The extraordinary Eluid Kipchoge’s marathon world record on 16th September in Berlin will perhaps always be regarded as one of sport’s watershed moments. Kipchoge is almost surely the best distance runner ever.
The aim of this blog is to point out an unlikely parallel between Kipchoge’s origins in Kenya and an experiment undertaken three decades ago in India.
Kipchoge belongs to the Kalenjin tribe in Kenya, who have produced most of the country’s distance running stars. It has triggered research on the plausible reasons for a single tribe’s domination of distance running.
In 2012, Max Fisher writing in The Atlantic on this subject pointed out that two studies suggested that there could be genetic factors at play.
“It turns out that Kenyans’ success may be innate. Two separate, European-led studies in a small region in western Kenya, which produces most of the race-winners, found that young men there could, with only a few months training, reliably outperform some of the West’s best professional runners. In other words, they appeared to have a physical advantage that is common to their community, making it probably genetic. The studies found significant differences in body mass index and bone structure between the Western pros and the Kenyan amateurs who had bested them. The studied Kenyans had less mass for their height, longer legs, shorter torsos, and more slender limbs. One of the researchers described the Kenyan physical differences as “bird-like,” noting that these traits would make them more efficient runners, especially over long distances.”
Three decades ago, the Sports Authority of India embarked on an ambitious programme to tap into India’s genetic diversity in the search for champions.
One of the groups which attracted India’s talent spotters was the Siddi tribe. The only group in India of African stock, the Siddis are a marginalised lot and were found in pockets of Karnataka, Gujarat and in Hyderabad.
According to an article in India Today, three decades ago the talent hunt zeroed in on Siddis because authorities thought they “genetically resemble” the Kalenjin and Kisi tribes.
That exercise, Special Area Games Programme, did not meet with expectations. But it’s intriguing 30 years down the line to think that there were talent spotters looking for a future Kipchoge near the Gir forest and in north Kanara district.
https://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cash-flow/looking-for-an-eluid-kipchoge-near-gir-forest/
The aim of this blog is to point out an unlikely parallel between Kipchoge’s origins in Kenya and an experiment undertaken three decades ago in India.
Kipchoge belongs to the Kalenjin tribe in Kenya, who have produced most of the country’s distance running stars. It has triggered research on the plausible reasons for a single tribe’s domination of distance running.
In 2012, Max Fisher writing in The Atlantic on this subject pointed out that two studies suggested that there could be genetic factors at play.
“It turns out that Kenyans’ success may be innate. Two separate, European-led studies in a small region in western Kenya, which produces most of the race-winners, found that young men there could, with only a few months training, reliably outperform some of the West’s best professional runners. In other words, they appeared to have a physical advantage that is common to their community, making it probably genetic. The studies found significant differences in body mass index and bone structure between the Western pros and the Kenyan amateurs who had bested them. The studied Kenyans had less mass for their height, longer legs, shorter torsos, and more slender limbs. One of the researchers described the Kenyan physical differences as “bird-like,” noting that these traits would make them more efficient runners, especially over long distances.”
Three decades ago, the Sports Authority of India embarked on an ambitious programme to tap into India’s genetic diversity in the search for champions.
One of the groups which attracted India’s talent spotters was the Siddi tribe. The only group in India of African stock, the Siddis are a marginalised lot and were found in pockets of Karnataka, Gujarat and in Hyderabad.
According to an article in India Today, three decades ago the talent hunt zeroed in on Siddis because authorities thought they “genetically resemble” the Kalenjin and Kisi tribes.
That exercise, Special Area Games Programme, did not meet with expectations. But it’s intriguing 30 years down the line to think that there were talent spotters looking for a future Kipchoge near the Gir forest and in north Kanara district.
https://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cash-flow/looking-for-an-eluid-kipchoge-near-gir-forest/
No comments:
Post a Comment