be a gold medal caliber (and i only use the term gold medalist as a universally recognized standard for best of the best) 100,200,400 and 800m runner? You see some decathletes that run very repsectable times for 100,400 and 1500 but none of their times would win even a bronze in individual events. Why can't someone be a world class sprinter and middle distance runner? You tend to see guys who only run 100m and shorter. Or you will see guys run 100 and 200 or 200 and 400. But never 400 and 800 or even 100,200 and 400. You see 800 and 1500 but not 1500 and 3k. What physiology would explain this?
At that level of comp, peoples technique plays a large part of it, learning how to pace yourself, and how your dodies metabolism adjusts to repeated exercise, as well as muscle development.
At such a high level, where the margin between gold and no-show is extremely slim, even the tiniest advantage will have a huge effect.
Sorta what everyone else has said. When you're at that high a level it is usually a combination of genetic predisposition and a lot of specialized work at your event. Ya need both. So even if a person had a body type to run say a 100m and a 800m it would be hard to dedicate enough time to each to really excel at them both.
You must be a specialist. Decathletes are well rounded but must be able to perform in many events.
IMO if more folks came in to the Olympics well rested you would see a lot more records fall. In Track for example. Many athletes have just come off of big international events shortly before the olympics. They are rarely fully recoverd during the biggest show in town.
Jon is also correct. Watch the final for the 100 meters. You only usualy remember the first couple guys. But even the slowest guy is rarely more then a fraction of a second behind the winners.
TAKU
Basically you are asking why it is almost impossible to be the best at everything. The answer is because somewhere out there there is somebody training harder than you.
Or at least that is what my High School coaches told me.
OK running a 10 or just sub 10 100m is a pace of what 22mph? Why can't someone do that but also keep the pace for a whole lap? But there are guys like Michael Johnson who are world record holders for 200 and 400. Why couldn't he also dominate the 800? I mean other than pacing it's pretty similar technique to the 400...how hard is it to learn pacing? Even aside from the 800 why couldn't he dominate 100m? I mean if he runs a 200 in 19.38 that is less than double the world record for the 100...why couldnt he run a sub 10 if he can run basically 2 sub 10's back to back?
"Why couldn't he also dominate the 800?"
-Energy systems specialization
"why couldnt he run a sub 10 if he can run basically 2 sub 10's back to back?"
-He may not be a fast starter. Coming out of the blocks and accelerating is the slowest (most time consuming) part of the 100.
The second hundred goes by a lot quicker than the first.
Interesting comments by Taku on rest and recovery. I wonder how much we hamper our own fitness efforts by overtraining?
Sorry for the hijack Atecexa
-Energy systems specialization
But for an athlete of that caliber how much more would it take of him to train to run an 800 vs a 400? Or would mor of it come down to the prestige of the short distance sprints? I mean the 100 is definitely the most prestigous but how many people even care about the 200 and 400 and i doubt many could name (without looking) the gold winner of the 800 or 1500
-He may not be a fast starter. Coming out of the blocks and accelerating is the slowest (most time consuming) part of the 100.
I'll agree with that. But I'd like to see his splits for that race in Atlanta where he ran 19.32.
I would almost guarantee a huge % (75+) to pull a number out of my (!) definitely train too much and dont allocae enough to rest and recover
"But for an athlete of that caliber how much more would it take of him to
train to run an 800 vs a 400?"
Athletes are born as much as they're made -- genetic predispostion plays
a big role in what events or sports you'll be good at.
Training for an 800m would also hurt his performance in the shorter
races.
Specificity of energy demands and structural adaptations is key.
At 800 meters aerobic metabolism becomes much more important . . .
he'd have to become a different guy to be elite at the longer distances.