SPORTS QUOTES
Athletes: Genetic Freaks?
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Some interesting data showed up yesterday in a good Wall Street Journal "On Sports" column by Sam Walker. It seems that, for a long time now, docs and researchers have been prodding elite athletes in order to determine if their athletic excellence has some biological bases. Answer: You betcha. As Walker writes: "While genetics is only one part of the formula for greatness, scientists agree that in order to be truly dominant, an athlete has to be -- to some degree -- a genetic freak."
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Some of the findings Walker cites:
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Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has flipper-like feet: size 14 monsters that are as flexible as a ballerina's.
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Andy Roddick, who owns tennis' fastest serve, can arch his back 44% farther than can the average tennis pro.
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The soccer star Mia Hamm produces half as much sweat as the average soccer player.
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While it takes a typical civilian 300 milliseconds to make a reactive decision, the average race car driver is able to react and respond in 270 milliseconds -- a difference that means a lot when your car is going 200 miles an hour.
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One of the most remarkable physical specimens in the world is the great bicyclist Lance Armstrong. Armstrong's heart is 20% larger than a normal person's, and his body produces one-third less lactic acid than do the bodies of other top cyclists. It's thought that each one of these physical attributes exists in only a few hundred people on earth. Walker quotes one doctor, who says of Armstrong that, in terms of his physical capabilities, "He's probably one in a billion."
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Ed.'s note:
Coincidentally, for your information,
Lance's last name namesake, Henry, was similarly
endowed with genetic features that impacted on his
cardiac system, enabling his "perpetual motion"
boxing style that allowed him to easily defeat opponents.
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