Poetry in motion when nature and nurture combine
Pure elite-level speed is one of the rarest commodities in sport. During the athletics season you can watch men breaking 10 seconds and women dipping under 11 seconds over 100m. These speeds are rare but speed isn’t a simple matter of breaking 10 seconds for men and 11 seconds for women. There are the very, very rare elites and then there are the rest of us. So how are the very elite athletes made to go faster than the rest of us?
Last week, RTÉ broadcast a brilliant documentary called Power in the Blood, the story of the Irish thoroughbred racehorse. From a standing start they can reach 45mph in 2.5 seconds, basically in about four to five strides. The Irish are world leaders in producing winning horses and the documentary investigated whether this is because of nature or nurture. The answer is unclear but it seems both genetics and environment play a significant role. During the documentary, racing historian Guy Williams said: “There is no finer sight than a racehorse who has speed,” which is something I agree with.
