Why are Jamaicans so good at sprinting? Something to do with race? What kind of race?

The Caribbean island nation of 2.6 million people is deservedly the world's sprinting powerhouse. Why do Jamaicans run so fast?

In Jamaica, track and field is one of the 4 most popular sports along with soccer, cricket and boxing. Every year, about 260 track and field teams and more than 80,000 people participate in nearly 20 types of competitions at all levels, and countless young boys and girls have dreams of using their God-given bodies to run.

Jamaican athletes who have made their mark in sports have been better rewarded. Norman Manley competed in the 1912 Olympics, and despite failing to set the first world record in the 100 meters, he still became the first Jamaican sportsman to win a scholarship to Oxford University, and Jamaica's Norman Manley International Airport is named after him.In 1948, Arthur Vint won Jamaica's first Olympic gold medal, and more and more sprinters are following in the footsteps of their predecessors to excel on the international stage. Outstanding.

Europe and the United States have also begun to Jamaican sprinters, with generous scholarships to attract the best, or to engage in "track and field immigrants". 1992 Olympic 100-meter champion Christie (Great Britain), the 1996 Olympic 100-meter champion Bailey (Canada) and the 200-meter champion Johnson (United States) are Jamaicans. people.

Jamaica's sports figures realized early the importance of cultivating sports traditions and talents, and decided that all sportsmen who stayed in Jamaica for training would get the same treatment as immigrants to Europe and the United States, with guaranteed scholarships to universities and opportunities for exchanges to Europe and the United States, as well as numerous honors. Now, top athletes such as Bolt and Powell are training at the University of Technology Jamaica (UTJ), where there are first-class training facilities and a scholarship program sponsored by LUCOZADE Beverages. Anthony Davis, head of the athletic department at the University of Technology in Jamaica, said proudly, "The blossoming of track and field athletes today is due to the seeds we planted years ago."

Track and field coach Fordzie Coleman believes that all Jamaican sprinters are good, "We are invincible and that is not arrogance. Maybe Jamaica is a small and poor country, but we have confidence in our strength."

■The speed gene says

Many believe that Jamaicans are born with a talent for sprinting, a claim that has recently received academic support.

Morrison, a professor at the University of Technology in Jamaica, said that in a joint study with the University of Glasgow, in which more than 200 Jamaican athletes were studied and analyzed, they found that 70 percent of them possessed a type of muscle fibers in their bodies that improves the muscle fibers associated with instantaneous speed, and that it is these fibers that allow athletes to run faster.

Compared to just 30 percent in a study of Australian players.

■Tubers Vegetables says

"Super-fast running is supposed to be an innate ability of Jamaicans, I'm not sure, maybe it has something to do with the water they drink." Asked about this, Jamaica's Sports Minister Grange had this to say.

"Flying" Bolt's father, on the other hand, believes that locally grown yams helped his son succeed. While many may laugh at this claim, there are many Jamaicans who believe that it is their root vegetables and herbs that have contributed to the success of the Flyer.