LONDON (Reuters) – It is hard to believe a race that lasts barely 10 seconds can seriously mess up your mind but when it is the Olympic 100 metres final, there is little doubt it can.

Intrusive thoughts about failure and humiliation can plague sprinters for months before a race. The constant stress then starts to interfere with hormones in the brain, making sleep, concentration and training suffer.

LONDON (Reuters) – It is hard to believe a race that lasts barely 10 seconds can seriously mess up your mind but when it is the Olympic 100 meters final, there is little doubt it can.

Intrusive thoughts about failure and humiliation can plague sprinters for months before a race. The constant stress then starts to interfere with hormones in the brain, making sleep, concentration and training suffer.

LONDON (Reuters) – The dominance of Jamaicans and Americans of west African and Caribbean descent in world class sprinting has sparked intense debate about whether running at speeds that push the limits of what is humanly possible is all in the genes.

It is an idea that has its attractions. After all, it does seem baffling that the tiny island nation of Jamaica with a population reaching barely 2.8 million can consistently produce world-beating sprinters, while the whole of Europe can hardly register more than a handful of athletes in the top 100.

LONDON (Reuters) – The dominance of Jamaicans and Americans of west African and Caribbean descent in world class sprinting has sparked intense debate about whether running at speeds that push the limits of what is humanly possible is all in the genes.

It is an idea that has its attractions. After all, it does seem baffling that the tiny island nation of Jamaica with a population reaching barely 2.8 million can consistently produce world-beating sprinters, while the whole of Europe can hardly register more than a handful of athletes in the top 100.

LONDON (Reuters) – When Thomas Burke clocked 12 seconds in the first modern Olympic 100 meters final in Athens in 1896, few could have dreamed how much faster sprinters would become.

More than a century later, Usain Bolt has brought the world record down to 9.58 seconds but mathematicians and sports scientists are sure the limit of human speed has yet to be reached.

LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) – It is hard to believe a race
that lasts barely 10 seconds can seriously mess up your mind but
when it is the Olympic 100 metres final, there is little doubt
it can.

Intrusive thoughts about failure and humiliation can plague
sprinters for months before a race. The constant stress then
starts to interfere with hormones in the brain, making sleep,
concentration and training suffer.

LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) – The dominance of Jamaicans and
Americans of west African and Caribbean descent in world class
sprinting has sparked intense debate about whether running at
speeds that push the limits of what is humanly possible is all
in the genes.

It is an idea that has its attractions. After all, it does
seem baffling that the tiny island nation of Jamaica with a
population reaching barely 2.8 million can consistently produce
world-beating sprinters, while the whole of Europe can hardly
register more than a handful of athletes in the top 100.

LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) – When Thomas Burke clocked 12
seconds in the first modern Olympic 100 metres final in Athens
in 1896, few could have dreamed how much faster sprinters would
become.

More than a century later, Usain Bolt has brought the world
record down to 9.58 seconds but mathematicians and sports
scientists are sure the limit of human speed has yet to be
reached.

LONDON (Reuters) – The ancient Greeks believed athletes should avoid sex before sport, but modern Olympians and scientists are torn over the merits of in-competition coitus and whether abstinence enhances performance.

For years coaches and athletes have practiced abstinence the night or even weeks before a big event, although all bets are off when the medal ceremony is over – 150,000 condoms are handed out to the 10,500 athletes competing at the London Games.

LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) – The ancient Greeks believed
athletes should avoid sex before sport, but modern Olympians and
scientists are torn over the merits of in-competition coitus and
whether abstinence enhances performance.

For years coaches and athletes have practiced abstinence the
night or even weeks before a big event, although all bets are
off when the medal ceremony is over – 150,000 condoms are handed
out to the 10,500 athletes competing at the London Games.