FAO SCC: Jamaican sprinting success is not due to genes, nor is Eth/Ken long-distance.

It's true that the "twitch" muscle fibres (I think they're called) that give added sprinting ability are prevalent in 95% or more of Jamaicans but about 85% of white Europeans also have them. There's no significant difference in DNA between Jamaican sprinters and the rest of the world. In fact, there's no significant differences between any "race" of people.

Jamaican heros are sprinters and all of the young kids want to emulate them, raising themselves out of poverty in the process.

The Ethiopan/Kenyan long-distance running phenomenon is also not genetics. They all come from a very small area of the country that is at high altitude and have to run about 10 miles to school and back every day in their youth. They are therefore at a ridiculous advantage compared to the rest of the world!

Source of information (although some of the above may not have been quoted quite rightly) is a Matthew Syed book called Bounce. I would highly recommend it!

Posted By: JD3 on October 31st 2011 at 14:42:27

Message Thread

FAO SCC: Jamaican sprinting success is not due to genes, nor is Eth/Ken long-distance. (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 14:42:27
- a study done here (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:56:54
- and i did mean kenya not ethiopia earlier sorry (n/m) (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:05:15
  - Same sityayshun in both countries. (n/m) (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:08:27
    - yeah the altitude defo a factor (n/m) (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:09:42
      - And the running huge distances as a child thing! (n/m) (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:12:17
        
        that's not exclusive to those countries lol (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:14:25
        
        You'd make your child run 10 miles to school?! Unlikely! (n/m) (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:18:30
        
        if that's what it takes (n/m) (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:20:12
        
        you wouldn't do it (n/m) (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:23:34
        
        yes because it wouldn't make a massive difference (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:24:49
        
        No - you'll have to move to high altitude for that too. Do it! (n/m) (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:28:57
        
        yes i accepted altitude is a contributing factor (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:29:53
        
        but you'd need to have had a shag to prove this though (n/m) (Other Sports) - Tombs, Oct 31, 15:22:30
        
        you can artificially inseminate these days tbf (n/m) (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:23:45
        
        get a room (n/m) (Other Sports) - Tombs, Oct 31, 15:17:07
- so why are around 494 of the top 500 100 metre times ever recorded (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 14:59:36
  - Because they were in athletics clubs and working out young while the rest were (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:03:27
    - Yes, there aren't ANY poor white people (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:06:25
      - Don't be a twat. (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:10:53
        
        'Twat'. Hmm, I know it's in context but that word makes me cringe. (n/m) (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 15:11:39
        
        I would imagine it would. Personally I like twats. (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:17:35
        
        Isn't your Mrs an official Twat-Minder? (n/m) (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:20:40
        
        Ex-missus was indeed ! (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:23:19
        
        ? (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:25:59
        
        "Only just" ? Felt like 50 years. LOL (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:31:08
      - not properly poor (Other Sports) - Tombs, Oct 31, 15:09:00
      - Go on then, name one (n/m) (Other Sports) - Hertz van Rental, Oct 31, 15:08:20
        
        Michelle from Maidstone (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:22:56
        
        damn. (n/m) (Other Sports) - Hertz van Rental, Oct 31, 15:53:11
      - Not as likely to focus on sprinting. Perceived that they won't be as good. (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:07:57
        
        That's something of a high level generalisation, if I may say so (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:18:06
        
        You don't know that for sure. They've probably trained harder. (n/m) (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:21:13
        
        Indeed, as I mentioned below: (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:11:37
  - But not West African! (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:01:59
    - lol what? (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:03:19
      - Because they train harder, from a younger age and are more motivated. (n/m) (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:05:59
        
        yes of course they do! (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:07:54
        
        ... (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:08:41
        
        That's all for show! If you really think he hardly trains and eats lots of junk food.... (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:10:04
        
        Yes, but it's somewhat patronising to the white sprinters to say (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:21:34
        
        I'm sure they are motivated and train hard, just not as hard as some others. (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:26:27
        
        yes the first caucasian to break 10 seconds (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:28:57
        
        It proves that despite not having "West African genes" he's one of the top 8 sprinters.. (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:33:11
        
        i didn't say a white man couldn't be a top sprinter tbf (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:37:41
        
        "McNeil was occasionally frustrated by Bolt's lack of dedication to his training" (Other Sports) - Ken Dodds Dads Dog, Oct 31, 15:27:55
        
        Two key textbook factors there: (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:34:57
        
        Neither of these two things has ever happened to a white boy, obviously (n/m) (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:50:25
        
        So is it the Jamaican schooling system that is responsible for good sprinters? (n/m) (Other Sports) - Ken Dodds Dads Dog, Oct 31, 15:45:12
        
        1) All he thought about when he was young was sports (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:39:14
        
        you are deluded sorry! (n/m) (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:14:57
        
        I bet Usain Bolt has trained just as hard, if not harder, than all other sprinters.. (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:19:23
        
        so natural talent doesn't matter? (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:22:04
        
        If you have any children then you'll have to test it! (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:27:51
        
        you are surely taking the piss here (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:33:55
        
        Are Asians more intelligent than white people? (n/m) (Other Sports) - phrankin, Oct 31, 15:41:28
        
        not that i'm aware either way (n/m) (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:45:46
        
        Agreed (n/m) (Other Sports) - duke of york, Oct 31, 15:15:28
      - I believe the correct internet vernacular is 'LOLWUT?' (n/m) (Other Sports) - Hertz van Rental, Oct 31, 15:05:06
  - In that New Stateseman article it says no white man has ever run sub ten seconds (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:01:25
    - Ah, not still true according to wiki (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:03:54
    - We should get a fucking move on then (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:03:50
    - Lemaitre became the first caucasian to do it. Also ran 19.80s for 200m (n/m) (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:03:33
      - ah yeah, but France is quite close to Africa (Other Sports) - Ralf Scrampton, Oct 31, 15:05:26
- Link to the book; Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 14:49:59
  - This is a good read too (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 14:54:33
- Out of interest (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 14:49:49
  - and Darts players (n/m) (Other Sports) - Huge Small, Oct 31, 14:57:45
    - Arrers ! (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 14:58:28
  - That one's easier to explain on social grounds (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 14:55:16
    - True (n/m) (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 14:56:38
      - no it isn't.... not according to some shit i copied off the internets (Other Sports) - Tombs, Oct 31, 15:01:04
- Sounds an interesting book (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 14:48:58
  - exactly it's complete bollocks! (n/m) (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:00:37
    - Your argument rests on an old Daily Mail article! (n/m) (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:02:37
      - no that was just one article on the subject (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:06:35
  - 200m - Konstandinos Kenderis (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 14:57:08
    - Errrr.... blatant drugs cheat. (n/m) (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 14:57:51
      - I seem to remember some Italian bloke won the 100m after Wells (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 14:59:42
        
        Wells won the world championship in '81 (Other Sports) - Ralf Scrampton, Oct 31, 15:03:48
        
        *tearful glow of patriotic pride* (n/m) (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:05:27
        
        He won the 200m in 1980. (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 15:01:38
      - Yes, against other less blatent drug cheats (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 14:59:23
        
        Empirically debatable point (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 15:01:15
  - And additionally (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 14:56:23
    - donovan bailey and linford christie were born in jamaica (n/m) (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:01:50
    - The none ever from Africa point is a great one as the success is.... (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 15:00:18
      - plenty of decent nigerians (Other Sports) - SCC 28, Oct 31, 15:13:08
      - This is now going around in a complete circle! (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 15:03:56
        
        Isn't it a bit ludicrous to suggest otherwise? (Other Sports) - duke of york, Oct 31, 15:05:36
      - Not really (Other Sports) - duke of york, Oct 31, 15:02:00
  - Has a lot to do with background too. There is no sensible reason why the majority of (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 14:55:41
    - Yes (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 14:57:49
      - I know in context it is fine, OG, but "black boys" still makes me cringe (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:05:11
        
        But back to the point - I think it has become a pride thing as well for (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:09:20
        
        ? (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 15:07:52
        
        ... (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:13:34
        
        I know what Steve means though (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:11:58
        
        So Terry would have been fine had he pointed out that (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:16:48
        
        That is a different argument as OG mentions below (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 15:22:37
        
        Oh, I didn't realise "boy" was an insult (Other Sports) - duke of york, Oct 31, 15:13:52
        
        Really ? Massive, massive insult. Try it in the US especially. (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:15:31
        
        Ok, understood. (n/m) (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 15:17:51
        
        Possibly overthinking Steve's point to be fair (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 15:13:27
        
        No, he is spot on with my point (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:14:28
        
        Why? (Other Sports) - duke of york, Oct 31, 15:06:21
        
        Did you read the whole post ? (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 15:13:05
        
        Or in a Southern drawl (n/m) (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 15:19:04
        
        In what context would 'black boy' not be acceptible then? (Other Sports) - norway, Oct 31, 15:14:54
        
        Tone of voice? (Other Sports) - duke of york, Oct 31, 15:16:21
  - Motivation/sporting heroes/cultural forces? (Other Sports) - JD3, Oct 31, 14:54:55
    - No white man in the Olympic 100m final since Alan Wells!! (n/m) (Other Sports) - Old Git, Oct 31, 14:55:53
      - So ? There hasn't been a Scot either. (n/m) (Other Sports) - Steve in Holland, Oct 31, 14:57:27
  - sounds like you've carried out some pretty exhaustive research there old git (Other Sports) - Tombs, Oct 31, 14:51:43
- ps, stop getting details wrong (n/m) (Other Sports) - pants, Oct 31, 14:45:07
- hoorah! (n/m) (Other Sports) - Tombs, Oct 31, 14:45:01

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