At the back of the ankle, the calf muscles narrow into one thick cord that anchors on the heel. That cord is the Achilles tendon, and it is built for the heaviest pulls in everyday movement.
Walking, climbing, and running all load it with more than body weight. A sprint or a jump can ask it for several times that force, which is why it is both famous and easy to injure.
The name comes from a myth. The anatomy is plain engineering: a cable between the calf and the ground.
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