Sprinting in Europe and West Africa

[Guest guest]

Hello all. For those not (already :-) tired of the discussion I have

decided to post one single message rather than reply individually to

all the others posted during the Christmas holidays.

Ten years ago, I moved from Nigeria (West Africa) to the Netherlands

(Europe). At the time I too shared the opinion that blacks were

genetically gifted in sprinting. Now I have changed my opinion

completely. Here's why:

All Dutch track athletes (no exceptions whatsoever) are members of

the KNAU (Royal Dutch Athletics Union). A KNAU licence is required to

compete in any track meet, be it big or small.The KNAU has almost

90,000 members, but most of them are road athletes (joggers and

trimmers): only 6,000 (adult males) are actually active track and

field athletes. The figure is similar for youths. (See:

<http://www.atletiek-regio-dordrecht.nl/lezingslootbeek.html>

Of these, only about 600 actually train for the sprint, and of these

only around 200-300 actively participate in track sprint races.

In other words, in a country of 16 million inhabitants, ONLY 200 to

300 adult male athletes actually train and participate in the

sprinting events. This includes people of ALL levels and ability,

from 10.30 sprinters to 13.10 sprinters: athletics in the Netherlands

is purely voluntary and recreational in nature.

Why did this shock me? Because there were 10 times as many people

training for the sprint IN MY HIGH SCHOOL ALONE back in Nigeria!

In Nigeria, sports are almost exclusively the domain of schools and

learning institutions. Sport at schools is compulsory (though this

depends on the quality of the schools, which has deteriorated in the

last 15 years). In my high school, with 2000 students, participation

in track was compulsory, and everybody trained and took part (with

lesser or greater enthusiasm) in intra- and intermural sports events.

The best athletes go on to sprint in college, and if they are really

good, they aim for a track scholarship in the USA (the holy grail of

all Nigerian youths: a track scholarship in the US, or professional

soccer in Europe).

Given that Nigeria has a population of 130 million, 75% of which is

younger than 25 years old, I would estimate that the number of people

training for the sprint in Nigeria is in the order of 10,000 times as

large as in the Netherlands.

That's ten thousand times. TEN THOUSAND TIMES. At least.

What amazes me, having seen the Dutch system from all angles, is not

that the differences between Dutch and Nigerian sprinters are so

huge, but that the differences are so *small*.

What amazes me too, is that the Netherlands consistently produces a

handful of athletes each year who run 10.20 to 10.50: this is from a

total pool of about 200-300 athletes, NONE of whom is especially

gifted. The national sport in the Netherlands is soccer (with over

one MILLION active members). Gifted youngsters invariably play

soccer; this is a completely soccer-mad country, and track gets the

left-overs.

This suggests to me that athletes with average or slightly above

average genetics can be coached to sprint the 100m in sub 10.50 in a

country with excellent coaches and facilities. (I am aiming to prove

that myself, using myself as a guinea pig: I have improved my 100m

time from 13.6 to 10.9 over the past 10 years, and am aiming to reach

10.5 in the next two years).

I am not going to speak for other countries; I have no first-hand

experience about the situation in the US, so I am not going to

comment on that. I have shared experiences with a Jamaican friend and

his experience of athletics in Jamaica is similar to mine.

To conclude this long post: don't be blinded by mere numbers. Don't

take anything at face value, including my post. Question everything.

Long lists suggesting that people of such-and-such race are superior

at sport so-and-so are MEANINGLESS unless you can dig out underlying

causes. And when you dig deeper, what you find may astound you.

Happy New Year, and success in your chosen sport.

Elliott Oti

The Netherlands

http://www.neandertal.f2s.com (with explicit tributes to

Supertraining now included :-)