Ever since the first Greek Olympics in 776BC, athletes have been pushing the
boundaries of human physical potential on track and field. But now experts
believe we have finally hit our limits and the human body can’t achieve
more, and this is where science steps in.
Next week, at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Greg Whyte, a professor of
applied sport and exercise science at Liverpool John Moores University, and
the psychiatrist Dr Alan Currie will be exploring the contribution of
science to sport – with recent scientific developments including genetic
testing to maximise training schedules, and shark-like swimming costumes to
reduce drag in races. They will be discussing whether a line should be drawn
between where talent stops and science begins.
Many experts, including Whyte, who trained the comedian David Walliams for his
cross-Channel swim, believe that athletes, competing in track and field
events in particular, have now reached the limit of natural human
performance. In these sports, science will have the greatest contribution to
future medal tables, where even a small enhancement in performance could
make a big difference. Here are some of the scientific advances that may
give sportsmen and women the edge.
WINNING GENES
One day scientists may be able to pick the winner of a race before it has even
started, by looking at the competitors’ genetic make-up to see which one
carries “performance genes”.
In recent years researchers have identified genes that confer athletic
advantage, and some are now suggesting that genetic profiling for so called
performance genes could be used to identify the athletes of the future. For
instance, the ability to use oxygen efficiently is key to having the winning
edge in all sports, as it keeps muscles going for longer. Some people carry
a mutated version of a gene called EPOR, which results in an abnormally high
number of red blood cells – the main oxygen transporters of the body. People
with this mutated EPOR gene have more oxygen whizzing around their body,
helping them to carry on working longer and harder than others. Researchers
identified an entire Finnish family with this EPOR mutation, several of whom
were championship endurance athletes, including the gold medal cross-country
skier Eero Maentyranta.
It is likely that athletes able to break records in the future will be such
physiological “outliers” – people who naturally possess extremes of normal
body biology, which also happen to enhance performance. For instance, one
helpful gene is called ACTN3. It comes in two variants, one of which makes
muscles more suited to endurance events, and the other to sprint or power
events. One American company has even started to offer people the chance to
have their genes tested for performance-enhancing variants – at £50 a pop –
to find out which sport they are genetically suited to.
So will we see genetic profiling by talent scouts? Whyte is dismissive.
Predicting athletic aptitude is incredibly difficult, he says. There are too
many genetic variations and environmental factors involved to make accurate
predictions.
CHEMICAL ASSISTANCE
Some common enhancers, which might be called an appliance of science, are
drugs such as anabolic steroids and EPO, the hormone that promotes red blood
cell development. These are banned, although athletes tend always to be one
step ahead of the regulators, using new undetectable drugs. The long-term
effects of the use of such substances are unknown.
Some technologies, however, such as simulating the effect of training at
altitude by placing an athlete in a pressure chamber, are not banned. This
increases the number of red blood cells by making the body think it’s in a
low-oxy-gen environment, making it step up blood cell production. Nor is
taking sodium bicarbonate before competition banned. This acts as a buffer
in the blood, helping to prevent the build-up of lactic acid that causes
burning muscle pain.
HIGH-TECH KIT
We’ve already seen the impact that science can have on world records through
advances in technology. In the 1990s, new materials science made it possible
to use carbon fibres to build bicycles with characteristics that had never
been seen before. An early example was Chris Boardman’s Lotus monocoque
carbon frame, which he rode in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. In the one-hour
speed event, Boardman was able to travel 7km farther than the legendary
Eddie Merckx had achieved 30 years earlier. But riding a standard A-frame
bike, he managed only a paltry 10m more than Merckx.
Materials science makes a contribution to sport in many other ways, from shoes
that let people bounce higher, to “go-faster” swimming costumes. Some
cozzies, for instance, mimic the skin of a shark, making the swimmer more
streamlined and reducing drag. High-tech equipment won’t make super-athletes
out of mere mortals, but, says Whyte, it can make the difference between
winning and losing for those at the peak of their game. “You need talent and
preparation,” says Alan Currie, the psychiatrist for the UK Athletics team.
“Self-motivation is integral to success, if you want to reach the top.”
Get the children off the sofa with Active Kids, a 36-page colour guide to
family sport, free with today’s Times
Is your body built for sporting success?
Have you got the perfect physique for sport? No matter what science can create
to enhance our body’s performance, the basics have to be there, and this
means having the right body shape for a sport.
SWIMMERS
Checklist
tall, broad shoulders, long limbs, narrow hips, big hands. An elite swimmer is
typically tall with long arms. Wide shoulders help to maximise that arm
power and narrow hips reduce drag in the water. Big feet are also a plus for
generating power.
LONG-DISTANCE RUNNERS
Kenyans from the Kalenjin tribe hold about 40 per cent of the top honours for
distance running. They have slim legs with high calf muscles, a very
efficient anatomy for a long-distance runner.
Checklist
light frame, slim legs, small to medium height.
SPRINTERS
Checklist
tall, large bones, low waist, slim lower legs.
WEIGHTLIFTERS
Checklist
not very tall, short arms and legs, strong cardiovascular system. Relatively
short arms, legs and neck and a stocky frame will make you a more effective
lever and better able to lift big weights.
MARKSMEN
Checklist
strong upper body, good cardiovascular fitness, excellent eyesight. Pistol
shooting in particular requires good upper-body strength. The best shots
have very low heartbeat rates. An average person has a heart rate of 70 to
85 beats a minute; an athlete usually has a rate of 40 to 50. Some shooters
are capable of dropping heart rate by 20 beats a minute and firing between
beats.
