ODoes Talent Come From Hard
Work or Genetics?
Abby Polzin
Men vs. Women:
Men have many genetic advantages over women. These include being taller, heavier, having longer legs and arms relative to height, more oxygen carrying red blood cells, less fat, denser bones, narrower hips, heavier skeletons that can support more muscle, have an easier time gaining muscle, and are twice as likely to be left handed.
These genes give men advantages in a variety of sports for all different reasons. For example, the narrower hips are a big advantage in running because it means that there is smaller angle to the knee. It makes running more efficient. Bruce Latimer, a professor of anthropology and anatomy at Case Western Reserve University said, “Because they have a broader pelvis, women have a greater angle to their knee, so they waste a lot of energy that goes into compression in the hip joint and it doesn't help you move forward."
While the differences in men and women can answer the deabte over why women are not able to compete with men, it does not completely answer the question on if talent comes from genetics or not. In order to know if talent can come from just having good genetics, you must look at examples of athletes that had a lot of practice or had good genetics to compare them. To see some of that information, check out the extra page about the two high jumpers Stefan Holm's and Donald Thomas.