Meet the first triplets ever to qualify for the Olympics

Leila, Liina, and Lily Luik have many things in common: their parents, their birthday, and soon, their status as Olympic marathoners at the 2016 games in Rio.

Although the International Olympic Committee does not keep track of siblings, Olympic historian Bill Mallon told The New York Times that he is "99.99 percent sure" triplets have never competed together in the same or separate Summer or Winter Olympics. "This just doesn't happen," Mallon said.

Hailing from Estonia, the triplets are well known in their home country, although none of them are expected to medal in the games. It was only six years ago that any of them even began to take running seriously. Another Olympic historian, Taavi Kalju, hopes the trio will finish in the top 50, with Liina aiming to crack the top 20.

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"Three together, we get so much energy from each other. No one wants to be the slowest. We push, push, push," Leila said.

Read more about the trials of the Trio for Rio in The New York Times.