Why do Jamaicans run so fast?

[julie*mango]

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[britisha]

Re: Why do Jamaicans run so fast?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: _______</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/A3k53opQ3r8&amp;feature=player_embedded"></param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/A3k53opQ3r8&amp;feature=player_embedded" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"> </embed></object> </div></div>

Mi noh ha time fi watch di video...but wi cyaan run fi chroo...when mi did suh-mall, dere was nat a race dat I didn't win, until...and even now, mi cyaan still ssprint widdout haffie tap fi ketch mi breath...a mussie di watah, or di yellow yam...di ongle yam mi used to nyam...so wha di video seh?

[julie*mango]

Re: Why do Jamaicans run so fast?

Usain Bolt: how do Jamaicans run so fast?


Usain Bolt got the party started in Jamaica when he smashed the 100m world record on Sunday. It seems that party shows no signs of stopping after adding the 200m gold in record time on Thursday night.

But while Bolt has stolen the headlines at the World Championships in Berlin, his teammates have also been delivering on the track. Jamaica currently top the medals table with five gold, two silver and two bronze leading to one question: how do Jamaicans run so fast?
There is nothing fortuitous about how this poor Caribbean island, with a population of just 2.6 million people, have made the sport of sprinting their own.

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Preliminary medical research has indicated that the so-called speed protein Actinen A is much more prominent in Jamaicans’ fast-twitch muscles, meaning they are naturally better adapted to sprinting events.
But what cannot be understated is the combination of a successful development programme for raw talent and a tradition that sprinting is a one way ticket out of poverty, and a route to free education.
In 1971, former world record sprinter Dennis Johnson decided he wanted to pass on some of the knowledge he had gained at San Jose State University and set up a USA-style college sports academy in Jamaica.
As Anthony Davis, Johnson’s predecessor as sporting director at Jamaica’s University of Technology (UTECH) explains: “Dennis had the opinion that the sprint is a bit like engineering – people can be taught how to do it.”
Johnson’s speed academy offered scholarships to promising Jamaican athletes who he could develop on an individual basis, while receiving a free college education.
Now, nearly 40 years on, UTECH students make up a quarter of the Jamaican athletics squad and the University has an impressive list of success stories, including Usain Bolt and former world record holder Asafa Powell.
Davis believes that the link between athletics and free education cannot be ignored.
He said: “You can’t escape the fact that in Jamaica, many of these athletes are running to escape poverty.
“Sport for many is their one chance to get a tertiary level education and make themselves a better citizen. Sport opens doors to Jamaican youngsters which would be otherwise closed for them.”
The UTECH programme is just one of Jamaica’s assets when it comes to developing young sprinters. Perhaps more importantly, is the cross-island high school sports system, which sees 120 schools compete in a national championship, in front of crowds of up to 30,000 people.
“The intense rivalry and standard of competition can give young athletes a massive boost.” Davis said.
“Because our island is so small it’s fairly easy to organise a national event with every school competing and the crowds are brilliant.”
These national high school events provide UTECH’s coaches with a chance to scout the best talent from around the isle, although Davis says they are not necessarily interested in the fastest.
He said: “Rather than trying to pick out the quickest athletes at high school level, our coaches look out for promising talent and then teach them the most effective ways to run.
“That’s why so many of the Jamaican squad run with a high front leg style. Asafa Powell was not the quickest athlete at high school level, but he showed signs that he could be moulded to run with a quick stride and he was eager to learn.”
The story of Jamaica’s rise to a sprinting powerhouse has lessons which could even be learned by some of the world’s sporting superpowers. Even with modest investment and facilities, phenomenal results can be achieved with the right grassroots strategy and attitude.
“We’ve shown that you can develop world class athletes locally without the investment and facilities other countries have available to them. We are punching way above our weight.” Davis said.
“We are at the stage now where Jamaica are going to dominate Olympics and World Championships for the next decade or so. With our current athletes inspiring so many young people to run, anything is possible.”
With young Jamaicans dominating the annual Penn Relays in the USA, and a generation of children likely to be inspired by the role models of Bolt, Powell, and Fraser, the future for Jamaican athletics looks nearly as bright as their yellow and green vests.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersp...un-so-fast.html

[jah_yout]

Re: Why do Jamaicans run so fast?

great video!

[evanovitch]

Re: Why do Jamaicans run so fast?

Another Burst from Bolt Nets New World Record
Date: Friday, August 21, 2009, 2:09 pm
By: Pat Graham, AP Sports Writer


BERLIN (AP) — Teeth clenched, Usain Bolt grimaced as he churned toward the finish line, hoping to coax a fraction more out of his 6-foot-5 frame.

The big, yellow numbers flashing another world record time told the Jamaican sprinter he had gotten what he wanted out of the 200 meters Thursday at the world championships.

Beyond the mark of 19.19 seconds, though, was something else — the fact that he is altering his sport.

For the second straight race — five in a row, if his record-breaking runs at the Beijing Olympics are counted — Bolt's biggest competitor was the clock. He bettered his old world record by a whopping .11 seconds, the same margin he shaved off the 100 four days earlier, when he finished in 9.58.

&quot;I'm on my way to being a legend,&quot; Bolt said, without a trace of arrogance.

No debate there.

He is erasing chunks of time from records that normally take years to break. He is beating the so-called competition by body lengths — this time, Alonso Edward of Panama was 0.62 seconds behind — in a sport often decided by photo finishes.

&quot;He's a gift to this earth,&quot; said American sprinter Shawn Crawford, who finished fourth. &quot;He's a blessing to the track game. ... I'm just waiting for the lights to flash 'game over,' 'cause I felt like I was in a video game.&quot;

Bolt can't be caught, even when he gives away tips. Just before the start of the race, Bolt told good friend Wallace Spearmon to stay close to him on the curve and follow him home.

The American tried.

&quot;Even if I run the best turn of my life, I'm still going to be behind,&quot; said Spearmon, who finished with the bronze. &quot;I knew what was in store for the race. I expected it to be at least that fast.&quot;

When he saw his record time, Bolt pointed at the display, then stuck out his tongue in his best Michael Jordan impersonation.

&quot;Even us in the field, we think there is going to be something phenomenal from him,&quot; Crawford said.

Bolt feeds off the energy from the crowd. The louder they get, the more playful he becomes.

He showed up at the start wearing a T-shirt with a new take on President Kennedy's famous Cold War quote &quot;Ich bin ein Berliner.&quot;

This time, the slogan said, &quot;Ich bin ein Berlino,&quot; a reference to the bear mascot of the championships.

The audience ate it up, along with Bolt's hand gestures and other assorted antics.

Then it was time to go to work in his yam-colored Pumas. He jetted out of the blocks, turned the corner and it was over.

No one was going to catch him once he reached the straightaway.

&quot;I was surprised with myself that I did so well,&quot; Bolt said.

After that, came his favorite part — the celebration. He involved just about everyone as he made his way around the track, stopping to sign autographs for kids, mugging for pictures and posing with Berlino, who joined Bolt in the sprinter's signature bow-and-arrow stance.

Midway around the track, Bolt took off his shoes and carried them.

&quot;I was so tight, I couldn't even really jog. I was just tired,&quot; said Bolt, who celebrates his 23rd birthday Friday.

So how low can Bolt go? Even he has no clue.

&quot;I keep saying anything's possible as long as you put your mind to it,&quot; he said.

Former sprint star Michael Johnson, whose record of 19.32 stood for 12 years before Bolt broke it last year, believes the 19-second barrier might be next.

&quot;He could,&quot; Johnson said. &quot;He's very tall and has an extremely long stride. He's not the only person in the world that's 6-foot-5, he's just the only one that's 6-5 and that fast.&quot;

Before the race, Johnson said he didn't think Bolt would break the mark. Not today. Not with his top rival, Tyson Gay, on the sideline with a groin injury.

But he also threw in a qualifier.

&quot;Anytime Usain Bolt steps on the track, a world record is possible,&quot; Johnson said.

In other finals:

— Trey Hardee won the decathlon, edging Leonel Suarez of Cuba. He joins Americans Dan O'Brien, Tom Pappas and Bryan Clay as decathlon winners at world championships.

— Bolt's teammate Melaine Walker added the world title to her Olympic gold in the women's 400 hurdles. Lashinda Demus of the U.S. captured the silver.

— Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados won the 110-meter hurdles in a photo finish. Americans Terrence Trammell and David Payne finished second and third, respectively. Dayron Robles, the Olympic champion from Cuba, hurt his hamstring in the semifinal round.

— Blanka Vlasic of Croatia defended her title in the high jump.

But the big stage belonged to Bolt.

For a warmup act, he comically threw a roundhouse punch at Spearmon and hammed it up for the camera.

For the performance, he blistered the field.

For the finale, he broke another world record.

Not bad theater.

&quot;Insane Bolt,&quot; Spearmon said. &quot;That's what we call him.&quot;

Bolt overheard that remark.

&quot;Yo, Spearmon,&quot; Bolt yelled from across the room. &quot;Don't call me insane, man. I heard you called me insane. What's up with that?&quot;

As a way to describe how Bolt is tearing up the track, there may be no better word.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: wearing a very 'gay' pair of shoes.

All i can say is that he was wearing a very gay coloured shoes. it does not matter what the shoe company tell us. they simply wanted to see a Jamaican running in a very gay shoes and they were successful.

[jah_yout]

Re: Why do Jamaicans run so fast?

why jamaicans so fast?

easy-

the running ashanti tribe combined with the low sea level, air impedance...best food on earth; put it together and you get GOLD

just a theory