| This summer anyone with the slightest interest in sport | | | | all helping to improve times. These are all things that |
| will be focussed on the Beijing Olympics from August | | | | the athletes or the 1960's and 70's had to do without. |
| 8th - 24th. | | | | Athletes are also better paid today than there |
| But will our attention be on the athletes who have | | | | predecessors. Professional athletics [ as a career is a |
| given a large part of their lives over to their sport in the | | | | relatively new conception rather the days gone by of |
| quest for golden glory? Will it be on the performance | | | | the amateur spirit. |
| enhancing substance cheats who try to push the | | | | So where does this leave the modern day athlete in |
| boundaries of fair play beyond those accepted by the | | | | comparison with athletes of the past? Training |
| authorities? Or will the technological advances that | | | | methods [ and facilities are better as are standards, |
| focus everyone's attention. | | | | equipment is lighter and more advanced but still only |
| For instance, the current 100m record is held by Asafa | | | | fractions of a second is being shaved from times. |
| Powell at 9.74 seconds set in 2007, compare that with | | | | Maybe as a race we have found our peak? Have we |
| the second fastest time of 9.79 seconds set in 1999 | | | | reached our optimum performance level. If this is the |
| by Maurice Greene and third fastest of 9.84 seconds | | | | case then the work of equipment manufacturers is |
| set by Donovan Bailey in 1996. | | | | even more important than ever. |
| That's a 0.1 second improvement over a 10 year | | | | If you asked two athletes of comparable levels to run |
| period. Is evolution really making man that much faster | | | | a 400m race on the track, one with a standard pair of |
| over a 100m distance or is it partly down to | | | | sports trainers on and the other with running spikes on, |
| technological advances? | | | | who would win? I think we know the answer to this. |
| In 1960 the record was set at 10 seconds, technology | | | | Running spikes offer more grip and are lighter in weight |
| has come a long way since then but the record has | | | | to standard trainers, helping the athlete to a better time. |
| dropped comparably little in the same time. | | | | Track and field events such as javelin, discus, shot put, |
| Technology has not only helped with improvement in | | | | long jump, high jump, pole vault, middle and long |
| sports clothing and equipment design but it has helped | | | | distance running and sprinting all utilise different |
| in the way that athletes train and the way the trainers | | | | footwear which is the result of years and years of |
| understand the human body. | | | | research. |
| The understanding of science and the human body | | | | But where will all the advances in technology end? Will |
| has helped coaches and athletes to approach and | | | | we see anti gravity spikes for sprinters? Long-jump |
| break records. Top athletes will now not only have a | | | | trainers with micro springs for added bounce or |
| top class trainer working with them but will also have | | | | trainers with added spin for discus. |
| the knowledge base of top scientists from such fields | | | | Only time will tell. Lets hope it's an Olympics to |
| as physiology, psychology, nutrition and biomechanics | | | | remember for all of the right reasons. |
