To wonder what Black athletes have....

[CrispyCod]

......that make them so superior in performance. It has to be genetic. I am in awe of them as they appear to glide effortlessly around the track. The Jamaican athletes are just wow! Their speed is just amazing.

Selective breeding during the days of slavery, unfortunately.

Correct Denise the black american commentator on the beeb did a documentary about it.

Seriously?

Its the ailtutude its not about black or white we dont have moutians here if you will see most of our athletes have now moved to countrys with mountians

I had no idea

That was my answer too. Slaves were bred like livestock to produce people who could work longer and harder. A hideous time in our history.

Oh quite disgusting british history.

But a lot of the successful runners are East African (Kenyan, Ethiopians etc) - not the descendants of slaves!

I am sure I have read that high altitude in the air that most of the top runners come from also makes a difference too

That's really interesting, I had no idea. Well if their ancestors could see them today....

Oh dear - there's a bit more to it than that, particularly as many world-beating black athletes come from African countries which were not enslaved. Google 'fast-twitch' and 'slow-twitch' muscles to see why black people of distinct ethnic origins have a genetic advantage in specific events.

LOL at 'high altitude in the air'.

Shocked that so many people seem to have never had this conversation this before!

The distance runners mainly come from the Rift Valley where the genetic type tends towards long and lean, naturally low body fat, long arms and legs with relatively short, light torso. Its also at altitude, so when people from there come down to sea level, they find it easier to breath and run fast.

The sprinters mainly come from East Africa (whether or not they are Jamaican), where the body type tends towards fast twitch muscles. Its little to do with slavery, Nigerians produce a lot of good sprinters.

Don't forget that black Africans have more diverse DNA than any European.

Also, their upbringing means they develop more motor skills from a young age than many Europeans, because they move around outdoors more.

No idea either, just talking to OH about it though and he pointed out that doesn't explain the excellent African athletes we're watching at the moment.

I think its to do with where peoples ancestors come from, its evolution but i agree, they are fecking awesome!!!

Sorry, I got West and East mixed up in the above post!

I think it goes back much much futher than the times of slavery though

Whilst the slavery argument may hold good for countries that imported slaves, it's not that relevant for Kenyans and Ethiopians. I believe it's more to do with the altitude they're used to training at, so that they are receiving more oxygen here and therefore it is less tiring, and also a cultural thing where they are used to traveling long distances by foot from an early age and therefore are just generally fitter!

Yes you can say about fitter when younger ect but china for instance who take them when there 5 to train are not doing that well on the running side.

Genetics comes into it (bone structures and muscles type/density) but environmental and cultural factors also come into play. If you are a successful long distance runner in Kenya you'll become wealthy and be treated like a rock star. That's a pretty good incentive to train hard.

It's not selective breeding- viz Kenyans and Ethiopians. There was a v good article in the Guardian magazine a few months back. It's cultural and societal. The article described how from toddlerhood kids run everywhere, I can't link ATM but will when I'm home.

Dp said it was something to do with leg muscle

Michael Johnson's programme on this was very interesting - a lot of it came down to "survival of the fittest" - the ones who survived the horrendous conditions were "bred" from to produce stronger slaves. Absolutely awful when you think about it. It was either his grandparents or great grandparents were born in slavery, it's that recent. Really gobsmacking.

I read an article which says there are physical differences between the races which give black athletes an advantage. For example:

-on average black youngsters reach childhood milestones related to coordination and balance earlier (average walking age is 8 months in Africans and 12 months in Europeans); Africans

• there is a particular gene connected with reactivity, speed and explosive power which is more dominant in Africans than Europeans

• Southern and Eastern Africans have muscles which produce less lactic acid which makes them stronger with greater speed endurance

There was a lot of other stuff but that's all I can remember.