Cool Runnings

With the excitement of the 2012 London Olympics, it is only fitting to have an article suitable for such an occasion.

With the superstar likes of Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Asafa Powell, Michael Frater, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown currently dominating short distance track events, people want to know what exactly makes Jamaicans so fast?

2012 London Olympics Men's 100m Medallists: Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt, Justin Gatlin (USA)

2012 London Olympics Women's 100m Medallists: Carmelita Jeter (USA), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell-Brown

And it's not only athletes who don the famous gold and green trim of Jamaica who have made their mark. Olympic 100m champions Linford Christie (for Great Britain in 1992) and Donovan Bailey (for Canada in 1996) were born and bred in Jamaica, as was the now disgraced Ben Johnson, who also represented Canada.

It is baffling that the tiny island nation of Jamaica with a population reaching barely 2.9 million can consistently produce world-beating sprinters, while the whole of Europe can hardly register more than a handful of athletes in the top 100. So is it genetics, training or diet that is responsible for this success? Well according to Professor Errol Morrison, president of the University of Technology (UTech), "TWO of Jamaica's staple crops — the yam and green banana — are said to be partially responsible for the island's world sprinting domination."

So before we get down to the nitty-gritty analysis, let's have a quick look at the stats:

Men's 10 Fastest 100m Times

(as of 7/8/12)

Genetic Structure

It has long been documented that athletes of West African ancestry are superior sprinters, while their North and East African relatives excel over longer distances. The majority of Afro-Jamaicans have West Africa ancestry and Professor Morrison points out a distinct advantage they hold.

"You ever looked at our black athletes compared to whites or the Asiatics, both lower and upper limbs, the relatively narrow hips, lean and thin and the power?"

"There is something called in our parlance, a cock bottom. The shape of the backbone and the hip is angled this way with the pelvis, and the front muscles afford high knee lift as opposed to when the back is more straight. That contributes to the kind of power when you drive that leg down, those are some of the genetics."

Biochemicals

According to Prof Morrison, yams produce a substance called Hypo Steroids which acts as a stimulus, while green bananas produce phytate, which is four times the concentration in the yellow yams and replenishes the energy supply.

"You can't just get up and eat tuber crops like yam and go and run. What is happening is it is a staple diet, so our young people who are using these staple crops are being exposed to these 'anabolic steroids' from very early and Jamaica is the only country with organised programmes from infancy; so you are putting up a stress and demand on these muscle groups which is being further pushed by these 'anabolic steroids' they are going to have an advantage and they are going to grow with that and by the time they are hitting the late teens you should be seeing some responsive muscle mass," explained Prof Morrison.

He added: "People don't know what green bananas do. Phytates replenish the energy supply in muscle called creatine phosphate. The hypothesis is grounded on sound biochemical principles and what we are saying is that the cycle is being passed on from very early on. So you not only have got the 'anabolic steroid' from early, you are also getting the stimulus from these phosphate substances that will give you the energy."

Prof Morrison explained that during the running of races a number of athletes on the world level are probably similar in speed, but they fade at different levels and that's when the quicker replenishing caused by the green bananas gives Jamaican athletes the edge.

"By 60 metres they start to fade and it is because we have the advantage of the replenishing of the phosphate that is allowing us to keep that momentum to the end of the race."

Jamaican culture

Jamaicans love to sprint. Track in Jamaica is epitomised by the prestige, popularity and huge following. In the same way that particular nations adores football or cricket, Jamaicans adore sprinting. From an early age, children can be seen frolicking about, trying to beat each other in mini races. As such, the sprinting spirit is cultured into Jamaicans from a tender age.

Jamaica's most successful son, Usain Bolt is convinced the key to Jamaican success is the intense rivalry of grassroots athletics from an early age.

"I feel we push our young athletes. There is this thing called the Boys and Girls Championships (Champs) in Jamaica, which showcases the talent. The level of competition is really high because it pushes you every day to be the best in your event, in your class."

And even now as Bolt gets down on the blocks at a major championships, that early experience gained is invaluable.

"I think it helped me to get past my fear of running in front of thousands and millions of people because I'm front of a home crowd and we are under a lot of pressure."

The four-day championships play to crowds of up to 30,000 at the national stadium in Kingston, while a TV audience of over a million watch the live coverage. Many of the top stars go back to hand out medals and inspire the next generation.

With 5 more days to go in the 2012 London Olympics, Jamaica is certain to add to its medal tally!

JW

References

• http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/21/sport/olympics-jamaica-sprinting-heroes-bolt/index.html
• http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/Prof-Morrison-tells-why-Jamaicans-run-so-fast_9306187