ATHLETES striving to run faster, jump higher or throw further should not look
to scientists for help, say exercise physiologists.
The 20th century saw a dramatic improvement in the overall ability of top
athletes. The four-minute-mile “barrier” was shattered and gymnasts now perform
routines undreamed of twenty years ago.
But the biggest reason for past improvements probably had nothing to do with
science, according to Will Hopkins of the University of Otago in New Zealand. He
says it was purely a matter of more people participating, making it more likely
that exceptional athletes would be discovered. “It’s a statistical effect,”…
