In 1908, the marathon record was 2 hours, 55 minutes and 18 seconds. Over the following five decades, the record was broken 22 times, resulting in an improvement of over 40 minutes. However, in the subsequent 50 years, the record saw only a 10-minute improvement, and since 2002, the record has only been enhanced by less than 4 minutes.
This general trend is evident in almost all sports: while occasional breakthroughs may occur due to rule changes, new techniques, or equipment innovations, the overall gains in pure muscular performance tend to be smaller.
Several studies have aimed to predict this trend and assess the limits of the human body. For instance, research from the University of Wyoming revealed that 100m sprint times are not restricted by the amount of force exerted into the ground by a runner, but rather by how rapidly they swing their foot forward with each stride.
Other studies have indicated that the fastest time for the 100m sprint stands at 9.44 seconds, just 0.14 seconds quicker than Usain Bolt’s world record set in 2009.
Despite these physical constraints, Olympic records continue to stand as unbeaten feats, largely due to their spectacular nature. Sports must evolve to offer the allure of new records, or risk being overshadowed by those that do.
This evolution could involve implementing handicaps, prohibiting specific equipment, or utilizing more precise timing methods. Perhaps one day, we will witness sprinters competing in wind tunnels against 30kph headwinds, with timings accurate to the microsecond.
Discover more about exercise science:
Source: www.sciencefocus.com
