The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius." Faster, Higher, Stronger. And athletes have fulfilled that motto rapidly. The winner of the 2012 Olympic marathon ran two hours and eight minutes. Had he been racing against the winner of the 1904 Olympic marathon, he would have won by nearly an hour and a half. Now we all have this feeling that we're somehow just getting better as a human race, inexorably progressing, but it's not like we've evolved into a new species in a century. So what's going on here? I want to take a look at what's really behind this march of athletic progress.
奧林匹克的格言是“Citius, Altius, Fortius” 意為 “更快、更高、更強”。 而運動員們迅雷不及掩耳地做到這一格言。 2012年奧林匹克馬拉松的冠軍記錄是 兩小時八分鐘。 如果讓這位2012年的馬拉松冠軍 在1904年的奧林匹克馬拉松中競賽, 他要比當年的冠軍快一個半小時。 此時此刻,我們都覺得 某程度上我們作為人類 在日漸一日地、勢不可擋地進步, 但這種進步,又並不像是在區區一世紀內 就進化成另一個新物種的那種。 那麼到底是怎麼回事呢? 我想看看運動進步歷程的背後 到底藏著什麼秘密。
In 1936, Jesse Owens held the world record in the 100 meters. Had Jesse Owens been racing last year in the world championships of the 100 meters, when Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt finished, Owens would have still had 14 feet to go. That's a lot in sprinter land. To give you a sense of how much it is, I want to share with you a demonstration conceived by sports scientist Ross Tucker. Now picture the stadium last year at the world championships of the 100 meters: thousands of fans waiting with baited breath to see Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history; flashbulbs popping as the nine fastest men in the world coil themselves into their blocks. And I want you to pretend that Jesse Owens is in that race. Now close your eyes for a second and picture the race. Bang! The gun goes off. An American sprinter jumps out to the front. Usain Bolt starts to catch him. Usain Bolt passes him, and as the runners come to the finish, you'll hear a beep as each man crosses the line. (Beeps) That's the entire finish of the race. You can open your eyes now. That first beep was Usain Bolt. That last beep was Jesse Owens. Listen to it again. (Beeps) When you think of it like that, it's not that big a difference, is it? And then consider that Usain Bolt started by propelling himself out of blocks down a specially fabricated carpet designed to allow him to travel as fast as humanly possible. Jesse Owens, on the other hand, ran on cinders, the ash from burnt wood, and that soft surface stole far more energy from his legs as he ran. Rather than blocks, Jesse Owens had a gardening trowel that he had to use to dig holes in the cinders to start from. Biomechanical analysis of the speed of Owens' joints shows that had been running on the same surface as Bolt, he wouldn't have been 14 feet behind, he would have been within one stride. Rather than the last beep, Owens would have been the second beep. Listen to it again. (Beeps) That's the difference track surface technology has made, and it's done it throughout the running world.
1936年,傑西·歐文斯 在一百米田徑中創下了新的世界紀錄。 如果傑西·歐文斯參加了 去年的世界一百米田徑賽, 牙買加短跑運動員 尤賽恩·博爾特衝到終點時, 歐文斯離終點還有十四英尺。 在短跑賽場上,十四英尺可不是小數目。 為了讓大家感受一些其中的區別, 我想跟大家分享 運動科學家羅斯·德科 構思的一個範例。 現在,請大家想像自己身處 去年世界杯百米錦標賽的賽場: 成千上萬位運動迷屏住呼吸, 等候看見尤賽恩·博爾特 這位歷史上最快的人; 閃光燈奮然驟現,只見世界上最快的九個人 現身於他們各自的起跑器旁。 我要大家想像 傑西·歐文斯也在這九個人當中。 現在,閉上眼睛,想像一下這場比賽。 梆!槍聲一響。 一名美國短跑運動員一下就躍到前列。 尤賽恩·博爾特開始追上這位運動員。 尤賽恩·博爾特超越了他, 每位運動員衝線終點時, 你都會聽到“嗶”一聲。 (”嗶“) 然後整場比賽就結束了。 現在大家可以睜開雙眼。 第一聲“嗶”是,尤賽恩·博爾特。 最後一聲“嗶”,是傑西·歐文斯。 再聽一次。 (“嗶”) 這樣聽來, 是不是覺得差別不大? 那麼想一下,尤賽恩·博爾特起步時 腳下有起跑器 將他推向特製的地面地毯, 這種地毯的設計允許他 以人類所能達到的最快速度奔跑。 而傑西·歐文斯呢, 則在煤渣路上跑, 盡是木頭焚燒後剩下的灰渣, 而那種柔軟的路面在他跑步的過程中, 吞噬了他腿上大量的精力。 傑西·歐文斯沒有起跑器, 只有一把種花用的泥鏟, 他只能用這把泥鏟 在起跑的煤渣路上挖坑。 對歐文斯運動關節速度 的生理力學分析顯示 如果歐文斯的關節跑步接觸面 能夠跟博爾特的一樣, 歐文斯就不會被拋在十四英尺外, 而是只差一步之遙就能趕上博爾特。 歐文斯不會是最後的一“嗶”, 而是第二“嗶”。 再聽一次。 (“嗶”) 這就是田徑跑道接觸面 技術進步所產生的差別, 而這一技術在賽跑界比比皆是。
Consider a longer event. In 1954, Sir Roger Bannister became the first man to run under four minutes in the mile. Nowadays, college kids do that every year. On rare occasions, a high school kid does it. As of the end of last year, 1,314 men had run under four minutes in the mile, but like Jesse Owens, Sir Roger Bannister ran on soft cinders that stole far more energy from his legs than the synthetic tracks of today. So I consulted biomechanics experts to find out how much slower it is to run on cinders than synthetic tracks, and their consensus that it's one and a half percent slower. So if you apply a one and a half percent slowdown conversion to every man who ran his sub-four mile on a synthetic track, this is what happens. Only 530 are left. If you look at it from that perspective, fewer than ten new men per [year] have joined the sub-four mile club since Sir Roger Bannister. Now, 530 is a lot more than one, and that's partly because there are many more people training today and they're training more intelligently. Even college kids are professional in their training compared to Sir Roger Bannister, who trained for 45 minutes at a time while he ditched gynecology lectures in med school. And that guy who won the 1904 Olympic marathon in three in a half hours, that guy was drinking rat poison and brandy while he ran along the course. That was his idea of a performance-enhancing drug. (Laughter)
想一個時間更長的運動時間。 1954年的羅傑·班尼斯特爵士 是人類歷史上第一個 在四分鐘內跑完一英里的人。 現在,每年都有大學生達到這一紀錄。 偶爾,一個高中生也可以做到。 截至去年年底 有一千三百一十四個人 已經可以在四分鐘內跑完一英里, 但是跟傑西·歐文斯一樣, 羅傑·班尼斯特爵士跑的是軟煤渣路, 他腿部的力量都被這煤渣路吞耗了, 不能與今日的塑膠跑道相比。 我因此找了一些生理力學專家 諮詢在煤渣路上跑步 到底比在塑膠跑道慢多少, 他們一致認為,慢1.5%。 因此,如果你按1.5%的算法 來計算每位在塑膠跑道上 在四分鐘內完成了一英里的速度, 這就是呈現的結果。 只剩下五百三十人。 如果你從這個角度來看的話, 每年只有不到十個人 能夠跟隨羅傑·班尼斯特爵士 加入這個“四分鐘內一英里“俱樂部。 現在,五百三十人遠比一個人多, 其中的部分原因是, 現在越來越多人接受訓練, 而且訓練相當有技巧。 跟羅傑·班尼斯特爵士相比, 大學生的訓練也要比他的專業, 班尼斯特爵士當年在醫學院 上完婦科課之後才去訓練, 而且每次只是訓練四十五分鐘。 贏得1904年奧林匹克馬拉松賽的那位仁兄 在半小時內跑完三英里, 那位仁兄是一邊喝著老鼠藥和白蘭地, 一邊跑完整程馬拉松。 那些就是他所謂的增強表現藥。 (笑聲)
Clearly, athletes have gotten more savvy about performance-enhancing drugs as well, and that's made a difference in some sports at some times, but technology has made a difference in all sports, from faster skis to lighter shoes. Take a look at the record for the 100-meter freestyle swim. The record is always trending downward, but it's punctuated by these steep cliffs. This first cliff, in 1956, is the introduction of the flip turn. Rather than stopping and turning around, athletes could somersault under the water and get going right away in the opposite direction. This second cliff, the introduction of gutters on the side of the pool that allows water to splash off, rather than becoming turbulence that impedes the swimmers as they race. This final cliff, the introduction of full-body and low-friction swimsuits.
相比以前,現在的運動員對增強表現的藥物 顯然已經更加精通, 而這有時也會使某些 運動顯示出差距變化, 但是科技在所有運動領域中 創造差距變化, 例如速度更快的雪橇、更加輕便的鞋子。 我們看看百米自由泳的記錄。 這個記錄一直往下降, 但卻不時出現這些突然峭降。 第一次的峭降是在1956年 第一次引入翻騰轉體技巧。 運動員不再需要停止再轉身, 而是可以在水上一百八十度轉體, 往反方向繼續前游。 第二次的峭降,當時引入了水槽設計, 在游泳池四周的水槽 允許水濺出, 而不是形成漩渦, 給運動員在比賽中造成阻礙。 最後一次峭降, 當時引入了 低摩擦力的全身泳衣。
Throughout sports, technology has changed the face of performance. In 1972, Eddy Merckx set the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour at 30 miles, 3,774 feet. Now that record improved and improved as bicycles improved and became more aerodynamic all the way until 1996, when it was set at 35 miles, 1,531 feet, nearly five miles farther than Eddy Merckx cycled in 1972. But then in 2000, the International Cycling Union decreed that anyone who wanted to hold that record had to do so with essentially the same equipment that Eddy Merckx used in 1972. Where does the record stand today? 30 miles, 4,657 feet, a grand total of 883 feet farther than Eddy Merckx cycled more than four decades ago. Essentially the entire improvement in this record was due to technology.
在運動歷程中, 科技已經為運動性能改頭換面。 1972年,艾迪·莫克斯 創下了一小時內最長的單車行程記錄 三十英里三千七百七十四英尺。 這個記錄在不斷地更新再更新, 自行車不斷地在更新,更加符合空氣動力學, 一直到了1996年, 當時的記錄是三十五英里一千五百三十一英尺, 跟1972年的艾迪·莫克斯相比, 幾乎超出五英里。 但是在2000年,國際自行車聯盟決定 任何想要打破這個記錄的人 所使用的設備必須與1972年 艾迪·莫克斯所使用的基本一致。 今日這個記錄又是多少? 三十英里四千六百五十七英尺, 比起四個世紀之前 艾迪·莫克斯所騎的行程 不過多出整整八百八十三英尺。 這一記錄的突破, 基本源於科技。
Still, technology isn't the only thing pushing athletes forward. While indeed we haven't evolved into a new species in a century, the gene pool within competitive sports most certainly has changed. In the early half of the 20th century, physical education instructors and coaches had the idea that the average body type was the best for all athletic endeavors: medium height, medium weight, no matter the sport. And this showed in athletes' bodies. In the 1920s, the average elite high-jumper and average elite shot-putter were the same exact size. But as that idea started to fade away, as sports scientists and coaches realized that rather than the average body type, you want highly specialized bodies that fit into certain athletic niches, a form of artificial selection took place, a self-sorting for bodies that fit certain sports, and athletes' bodies became more different from one another. Today, rather than the same size as the average elite high jumper, the average elite shot-putter is two and a half inches taller and 130 pounds heavier. And this happened throughout the sports world.
但是,科技並不是推使 運動員前進的唯一因素。 的確,我們尚未在一個世紀內 完全進化成另外一個新物種, 但是競賽運動的基因庫 很肯定已經發生了變化。 在二十世紀上半葉, 體育教育的指導員和教練都認為 平均的身體類型 是所有運動的最適宜的體型: 中等身高、中等體重, 無論是對何種運動而言。 這在運動員的體態上可以體現。 20世紀20年代,平均優秀跳高運動員 跟平均優秀鉛球選手 有完全一樣的體型。 但是這樣的想法開始消失, 因為運動科學家和教練發現 平均身體體型並非是最好的, 你需要的是 專門適合某種運動類型的體型, 並且開始了某種人為的篩選, 自我篩選出適合某種運動的體型, 而不同運動員的體型差距越來越大。 時至今日,平均優秀跳高運動員的體型 跟平均優秀鉛球選手的體型不再一樣, 後者比前者要高2.5英寸, 並且重130磅。 而這樣的事情在運動界比比皆是。
In fact, if you plot on a height versus mass graph one data point for each of two dozen sports in the first half of the 20th century, it looks like this. There's some dispersal, but it's kind of grouped around that average body type. Then that idea started to go away, and at the same time, digital technology -- first radio, then television and the Internet -- gave millions, or in some cases billions, of people a ticket to consume elite sports performance. The financial incentives and fame and glory afforded elite athletes skyrocketed, and it tipped toward the tiny upper echelon of performance. It accelerated the artificial selection for specialized bodies. And if you plot a data point for these same two dozen sports today, it looks like this. The athletes' bodies have gotten much more different from one another. And because this chart looks like the charts that show the expanding universe, with the galaxies flying away from one another, the scientists who discovered it call it "The Big Bang of Body Types."
事實上,如果你要畫一張身高體重對照表, 為二十世紀上半葉的二十四種運動 畫出各自的數據點, 則會得到這樣的一張圖。 稍微呈現離散, 但還是圍繞著平均體型而出現。 然後這樣的想法開始消失, 與此同時,數位科技—— 首先是無線電台,然後是電視、網路—— 向數百萬人或者數十億人 提供了消費精英運動表演的門票。 得到金錢獎勵以及名望榮譽 的運動員直線上升, 並且漸漸擠向性能表現的頂端。 這種情況加速了專門合適體型的人為挑選。 如果你要為今日同樣的二十四類運動 畫一張數據點表的話, 看上去會是這樣(藍色部分)。 運動員的體型 已經大大地拉開差距。 正因為這張圖看上去 與顯示宇宙擴展的圖相似, 就像不同的星系飛離另外其他星系一樣, 發現這張圖的科學家把這張圖命名為 “體型大爆炸”。
In sports where height is prized, like basketball, the tall athletes got taller. In 1983, the National Basketball Association signed a groundbreaking agreement making players partners in the league, entitled to shares of ticket revenues and television contracts. Suddenly, anybody who could be an NBA player wanted to be, and teams started scouring the globe for the bodies that could help them win championships. Almost overnight, the proportion of men in the NBA who are at least seven feet tall doubled to 10 percent. Today, one in 10 men in the NBA is at least seven feet tall, but a seven-foot-tall man is incredibly rare in the general population -- so rare that if you know an American man between the ages of 20 and 40 who is at least seven feet tall, there's a 17 percent chance he's in the NBA right now. (Laughter) That is, find six honest seven footers, one is in the NBA right now. And that's not the only way that NBA players' bodies are unique. This is Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man," the ideal proportions, with arm span equal to height. My arm span is exactly equal to my height. Yours is probably very nearly so. But not the average NBA player. The average NBA player is a shade under 6'7", with arms that are seven feet long. Not only are NBA players ridiculously tall, they are ludicrously long. Had Leonardo wanted to draw the Vitruvian NBA Player, he would have needed a rectangle and an ellipse, not a circle and a square.
在重視身高的運動中,例如籃球, 高的運動員會越來越高。 1983年國家籃球協會(NBA) 簽訂了一份具有歷史性意義的協議, 允許選手加入聯盟, 能夠分享門票收益 和電視合約收益。 霎時間,任何可能成為NBA選手的人 都想成為NBA選手, 而籃球隊也開始在全球搜索, 尋找可以幫助他們贏得冠軍的體型。 一夜間, NBA中 至少有七尺高的人數比例 翻倍到10%。 今日,NBA中,十個人 就有一個至少有七尺高, 但是在大眾人口當中, 七尺高的男人是相當少見的—— 少見的程度是,如果你認識一個美國男人 他剛好在二十歲到四十歲之間, 又剛好至少有七尺高, 那麼就有17%的可能性 他現在就是NBA的人。 (笑聲) 也就是說,隨意找七位老實的七尺高人 就有一個在NBA工作。 NBA選手體型的獨特之處不僅如此。 這是列奧納多·達·芬奇的“維特魯威人”, 擁有最理想的體態比例, 臂長與身高相等。 我的臂長與身高剛剛相等。 大家的也大概一樣。 但是一般的NBA選手卻不是這樣。 平均的NBA選手身高約六尺七寸, 但手臂有七尺長。 NBA選手不僅高得離譜, 而且還長得荒唐。 如果當初里奧納多想要畫的 是維特魯威NBA選手, 他估計要用長方形和橢圓, 而不是圓形和正方形。
So in sports where large size is prized, the large athletes have gotten larger. Conversely, in sports where diminutive stature is an advantage, the small athletes got smaller. The average elite female gymnast shrunk from 5'3" to 4'9" on average over the last 30 years, all the better for their power-to-weight ratio and for spinning in the air. And while the large got larger and the small got smaller, the weird got weirder. The average length of the forearm of a water polo player in relation to their total arm got longer, all the better for a forceful throwing whip. And as the large got larger, small got smaller, and the weird weirder. In swimming, the ideal body type is a long torso and short legs. It's like the long hull of a canoe for speed over the water. And the opposite is advantageous in running. You want long legs and a short torso. And this shows in athletes' bodies today. Here you see Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer in history, standing next to Hicham El Guerrouj, the world record holder in the mile. These men are seven inches different in height, but because of the body types advantaged in their sports, they wear the same length pants. Seven inches difference in height, these men have the same length legs.
因此那些重視體型的運動裡面, 體型大的運動員已經越變越大了。 相對而言,在小巧體型佔優勢的運動裡面, 小巧的運動員就越變越小。 平均優秀女體操運動員 在過去三十年內 就從五尺三寸縮水到四尺九寸, 更加符合他們的力量—體重比例, 也更加適合在空中旋轉。 因此體型大的運動員越來越大, 體型小巧的就越來越小, 而體型怪異的就越長越怪。 水球運動員的前臂的平均長度 跟他們的整只手臂相比 變得更加長了, 這樣更加容易進行有力擊打。 正如體型大的運動員越來越大, 體型小巧的就越來越小, 體型怪異的就越長越怪。 在游泳中,理想的體型是 軀體長、雙腿短。 這就正如獨木舟 船體長就可以在水中快速行走。 而在跑步運動中則恰恰相反。 跑步需要的是長腿短軀。 而這已體現在運動員的體型上來。 這裡你看見的是邁克爾·菲爾普斯, 歷史上最偉大的游泳員, 旁邊站的是希查姆·艾爾·奎羅伊, 世界一英里田徑紀錄保持者。 這兩位男士身高相差七寸 但正因為他們的體型 使他們在運動中獲得優勢, 他們穿的是同樣長度的褲子。 身高相差七寸, 但卻有同樣長的腿。
Now in some cases, the search for bodies that could push athletic performance forward ended up introducing into the competitive world populations of people that weren't previously competing at all, like Kenyan distance runners. We think of Kenyans as being great marathoners. Kenyans think of the Kalenjin tribe as being great marathoners. The Kalenjin make up just 12 percent of the Kenyan population but the vast majority of elite runners. And they happen, on average, to have a certain unique physiology: legs that are very long and very thin at their extremity, and this is because they have their ancestry at very low latitude in a very hot and dry climate, and an evolutionary adaptation to that is limbs that are very long and very thin at the extremity for cooling purposes. It's the same reason that a radiator has long coils, to increase surface area compared to volume to let heat out, and because the leg is like a pendulum, the longer and thinner it is at the extremity, the more energy-efficient it is to swing. To put Kalenjin running success in perspective, consider that 17 American men in history have run faster than two hours and 10 minutes in the marathon. That's a four-minute-and-58-second-per-mile pace. Thirty-two Kalenjin men did that last October. (Laughter) That's from a source population the size of metropolitan Atlanta.
有時候,為了尋找 能夠優化運動表現的體型, 結果會把一些之前 沒有參加過運動競賽的人群 帶進這個運動競賽世界裡, 比如肯亞的中、長跑運動員。 我們認為肯亞人 是偉大的馬拉松運動員, 而肯亞人則認為卡倫津部落的人 才是偉大的馬拉松運動員。 卡倫津部落的人口 僅佔肯亞人口的12%, 但大部分的卡倫津都是出世的奔跑者, 他們剛好都有 獨特的生理機能: 他們的腿相當長 同時又相當瘦, 這是因為他們的祖先 生活在緯度相當低、 溫度相當高、空氣相當乾燥的氣候裡, 作為進化適應的調整, 他們的腿相當相當的長 也相當相當的瘦, 目的是為了給身體降溫。 其中的原理,跟水箱長長的冷卻管一樣, 目的是為了給流量增加表層接觸面, 散發熱量, 由於雙腿就像鐘擺, 越長越瘦, 擺起來就越能節省能耗。 為了理解卡倫津田徑的成功, 大家可以想想, 歷史上有十七名美國人 在兩小時十分鐘內 完成馬拉松賽。 這速度是每英里四分鐘五十八秒。 去年十月份就有三十二位 卡倫津人達到這速度。 (笑聲) 這相當於在種源群落內 擁有亞特蘭大的大都市規模。
Still, even changing technology and the changing gene pool in sports don't account for all of the changes in performance. Athletes have a different mindset than they once did. Have you ever seen in a movie when someone gets an electrical shock and they're thrown across a room? There's no explosion there. What's happening when that happens is that the electrical impulse is causing all their muscle fibers to twitch at once, and they're throwing themselves across the room. They're essentially jumping. That's the power that's contained in the human body. But normally we can't access nearly all of it. Our brain acts as a limiter, preventing us from accessing all of our physical resources, because we might hurt ourselves, tearing tendons or ligaments. But the more we learn about how that limiter functions, the more we learn how we can push it back just a bit, in some cases by convincing the brain that the body won't be in mortal danger by pushing harder. Endurance and ultra-endurance sports serve as a great example. Ultra-endurance was once thought to be harmful to human health, but now we realize that we have all these traits that are perfect for ultra-endurance: no body fur and a glut of sweat glands that keep us cool while running; narrow waists and long legs compared to our frames; large surface area of joints for shock absorption. We have an arch in our foot that acts like a spring, short toes that are better for pushing off than for grasping tree limbs, and when we run, we can turn our torso and our shoulders like this while keeping our heads straight. Our primate cousins can't do that. They have to run like this. And we have big old butt muscles that keep us upright while running. Have you ever looked at an ape's butt? They have no buns because they don't run upright. And as athletes have realized that we're perfectly suited for ultra-endurance, they've taken on feats that would have been unthinkable before, athletes like Spanish endurance racer Kílian Jornet. Here's Kílian running up the Matterhorn. (Laughter) With a sweatshirt there tied around his waist. It's so steep he can't even run here. He's pulling up on a rope. This is a vertical ascent of more than 8,000 feet, and Kílian went up and down in under three hours. Amazing. And talented though he is, Kílian is not a physiological freak. Now that he has done this, other athletes will follow, just as other athletes followed after Sir Roger Bannister ran under four minutes in the mile.
但是科技帶給運動的改變 以及基因庫帶給運動的改變 都不是運動表現中所有變化的主要因素。 現在的運動員現在的 心理想法與以往截然不同。 大家看電影的時候 有沒有曾經看過人遭受電擊 被拋到房子的另一邊的情景? 其實這並不是爆炸。 其實在遭受電擊時, 電脈衝使得 人所有的肌肉纖維瞬間扭曲, 然後他們把自己拋到房間的另一頭。 實質上他們是在跳躍。 這就是 蘊藏在人類體內的力量。 但是一般情況下 我們基本不能使用全部的力量。 我們的大腦就像一個限制器, 阻止我們不讓我們 使用我們體內的所有資源, 因為我們可能會因此傷害到自己, 把肌腱或韌帶扭斷。 但是我們越是知道 這個限制器的運作方式 我們就越是知道 我們怎樣才能將這個限制器 推開一點, 有時候通過說服大腦, 身體再推向極端一點, 也不會受到致命的危險, 耐力運動和極端耐力運動 就是一個很好的例子。 極端耐力運動曾經被認為 會給人類健康帶來危害, 但是現在我們意識到 我們有各種特性 來進行這些極端耐力運動: 我們的身體沒有皮毛,卻有一整套汗腺, 這樣我們就可以在奔跑時冷卻體溫; 與我們的肢體相比, 相對細窄的腰和長長的腿; 大面積關節可以吸收震動。 我們腳上有彈簧一樣的腳踝, 短腳趾更加適合推動 而不是扣緊樹枝, 當我們奔跑時, 我們可以這樣轉動我們的軀幹和肩膀 又可以同時保持頭部向前。 我們的靈長類表親就做不到這點。 牠們只能這樣跑。 我們還有大大的股肌 讓我們可以在奔跑時保持直立。 你有沒有見過猿的臀部? 牠們沒有臀部,因為牠們不能直立奔跑。 運動員意識到 我們十分適合做極端耐力運動, 他們已經開始做一些 以前絕對想都不敢想的壯舉, 譬如西班牙的耐力運動競技員基李安·左內。 這是基李安跑馬拉松。 (笑聲) 他腰間綁著這件運動衫。 這裡相當陡峭,他根本就不能在那裡跑。 他現在在拉著繩索向上爬。 他要垂直攀爬 至少八千尺, 而基李安上去下來 花了不到三小時。 太神奇了。 雖然基李安很有才, 但是他不是生理怪人。 既然他現在已經完成這一壯舉, 其他運動員也會跟隨他的腳步, 正如其他運動員跟隨了 羅傑·班尼斯特爵士的腳步 在四分鐘內跑完一英里。
Changing technology, changing genes, and a changing mindset. Innovation in sports, whether that's new track surfaces or new swimming techniques, the democratization of sport, the spread to new bodies and to new populations around the world, and imagination in sport, an understanding of what the human body is truly capable of, have conspired to make athletes stronger, faster, bolder, and better than ever.
不斷改變的科技、不斷改變的基因、 不斷改變的思想。 運動的創新—— 不管是跑道表面, 還是新的游泳技巧, 運動的民主化—— 向新體型、 全球新人口的傳播, 和運動的想像力—— 理解人類身體 真正的能耐, 這些都已經共同 協力使得運動員 比從前更強、更快、 更大膽、更好。
Thank you very much.
非常感謝。
(Applause)
(掌聲)