Quote: A poster asks. "Where is the freckled ginger kid in this 100m final? Perhaps we are just not socialising ginger kids to believe they can run fast."
and illustrates the question with an image of African athletes at the winning post.
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The reason why, West Africans are so athletic appears to be genetic. Their genes (for whatever reason) make it possible for them to excel in running.
Here;s the reason explained in a UK TImes discussion, (re-published in Rupert Murdoch's, The Australian.)
Quote: "Research undertaken in 2003 found that variation in a particular gene called ACTN3 is associated with sprinting success (through its impact on fast-twitch muscle fibres), and that the "sprint" version of this gene is more common among Jamaicans than other populations.
This led to headlines suggesting that Jamaican sprinting success is hereditary. A recent book by a leading French journalist has also made this claim.
But the reality is more complex. Although 98 per cent of Jamaicans have the relevant gene, so, too, do 82 per cent of Europeans. In other words, both these populations have a huge majority of individuals with an ACTN3 gene conducive to sprinting success.
Further research has found that Kenyans (who win distance events but have virtually no success in sprinting) have an even higher frequency of the relevant gene than Jamaicans.
It turns out that most of the genetic diversity within mankind is contained within racial groups, rather than between them. At these Olympics, blacks, who have often been under-represented in swimming events, have started making it into the US team.
It is possible, although not certain, that patterns of national dominance in swimming and athletics will change over time, as the popularity of different sports shift.
What is certain is that the very notion of "black" athletic superiority is deeply misguided." The Times.
Edited to add the reference link: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/genetic-research-shows-athletic-skill-is-not-a-black-and-white-issue/news-story/794c66e0c667e7db8af44edc852531fa