No guts, no glory — these athletes have proved this in spades.

Whether they joined the force, led a movement, or defied the odds in one way or another, they have inspired people all over the world through their accomplishments, their sheer force of will, and their example.

LifeZette pored through scores of lists and write-ups about standout athletes and their backgrounds in order to pick these 25 select individuals for a distinguished list. Naturally, we had to leave out a few — but what you’ll read here will leave you impressed nonetheless.

Scroll through the gallery to see which athletes set the bar higher than so many others.

[lz_slideshow ids=”809253,809282,810965,809280,809283,810964,809277,809261,809263,809276,810966,809269,809258,809274,809272,809279,809256,809267,809273,809278,809255,809254,809257,809252,809264″ front-image=”809253″]