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How do athletes avoid wedgies? And more Olympic questions you're afraid to ask

It's not just the athletes defying gravity. Here's how they keep every hair in place.
/ Source: TODAY

If you're anything like us, watching the Summer Olympics involves a lot of staring at the TV with your jaw dropped in awe.

But it's not just the daring backflips and the lightning-fast swim times that have us so impressed. We're also amazed by the sprinter whose makeup doesn't sweat off and the synchronized swimmers whose hairstyles stay perfectly in place, as if they're not high-kicking and pirouetting through a pool.

Here, we answer some of your burning beauty and style questions from the Olympics.

Image:
Bare-chested Team USA swimmers Nathan Adrian and Michael Phelps. Lee Jin-man / AP

Q: Do swimmers really shave their entire bodies?

A: We can't speak for everyone, but ... yes. In a sport where every fraction of a second counts, it's important to be as smooth as possible. And most Team USA swimmers aren't too proud to ask for help — pals and teammates Nathan Adrian and Matt Grevers said in 2016 they shaved each other's backs.

Given how well our swimmers performed in Rio in 2016, it's clear all their attention to detail paid off.

Image: Nastia Liukin of the U.S. competes in the floor exercise during the women's individual all-around artistic gymnastics final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
Nastia Liukin revealed a secret about how some gymnasts keep their leotards perfectly in place: sticky spray.MIKE BLAKE / REUTERS

Q: How do gymnasts avoid wedgies?

A: Believe it or not, there's a spray for that. Gymnast Nastia Liukin, the all-around gold medalist at the 2008 Olympics, told People.com that some gymnasts use an adhesive spray such as Tuf-Skin to hold the leotard in place, since picking a wedgie during a performance is grounds for a deduction.

Custom fittings help ensure that the leotard is just the right size.

Image: Athletics - Women's 1500m Round 1
Runner Shannon Rowbury of Team USA readies for a race in her signature lipstick. LUCY NICHOLSON / Reuters

Q: What's up with all the makeup and jewelry?

A: It's all about expression and sometimes superstition. The rules for jewelry in the Olympics vary depending on the sport — gymnasts can only wear earrings, for example, Liukin told People.com, adding that she always wore a pair of diamond studs her parents gave her for good luck.

Other athletes have said they consider the track or the tennis court or the pool their place of work, so why wouldn't they wear makeup on the job? And when we see someone like runner Shannon Rowbury rock a bold lip during a race, we love her all the more for it.

Image: Synchronised Swimming - Olympics: Day 9
Not a hair out of place: Synchronized swimmers in Rio. Clive Rose / Getty Images

Q: How do synchronized swimmers keep their hair in place?

A: Gelatin! Team USA synchronized swimmer Mariya Koroleva told Vogue that she and her teammates use Knox gelatin as a sort of super-duper hairspray.

RELATED: 9 Brazilian beauty secrets you can steal while watching the Rio Olympics

"It's like unflavored Jell-O — we mix it with water, and it turns into a gooey mixture," she said. "You comb or brush that into your hair, put it up in a bun, and put a headpiece over that, so when it dries, it gets really hard and your hair doesn't fall out when you swim."

As for their equally perfect makeup, waterproof products do the trick.