rojo wrote:
Coevett wrote:
You guys seem to think that Kenyans today are on a different level to Europeans, like 20 seconds faster or something. The best Kenyan today, Kiprop, at his very best ran a time ( high 3:26 1500m) that Coe, Ovett, Cram were probably capable of 30 years ago with a bit more luck regarding pacemakers, unfortunate injuries and ill health etc, never mind with today's Nike shoes, Mondo Monaco tracks, EPOd up Moroccan competition etc Not to mention Kiprop's dodgy biological profile and connections with coaches that have been busted for supplying PEDs.
Also, and I know this is a bit complex for some of you, but demographics play a part too. The population of Kenya in 1954 was 6 million. Today it's 60 million. It's quite probably that in 1954 there was not one Kenyan alive who had even the potential to run a 4 minute mile, at least not on a cinders track in plimsoles with the limited training knowledge at the time and studying 60 hours a week at Oxford to become a world renowned neurologist.
Kenyans compete in one sport - distance running. Europeans compete in 101 different sports. If you take one country (Kenya) with 20 million young, healthy males all dreaming of being Olympic champion at 1500m, and compare it to another (the UK) with maybe 3 million young, healthy (as in active and not obese) males who have 100 different sports to choose from, then you must be retarded (or more likely an inverse racist) to assume that because only one or two Brits now would get into the top 10 Kenyan 1500 list, it means Kenyans are genetically superior and could have run sub 3:50 miles 70 years ago.
While I like the logic behind your population post as it makes you think, it's inaccurate.
1). Kenya's population is like 48 million not 60. Britain's is like 65 million. So why do you have there being 6 x as many kids in Kenya as Britain currently?
2) Even if population explains a lot, it doesn't do everything. Have you ever been to Kenya? Soccer is way more popular than track and they suck at soccer.
Kenyan running began here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1956_Summer_Olympics_–_Men%27s_5000_metres