Given Usain Bolt is Jamaican of West African descent, what is the potiential of West African sprinters?

Question

Jamaica has a population of 3 million descended mainly from West African slaves whereas West Africa has a population of tens of millions.

Answer 1

good

Answer 2

Africans tend to be better distance runners. Probably because they grow up running everywhere as a means of transportation.

Answer 3

You are correct that the majority of gifted sprinters are of west African descent through slavery(Americans, Jamaicans, Caribbeans, etc.). You are correct in your assumption that if that many west African descents in non-African nations are that fast, then west Africa should have many. However you must remember that through slavery the largest, strongest, tallest, leanest africans where usually taken/sold as slaves quickly and the most weak were left behind. Taking that inconsideration Western Africa was stripped of its strongest males and women, being imported to foreign nations as slaves(Caribbeans, America, etc.). Now in these foreign nations these slaves bred with each other..and sometimes strong males were forced to breed with strong women by slave masters in order to create stronger child. In addition to that, west african nations do not have as much resources, diet trainers, etc to help there sprinters whereas the foreign nations do. That might help you understand why these foreign nations excel more in these Olympic sports than west Africans do.

Answer 4

well the difference is JA sprinters have more incentive to run, unlike West African sprinters who have none.

Answer 5

I am a Jamaican and I have to say that much of our success has to do with genetics but most of it is due to God's blessings. We do not only excel in athletics. Look at our reggae music, the influence of our culture, etc. We are a great nation. It is only a few years going now since Jamaica took up the religion Rastafarianism and it is growing at an alarming rate today(even though much of this religion has taken on false claims which were not there at first). Marcus Garvey (a Jamaican ) influenced many in America's civil rights movement Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. , etc.

Our motto is "Out of many, One People" which speaks to the fact that - through slavery - Jamaica is made up up many peoples from many cultures. We are uniquely gifted by God.  

Answer 6

More distance runners are coming from East Africa and as you point out, sprinters, including American, are frequently descendants of West African slaves.   There are some genetic differences including body structure and fast twitch muscle fibers according to some experts.    This indicates that if countries in West Africa could put resources into training their athletes, they could develop world class sprinters.   It may happen eventually.

Answer 7

Are you suggesting that the best sprinters are the best because of genetics?  Are black people better at sprinting because of genetics or because of culture or both?  I don't really know.

I would say a lot of potential, but not likely to happen.  I don't think Jamaica has a lot of ties to its African past.  In fact, one of the upper mgmnt in our company is Jamaican and I asked him one time (already knowing the answer) if most of Jamaicans were the descendants of West Africans and he said they were not.  I found that surprising.

Also, most African countries don't seem to have the finances or organization to field world class athletes.  But maybe....you never know.