Why are the most successful olympic sprinters almost always black?

Question

Like for example, athletes that are competing in a 100 meters or 200 meters final.

I'm just curious why- are they psychically Superior than compared to white or asian athletes? Do they have more muscle fibers in their legs? Can anyone tell me the science behind it?

Answer 1

I think its kind of like why people all over the world have different melanin levels. Might have to do with adaptation. think: Africa... running away from cheetahs/lions/other predators... chasing after "food" lol

Answer 2

It goes back to history....

Answer 3

I don't have such a straightforward answer for the black athletes that came from, for example Australia, United Kingdom, the US (more developed countries).

But for those that came from Africa to compete, they don't have the advanced equipment or as good nutrition intake as athletes from the better developed countries. They trained in much harder conditions back in their home countries.

But like the first poster said, to explain the case for pretty much all the black successful olympic sprinters it's all back in history. It's not like they can get some medicine to improve their muscles and build their physique of a sprinter.  

Answer 4

Different races have different physical abilities.

People of west african descent are good in things which require brute force, such as the sprints.

People of north and east africa, and north asia are good at endurance races.

People of north east asia are good at things which involve agility, flexibility, and reflexes. such as the chinese in gymanstics and diving.

People of north european descent are good in the water.

So not all men are ceated equal, but god has spread it equally.

Answer 5

As I am told; runners from Western Africa, who mostly excel in marathon-running, have an genetic advantage because of their slimm calves...

And otherwise, perhaps because of their longer period of evolution?

Answer 6

Obviously, there is some genetic component, however, in poor countires, it is one of the only sports they can participate in, since it requires very little equipment or facilities for training.  Even within blacks, why would a small country like Jamaica dominate so much?

Notice how it is all white people in the swimming events?

Answer 7

Because they spend a lot of time under the sun training for the event.

Answer 8

I have said it before but I get thumbs down. It is genetics. You can see it no matter what country they are from. The only difference is how much training they get from their respective countries.

Answer 9

People have asked this question for decades. Political correctness aside...blacks are faster runners than whites. Similarly whites are far better swimmers than blacks. That being said, are there exceptional world class white sprinters...yes, of course. We saw tons of them at the Olympics, but in most cases they finished just behind the black sprinters. Similarly, there are exceptional black competitive swimmers, however, they are a signifcant minority in the sport. Whites are actually closer to blacks in sprinting though than blacks are to whites in swimming. For example, the American women's all black 4x4 relay team, just barely edged out the all white Russian women's team. And an Australian woman (white) took the silver in the 100m hurdles. Additionally, there were lots of whites as well as some Asians who advanced to semi-final and final rounds of the sprints. In swimming though, there were hardly any black people seen competing at all. With the exception of Cullen Jones of the U.S., virtually every swimmer at the games seemed to be white or Asian.