Bolt is a phenomenon, but..
- Thread starter Merlin5
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Man of Honour
Its a shame Bolt is so tall.
If he was shorter, Bolt, Blake and Powell plus another Jamacian have the makings of an epic Jamaican Bobsled Team
Like Penguins, and Eskimos and ICE!
Associate
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There is a surprising overlap, whilst different muscle groups are used the defining feature in both sports is dealing with pain
There's been a number of rowers that have switched to cycling over the years. Physically both sports rely mostly on leg power and high aerobic capacity, plus have fairly high peak ages. So it doesn't seem that surprising to me either.
But those dedicated Jav throwers cant run like her or jump like her or etc etc etc
Each event requires a dedicated talented individual with expertise in that particular discipline.
I still believe the ultimate sports person has skills in many disciplines, the most versatile athlete you could say
Heptathlon certainly isnt a competition that shows real versetility, basically all she does is run and throw. The triathlon and pentathlons have a much greater variation in sport that the heptathlon (swimming, riding and running).
In all honesty the reason Ennis is stood on a pedestal more than many other gold medalists is because she is young, female and attractive.
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Soldato
Bolt should probably try the Long Jump. He's probably be able to break the world record if he could get the technique right.
Soldato
Think that is simplifying it a bit
The multi events cover a good selection of the track and field events which require different training and tactics, especially the decathlon which even has things like the pole vault. The difficulty is hightened in doing them all over 2 days.There is a reason the winner of the decathlon is often considred the greatest athlete in the world.
Well I can't imagine it has hurt her with regards to sponsorship, but I'd say along with the above it's because she is British, she won't be fearured anywhere near as much in other countries.
Soldato
Tell that to Dean Macey and his utterly destroyed shattered body.
Saying that, him and Jason Gardner made more than just an average switch to bobsleigh, that's being a glutton for punishment.
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Associate
I kind of agree with the OP to be honest. Running the 100m is clearly tough and requires training, but nowhere near as much as say, tennis or football. These sports require not only huge fitness but also a deep knowledge of tactics and rules of the game.
All bolt has to do is sprint as fast as he can over a very short distance. I'm not belittling his achievements but I do think that the 100m is determined to a greater extent than many other olympics sports by pot luck - whether your biology is good. You need lots of fast twitch muscle fibres. To compete right at the top you also need a fast reaction time (it varies from person to person between 0.1 and 0.3 seconds). A 0.2 second difference in the 100m is huge.
For example it doesn't matter how hard I work, I'd never be a world class sprinter due to having short legs and being only 5 foot 7. However something like shooting or horse-riding, height and fitness are much less important.
I know that height is not advantageous to a sprinter above a certain level but 5 foot 7 is definitely too short. Bolt always has a bad start because he is so tall, but dominates later in the race because his long legs allow a higher top speed.
All bolt has to do is sprint as fast as he can over a very short distance. I'm not belittling his achievements but I do think that the 100m is determined to a greater extent than many other olympics sports by pot luck - whether your biology is good. You need lots of fast twitch muscle fibres. To compete right at the top you also need a fast reaction time (it varies from person to person between 0.1 and 0.3 seconds). A 0.2 second difference in the 100m is huge.
For example it doesn't matter how hard I work, I'd never be a world class sprinter due to having short legs and being only 5 foot 7. However something like shooting or horse-riding, height and fitness are much less important.
I know that height is not advantageous to a sprinter above a certain level but 5 foot 7 is definitely too short. Bolt always has a bad start because he is so tall, but dominates later in the race because his long legs allow a higher top speed.
Soldato
You may have noticed that the other 7 sprinters in the final were all a lot shorter then he was and that's because being tall is normally a hindrance for sprinters so that makes his achievements even more remarkable.
There was a fantastic documentary on the history and science of the 100m race on BBC2 a few weeks ago and as for effort in 100m you do realise that by the time a sprinter gets to about 70m their already having to slow down because their bodies simply can't keep that work rate up for the full 100m?
I'd love to see that documentary. Colin Jackson was saying something similar about 200m hurdlers, that about half way into the race lactic acid gets into their muscles and is painful and they then have to rely on other energy sources in the body to carry them through. Or something like that.
But referring to what SheepBeast said, what Bolt loses in acceleration from the start by having longer legs he seems to more than make up for in top speed. That's probably a bit like when racing cars choose to have shorter gears for maximum acceleration which can limit their top speed, versus cars that tune their gear ratios longer and achieve higher speeds but lose some acceleration. In cars that's the tradeoff and it's a choice admittedly. With Bolt, he doesn't have a choice obviously, nevertheless his 'longer gear ratio' legs obviously work for him. So what might be a hindrance for other tall sprinters doesn't seem to be much of an issue for Bolt because he's incredibly powerful anyway, it all works to his advantage.
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It was the 400m. Essentially the body can only really do 200m of sprinting, and that's a fully fit, trained athlete. After that, there simply isn't enough oxygen in your system to handle it.
Caporegime
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Firstly its true that the 100metre's is while hard to win, takes a lot less training than other sports and physically is a lot easier.
As others have said about the 200 and more the 400/800m you're pushing the physical limits. There are lots of reasons people slow in the final 10-20 of a 100m race, and its usually because the race is won in the first 60m during the acceleration rather than the rest of the race. Humans top speeds aren't massively different, acceleration is technique and power and has a much bigger difference in the 100m than cruising along at top speed, it also takes less power to maintain a speed than increase it, there is a point where the power put into trying to accelerate is worthless because you just can't go faster and a smoother "cruise" technique is faster than trying to power on. While its not absolutely relevant, how many people here can RUN 10km today, go out and just do it, how many people can run 100m, no matter how slowly? Its phsyically a FAR easier event, I could run 100m if absolutely forced to and I've got terrible joints, I literally couldn't run 400m, or 800m. Athlete's are the same, the level of lactic acid build up over a 800m race vs 100m means lactic acid barely effects a 100m race, in an 800m race you are literally racing through pain to reach the end, and training is the same thing.
Did you see the guy after the triathlon, the rowing 2km, the anything from 400m to marathon runs and the pain/exhaustion they are in, several being seen to be medical personel, carried to get help. When was the last time you saw a 100metre runner have problems like that? I've always disliked the fact that the 100m gets sooo much more attention than the vast majority of other events as its the least skilled, least difficult, least hard to train for and almost purely down to being born fast enough.
Also the heptathlon has less difference in sports than a triathlon/pentathlon, utterly stupid. Swimming, running, riding, all endurance sports, the athlete's train for endurance, that's it. Heptathlon, 100metre hurdles is POWER and technique, 800m is more endurance but still MUCH faster, the throwing events need utterly and completely different types of training, technique, strength.
You go for a long distance run and you're training for the swimming, running and cycling of a triathlon, because its endurance ability you're training and the only thing you need. Each event in the heptathlon needs entirely and separate training.
As others have said about the 200 and more the 400/800m you're pushing the physical limits. There are lots of reasons people slow in the final 10-20 of a 100m race, and its usually because the race is won in the first 60m during the acceleration rather than the rest of the race. Humans top speeds aren't massively different, acceleration is technique and power and has a much bigger difference in the 100m than cruising along at top speed, it also takes less power to maintain a speed than increase it, there is a point where the power put into trying to accelerate is worthless because you just can't go faster and a smoother "cruise" technique is faster than trying to power on. While its not absolutely relevant, how many people here can RUN 10km today, go out and just do it, how many people can run 100m, no matter how slowly? Its phsyically a FAR easier event, I could run 100m if absolutely forced to and I've got terrible joints, I literally couldn't run 400m, or 800m. Athlete's are the same, the level of lactic acid build up over a 800m race vs 100m means lactic acid barely effects a 100m race, in an 800m race you are literally racing through pain to reach the end, and training is the same thing.
Did you see the guy after the triathlon, the rowing 2km, the anything from 400m to marathon runs and the pain/exhaustion they are in, several being seen to be medical personel, carried to get help. When was the last time you saw a 100metre runner have problems like that? I've always disliked the fact that the 100m gets sooo much more attention than the vast majority of other events as its the least skilled, least difficult, least hard to train for and almost purely down to being born fast enough.
Also the heptathlon has less difference in sports than a triathlon/pentathlon, utterly stupid. Swimming, running, riding, all endurance sports, the athlete's train for endurance, that's it. Heptathlon, 100metre hurdles is POWER and technique, 800m is more endurance but still MUCH faster, the throwing events need utterly and completely different types of training, technique, strength.
You go for a long distance run and you're training for the swimming, running and cycling of a triathlon, because its endurance ability you're training and the only thing you need. Each event in the heptathlon needs entirely and separate training.
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Soldato
You just admitted that you wouldnt be able to run 400m. So, with respect, you probably havnt got a clue what your talking about, or whats involved in training for a triathlon.
If it was as easy as you say (only needing to train your endurance) then we would see the 1 athlete who has the best endurance winning the Marathon, cycling time trial, triathlon and swimming marathon.
Having a good aerobic base definately helps with all of these sports, but you need to train for each of them individually, the same way that heptathletes do.
Associate
Interesting point, I think the American sprinter Carl Lewis did that successfully. Ill have to check wiki.
Soldato
Lewis won 4 golds - 100 metres, 200 metres, 100 x 4 metre relay and long jump, all at the same Olympics. One of the most elegant athletes of his generation - completely different to many of the pure power sprinters seen today.
It is pointless to compare, but I do wonder how much faster he could have gone with the advanced training methods available 20 years later. Mind you, that's the same for any athlete from the past.
Caporegime
I keep going on at Leon Mann to ask Bolt to do the long jump when ever he has the chance to catch up with him.
Last time he said "he won't do it at London 2012. Rio 2016... who know?"
I'd love to see Bolt try it... but then again if he can't be bothered with the training involved in going up to the 400m... then I'm not sure he'll bother with the long jump.
Last time he said "he won't do it at London 2012. Rio 2016... who know?"
I'd love to see Bolt try it... but then again if he can't be bothered with the training involved in going up to the 400m... then I'm not sure he'll bother with the long jump.
Permabanned
Think you need to watch the documentary on Bolt and see how hard he actually trains. He trains to the point of vomiting most days.
Soldato
The documentary I remember seeing showed him taking it quite easy in training. I agree with the OP, I think with Bolt it's mainly raw natural ability, he is a freak of nature in that respect. I personally don't class him as a legend, with pure hard work I think he could also go on and smash the 400m record but he seems to be content with the 100m and 200m, and the status of 'the fastest man in the world'. 
He's brilliant to watch, he comes across as more of an entertainer but I'd really like to see him take on the 400m and possibly as others mentioned, the long jump. The 100m imo seems to rely much more on natural ability and a lot less on training, hard work, technique and skill compared to other events/sports.
He's brilliant to watch, he comes across as more of an entertainer but I'd really like to see him take on the 400m and possibly as others mentioned, the long jump. The 100m imo seems to rely much more on natural ability and a lot less on training, hard work, technique and skill compared to other events/sports.
Permabanned
I dont know what documtary you watched then because the one that was on the BBC a few weeks back showed him training hard.