RTE showed a programme yesterday evening profiling the Irish participants of the Beijing Olympics. It was interesting but seemed to be mostly about lowering expectations and pointing out that to our athletes competing in finals and semi-finals was a great success.
In the course of it it went into how genetics and envirnoment play a role in an athlete's development. Occassionally the language was slightly clunky but in a well intentioned way. Apparently there have been 500 times under 10 seconds in the 100m. Every single one of them has been run by a man of West African descent. No white man (that was the term used in the programme, I can't think of a better one) has ever run under 10 seconds.
The thing that struck me about that is that I can't think of a famous runner from that region other Frankie Fredriks. All the others that I know are from North America, the Carribbean or the UK. Is it training and food science stopping West Africa becoming the sprinting equivalent of the long distance exploits of Kenya and Ethiopia?
In the course of it it went into how genetics and envirnoment play a role in an athlete's development. Occassionally the language was slightly clunky but in a well intentioned way. Apparently there have been 500 times under 10 seconds in the 100m. Every single one of them has been run by a man of West African descent. No white man (that was the term used in the programme, I can't think of a better one) has ever run under 10 seconds.
The thing that struck me about that is that I can't think of a famous runner from that region other Frankie Fredriks. All the others that I know are from North America, the Carribbean or the UK. Is it training and food science stopping West Africa becoming the sprinting equivalent of the long distance exploits of Kenya and Ethiopia?
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