions look completely different than they did 100 years ago. We decided to compare the appearance and attributes of professional athletes in the first decades of the last century and now.





Over the course of a hundred years, uniforms and equipment have changed noticeably: everything has become much more convenient for athletes and prettier for spectators, and advertising in the form of sponsor logos has appeared everywhere - on almost every piece of equipment. And the physical indicators of the athletes themselves have undergone some changes. Sports medicine and analytics have calculated the exact parameters athletes should adhere to to achieve the best results.

Besides, it’s always extremely interesting to look at retro photographs!

Cyclists



2020 Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) and 1921 Tour de France winner Leon Sieur (Belgium).

Weightlifters





2016 Olympic heavyweight champion Ruslan Nurudinov (Uzbekistan) and 1920 Olympic heavyweight champion Filippo Bottino (Italy).

Race car drivers



Formula 1 racing champion Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) and Italian racing drivers of the 1920s Antonio Ascari and Ugo Sivocci.

Football players



The French national football team of the end of 2020 and the Belgium national team of 1920 (Olympic champions of that year).

Football goalkeepers



The current main goalkeeper of the German national team, Manuel Neuer, and the goalkeeper of the Spanish national team of the 1920-1930s, Ricardo Zamora.

Basketball players



Current US national team basketball player LeBron James (height 206 cm) and professional American basketball player of the 1920s-1930s Nat Holman (height 180 cm).

Curling players



The US women's curling team at the 2021 World Championships and the Great Britain men's curling team at the 1924 Olympics.

Hockey players



Professional Canadian hockey player of the 1920s and 1930s Howie Morenz.

Hockey goalies



Professional Canadian goalkeeper of the 1920s and 1930s, George Hainsworth.

Bobsledders



A pair of German bobsledders at the 2021 World Championships and a Swiss foursome of bobsledders from the 1910s.

Tennis players



Montenegrin tennis player Danka Kovinic at competitions in 2021 and French tennis player Suzanne Lenglen, Olympic champion in 1920.

Wrestlers



Participants in the 2021 Olympic wrestling qualifying tournament and wrestlers Martin Klein and Alfred Asikainen at the 1912 Olympics.