8 Olympians who talk about Jesus – and there’s nothing the media can do about it

7. Nick Willis, 33, New Zealand

New Zealander Nick Willis’s Olympics career goes all the way back to the 2008 games in Beijing where he won silver for the 1500m. His time in that race, 3:29:66, is still the record. If this 33-year-old can medal in the 1500m in Rio, he will become the oldest male to do so in Olympic history. But it’s his identity in Christ that keeps him pushing forward:

“Before I embraced my understanding of God and actually formed a relationship with Him, my whole motivation for becoming a great athlete was to be significant to my peers. Once I understood who I was in God, how He created me to love me for who I am and not for what I do, that freed me from a lot of those empty, non-sustaining motives for doing my sport.”