Latest discovery about the fastest runners on the planet

According to the results of a recent study, fast runners are not the result of long-term training but rather they are born with qualities that help them run fast.

The fastest man on the planet Usain Bolt. (Source: AP)

Representing the Department of Biology and the Department of Psychology at Grand Valley University (USA), Dr. Michael Lombardo and Robert Deaner discovered that the world's top sprinters demonstrated their innate abilities before receiving professional training.

The study was small but significant. It involved 26 sprinters, including 15 Olympic gold medalists and eight of the fastest male sprinters in U.S. history.

Examination of their profiles revealed that innate running ability was the answer to nearly all of the athletes in the study, as demonstrated by the time it took them to become top athletes in their field, on average, just under five years.

As former sprinters themselves, Lombardo and Deaner said they weren't surprised by the study results, but the level of consistency in innate ability among top athletes was unexpected.

“Rob and I both ran sprints in college and followed the sport very closely. So we expected that the biographies of champion sprinters would show that most of them were the fastest kids in their neighbourhood before they started serious training. But the consistency surprised us – from Helen Stephens, the 1936 Olympic champion, to Usain Bolt, all demonstrated their talent before they went professional,” said Dr Lombardo.

This study contradicts what genetics author David Shenk wrote in his book “The Genius in All of Us.” In this book, Shenk denies innate talent and argues that each individual achieves success through hard work. According to Shenk, anyone can reach expert level after about 10 years or 10,000 hours of practice.

Drs. Lombardo and Deaner say their findings should not discourage those with real dreams, and they also emphasize the interactive model of professional development.

“Our view is that talent is not everything. Practice is very important, especially the kind of practice that requires perseverance and effort. But in sports, innate talent is also necessary,” Dr. Lombardo shared./.

According to VNA