Exceptional speed prior to formal training is a prerequisite for becoming a world-class sprinter like Usain Bolt, a new study has found.
The research shows that the developmental histories of elite sprinters contradict the popular deliberate practice model of expertise.
According to this model, there is no such thing as innate talent. Instead, 10 years of deliberate practice (roughly 10,000 hours) are necessary and sufficient for anyone to become an expert in any field, including sports.
Researchers Michael Lombardo and Robert Deaner, from the Grand Valley State University, studied biographies of 26 world-class sprinters, including 15 Olympic gold medalists and the eight fastest men in US history.
The first major finding was that every expert sprinter, male or female, was recognised as exceptionally fast prior to beginning formal training.
This contradicts the deliberate practice model, which assumes that initial performance and final performance in a domain will be unrelated.
A second key finding was that, contrary to the 10-year rule, most sprinters achieved world class performances in less than five years, and more than half of the Olympic champions reached this level in three years or fewer.
In addition, researchers surveyed 64 sprinters and throwers (ie, shot put, javelin, discus) who qualified for the 2012 NCAA collegiate track and field outdoor championships.
Sprinters recalled being faster as children, while throwers recalled greater strength and overhand throwing ability.
Another key finding was that the collegiate sprinters' best performances in their first season of high school competition, generally the beginning of formal training or deliberate practice, were consistently faster than 95-99 per cent of their peers.
"So we expected that most sprint champions' biographies would indicate that they were always the fastest kid in their neighbourhood, even before they did any formal training or received any coaching," said Lombardo.
"But the consistency of the pattern was surprising - from Helen Stephens, a 1936 Olympian, to Usain Bolt, there were no exceptions. Gathering the data systematically allowed us to see how strong the patterns were. It also allowed us to test and rule out alternative explanations," Lombardo said.
The authors noted that because speed is crucial for many sports, the new results imply that talent is important for many sports besides track and field.
The finding was published in the journal PeerJ.
