HawkeyeBasket
Well-Known Member
TWO references to scholarly articles in one thread? This is amazing.
Fastest White Guy Ever
- Thread starter CP87
- Start date
racerhawk
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the very informative post.
I've been amazed with the same things. The W. African sprinters and the E. African (Kenyan, Ethiopian, etc) distance runners are something to behold.
It is truly amazing that some of these runners come from just a few tribes. Mind blowing, really, considering the number of people on this planet.
PodolakFan
Well-Known Member
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ghxMRagbRI]WR Andy Brodell Highlights - YouTube[/ame]
First play. That is all.
First play. That is all.
From Kenyan Dominance in Distance Running (Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 2003):
Most of the Kenyans who are such good performers come from a group of eight small tribes called Kalenjin, which number only approximately three and a half million people. Among the Kalenjin tribes, the Nandis have performed the best and they constitute only approximately 2% of the Kenyan population (about 600,000 people, or roughly 0.01% of the world's population).
Now that you mention him, I do have a vague recollection of his career. Relatively speaking, his 200m best was more impressive than his 100m best, and the West African descendants do not have quite the same stranglehold at that distance, perhaps because of a slightly greater reliance on aerobic systems.
Personal anecdote: I have a friend and teammate from college who is black. He could kick my butt in any race, and he wiped the floor with me in the triple-jump (not hard to do because I was lousy, but this guy was actually pretty good, 46ish). However, if you went on a 2 mile jog with the guy, you would think he was going to keel over and die. It wasn't for lack of toughness or training, because he worked very hard. Rather, his muscles just weren't built for that.
Pooker
Well-Known Member
Please don't introduce science into this discussion as the GOP believes only in creation theory and this will just confuse them.
I thought it was this dude.
Wariner was definitely fast. How about the US Men getting shut out of the 400m medals? Not even anyone in finals!
A US man has won that event every Olympics since '84, and there has only been one non-boycotted Olympics in which they failed to win the event going all the way back to '52. They swept the medals in this event in 2004 and 2008, and have only failed to win multiple medals twice since 1964.
big10fan
Well-Known Member
Good discussion. As a therapist I've always been curious about it, but haven't taken the time to actually see if there was anything in the journals about it.
Really ends up being a nature/nurture argument I think. While I lean heavily towards the nature side, there are strong arguments for environmental and societal factors.
Really ends up being a nature/nurture argument I think. While I lean heavily towards the nature side, there are strong arguments for environmental and societal factors.
PatrickAdamovicz
Well-Known Member
I agree. I cringed when Bob Costas commented that Gabby was the first black female to win the all around. Why can't it be that she is just a female?
trj
Well-Known Member
Actually, Jon Entine tackled the subject matter several years ago in his book "Taboo" it gets a little bogged down with the genetics discussion and the societal/environmental factors get left out, but it is a good read.
bighawkeyedaddy
Well-Known Member
I remember running in the AAU state championship in the 100 meters. I was the only white guy in the finals, and one of only 2 to make the semifinals. I was the outsider. I was only 14 at the time and that moment stuck with me, it will probably be the closest I will ever feel to the way minorities feel on a daily basis. Everyone was surprised when I finished 3rd. And the winner and runner up were giving other guys crap for getting beat by a white guy.
would it make you cringe if he said someone was the oldest or youngest to win an event? people like when 1sts happen and when records are broken. you need thicker skin.
Wouldn't you agree it is at least noteworthy? I agree it is unfair if the media allows the individual's race or ethnicity to overshadow the athletic accomplishments. I haven't really seen any of that in the coverage of Gabby Douglas (probably because Dominique Dawes had a notable career almost 20 years ago).
The reason I think it is noteworthy is because we all enjoy seeing someone who likes like us breaking barriers, or having success in areas where success is not usually enjoyed.
Many African Americans (along with Americans of all ethnicities) rejoiced in the election of our first black president, and no doubt it has inspired many black youth who now know that the claim that anyone can become president is edging closer to truth.
The Asian American community was elated with the basketball success enjoyed by Jeremy Lin. At some point that did become kind of unfair to Lin because the coverage focused more on him being an "Asian basketball player having a phenomenal run," as opposed to just a "basketball player having a phenomenal run."
I am sure there are some young, African American girls who might give stronger consideration into trying gymnastics because they have seen someone who likes like them accomplish something that someone who looks like them has never accomplished before.
Like I said, it shouldn't be the main story, but it is noteworthy. Perhaps it would be true to say while it can be unfair to the individual athlete, it can also be very meaningful to a community.
Lemaitre finished 6th last night. At only 22, he should have a bright future ahead.
Another interesting result relevant to this thread: David Rudisha of Kenya won the 800m in record time (1st man to go sub-1:41). A Kenyan 800m winner is not remarkable; they have won 4 times since '88, most recently in Beijing. However, all previous champions have come from the Kalenjin group of tribes, known for their small stature and slight builds. Rudisha is from the Masai tribe, known to be tall and muscular. He was the first ever gold medalist from his tribe (his father won a silver in the 4x400). It was cool to see how much it meant to him to win the gold for his tribe, as well as for his country.
The 800m record was held by Wilson Kipketer for 13 years (1:41.11) before Rudisha started whittling away at it 2 years ago (now 1:40.91). How long until someone goes under 1:40?
Another interesting result relevant to this thread: David Rudisha of Kenya won the 800m in record time (1st man to go sub-1:41). A Kenyan 800m winner is not remarkable; they have won 4 times since '88, most recently in Beijing. However, all previous champions have come from the Kalenjin group of tribes, known for their small stature and slight builds. Rudisha is from the Masai tribe, known to be tall and muscular. He was the first ever gold medalist from his tribe (his father won a silver in the 4x400). It was cool to see how much it meant to him to win the gold for his tribe, as well as for his country.
The 800m record was held by Wilson Kipketer for 13 years (1:41.11) before Rudisha started whittling away at it 2 years ago (now 1:40.91). How long until someone goes under 1:40?
Bolt has already cemented his legacy, but what do you think would do the most to grow it even further:
- Sweep 100m and 200m again in Rio
- Set the 400m record, holding all 3 at the same time (probably within his grasp if he trained at that distance)
- Become the first human to long jump over 30 feet (some have speculated that he could)
