"Riddle me this, riddle me that, guess me this riddle, and perhaps
not: A we run things, things no run we. Who could that be?" One
possible answer: Jamaican sprinters. Enquiring minds want to know:
Why do Jamaicans run so fast? Usain Bolt may be the most recent and
the most spectacular Jamaican practitioner of the art of speed, but
he and Shelly-Ann Fraser stand on the shoulders of giants of both
genders, heirs to a pedigree that goes back at least a hundred
years to the teenaged Norman Manley and before. For years before
the explosion of "Lightning" Bolt on the Beijing Olympics track,
the consistent speediness of men and women from this small island
had been the subject of serious and humorous speculation, pride and
"su-su". What is the "gold" that is mined so consistently by
Jamaican sprinters that permits the little country to claim a place
among the top five countries, measured in terms of medals per
capita of population, in almost every Olympics since the Second
World War - and all on the basis of athletics, mostly the sprints
(400 metres and under)? Can science explain it? Does the touchy
area of genetics - even though, scientifically speaking, there's no
such thing as "race" - explain it? For instance, all the current
world record holders for the sprints - and most of the former for
the past fifty years or so - have been born in the Americas,
descendants of slaves of West African lineage. Is running fast "in
the blood", so to speak? Or is it as simple as the varieties of yam
(twenty-two at last count) to be found on the hills of Jamaica and
in the stomachs of its people? Behind the simple tales of the tape
are theories and questions that have attracted fourteen specialists
from a range of disciplines, from biochemistry to physiology, from
genetics to psychiatry, each with an insight, a piece of the
puzzle. Jamaican Gold presents research and argument, history and
biography - and much more - for the specialist and the sports fan,
for the academic and the coach, in one attractive, easy-to-read
volume, packed with photographs and illustrations, including a
special section of memorable photos of the heroes of yesteryear and
today. With Jamaican Gold to hand, the London Olympics will be just
as thrilling, and you'll be closer to answering the question: Why
do those Jamaicans run so fast?
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Review This Product
Mon, 20 Dec 2010 | Review
by: Rebecca I.
I think this book is good because I now understand why Tyson Gay's American record of 9.71s did not come near Usain Bolt's 9.58s at the World Games. The book has an article on the differences between Jamaican and American sprinters.
In the book the pair of shoes a Jamaican woman set an Olympic record in at the 1948 Olympics look similar to the pair used by Usain to set three world records at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Awesome, awesome, I have never read a book like this and I am predicting a best seller.
There is something on Melaine Walker winning races with a broken arm. Also something on Merlene Ottey and on Bolt's mental power and body size. Please get this book, I give it a seven stars.
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