Are Olympic athletes superhuman?
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Sport and exercise medicine
Are Olympic athletes superhuman?
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Watching Usain Bolt makes me feel like I could never achieve such speed, athleticism and glory. Being an Olympic athlete requires a lot of dedication, training and patience, which I don't seem to have
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Forums » Open clinical » Sport and exercise medicine » Are Olympic athletes superhuman?
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Are Olympic athletes superhuman?
posted at 27/7/2012 9:37 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1449
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 23/5/2013 |
Watching Usain Bolt makes me feel like I could never achieve such speed, athleticism and glory. Being an Olympic athlete requires a lot of dedication, training and patience, which I don't seem to have and for those reasons, that's probably why we appreciate Olympic athletes. However, we've heard the stories of Usain Bolt running with untied shoelaces, eating chicken nuggets in preparation for big races which he has subsequently won. I'm pretty sure if most people followed this routine, then it would hinder their performance, but for Bolt, it doesn't really matter. So, it makes me wonder if Bolt and other excellent athletes are genetically predisposed to being athletes in the first place? And if this is true, then how impressive are they? Are athletes actually superhuman or are they genetically fortunate to possess the raw materials to become such a success? I suppose it is similar like being a genius at physics or music - some of us are just born to do it. I don't want to seem like I am devaluing the achievements of athletes, because I think athletes are pretty amazing and deserve their places on the Olympic stage. However, I wonder whether other people view them as superhuman achievers who just work hard at what they do or are in possession of the raw minerals to achieve such heights. I suspect it is a mix of both. |
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Re: Are Olympic athletes superhuman?
posted at 27/7/2012 12:41 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1270
First: 13/4/2010 Last: 23/5/2013 |
Matthew - aside from lots and lots of hard work (as Mr Bolt has pointed out himself this week) and heaps and heaps of dedication it's not suprehuman at all. It's called normal distribution and you can read all about it - in all it's glory - here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution What is truly suprehuman and really deserves medals and glory is the army of voluntary carers (usually family members) out there caring for the sick, the disabled, the mentally ill, the demented, the frail and the dying. Yet a Government which spends £9 billion+ on a sports event doesn't give a toss about them. |
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Re: Are Olympic athletes superhuman?
posted at 31/7/2012 5:09 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1286
First: 9/12/2011 Last: 23/5/2013 |
Steve, what ever happened to the Other mindset you had that the UK had the Best healthcare in the world? After all, most of what I hear or read on BMJ is that the British and UK system of Healthcare is Top Notch! Is it, yes or no? DuaneF In Response to Re: Are Olympic athletes superhuman?: Matthew - aside from lots and lots of hard work (as Mr Bolt has pointed out himself this week) and heaps and heaps of dedication it's not suprehuman at all. It's called normal distribution and you can read all about it - in all it's glory - here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution What is truly suprehuman and really deserves medals and glory is the army of voluntary carers (usually family members) out there caring for the sick, the disabled, the mentally ill, the demented, the frail and the dying. Yet a Government which spends £9 billion+ on a sports event doesn't give a toss about them. Posted by skyesteve |
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Re: Are Olympic athletes superhuman?
posted at 31/7/2012 12:39 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1270
First: 13/4/2010 Last: 23/5/2013 |
It's still yes Duane - but no system is there 100%, 24hrs a day, 365 days of the year for 70 million people and much of what I am talking about is social care, personal care, domestic help, etc. rather than healthcare. Nor does the NHS transplant the roles or responsibilities of parents/siblings/spouses/children, etc. and nor should it but these individual deserve recognition and reward for what they do. As it turns out the system is better in Scotland where we have free personal care provided by the Government - not something available to those in the rest of the UK. As to your comment about th NHS being the best healthcare in the world I don't think I have ever made that generalisation. What I do believe (and have said on here) is that we have the best primary care service in the world but that cannot be said of secondary care where I think perhaps countries like France are better. But I do believe that, in terms of the population as a whole, the secondary care service in the UK is better than in the USA because it serves the needs of all the people equally and unrelated to wealth or status and it is free at the point of use. But I am the first to admit it is still not perfect - see my post on capacity in the NHS under off duty forum Cheers 
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Re: Are Olympic athletes superhuman?
posted at 31/7/2012 2:55 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1180
First: 19/4/2010 Last: 23/5/2013 |
Back to the athletes.... There's certainly a normal distribution curve, and these folk are certainly at the end of it. But a lot of it is due, I think, to planning. The BBC website today aencourages you to put in your height and weight, then it spews out who in the olympics you're most like. I (at 186cm and 78kg) am most like a swimmer, a cyclist and a canoeist. If I were 193cm and 82kg I'd be like a basketball player. If I were 193cm and 100kg I'd be like a rower, or judo-ist (??). The chinese have done particularly well in matching anthromorphic data to a desired sport - they channel all their tall people into basketball, their widest armspan people into swimming, those short and fearless into diving. We've done this with one of our young sprinters - he was on the books of a football club, great pace, no skill. He was wheiched out of the football boots, into running spikes, and a year later he's won the world junior games, qualified for the olympics, and he's our new great hope. Bolt can eat chicken nuggets because he spends hours and hours a day training. Phelps can eat 12000 calories of fried eggs a day, because he swims 150 miles a week. They're not superhuman; they're at the extremes anatomical variance, they're dedicated, hardworking, highly motivated, highly trained people who push themselves to their limit, and beyond. Although some might be getting help from somewhere: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-19062639 |
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