wellnow wrote:
Talent IS self belief, you don't need special physical characteristics.
Most letsrunners truly believe the Kenenisa Bekele would run 48-49 for 400, when in fact he is flat out at 12.5 seconds for the fastest 100m sections of his races.
The fact that he can do this after 24 laps is what makes people believe he can run much faster. So he gets placed on a pedestal instead of being intelligently asessed for his true strengths and weaknesses. This breeds widescale negativity and mythologizing. Where is the new Lydiard to lead us like Moses in exodus from the desert of doom and despair?
Wellnow, I don't even need to argue with anymore since others (kudos especially to Hugo) are beating you down pretty well these days. It seems as if you have gone to some extreme places with your arguments now, as if you are truly feeling threatened (ie, acting desperate in this debate). However.....
A) Saying one does not need "any special physical characteristics" to be great is a really extreme position. I don't know what you are thinking at this point, but you are starting to embarrass yourself.
B) Bekele's "strengths and WEAKNESSES" ?? Ok, I'll bite, what ARE his weaknesses? ( Oh, I can't wait, so I'll answer: HE HAS NONE. You don't win world cross doubles a zillion times in a row with weaknesses. You don't run 12:37 & 26:17 with weaknesses. You don't run a sub 13:00 second half of a 10k championship and then smoke the other greatest runner of all time, Haile Geb, with ease in the final 200 with weaknesses. Putting him on a "pedestal" ?? Are you out of your mind. I am pretty sure he deserves the pedestal.
C) I agree that the only solution to beating more talented runners would be a coach with a completely new paradigm that somehow creates a superior training program. Of course if I knew what that was, I'd be a very rich man. However, these days there are no secrets, and that word would travel fast and the east africans would eventually train the same way (their coaches are from Italy or Eastern Europe anyway, right?), and then the beatings would continue.
Lastly, I am just wondering: do you think that Usain Bolt has any special physical talents, or does he just have a stronger mind than others?