With the leaps and advancements in science, I do believe that the whole idea of genetics is not as important as it use to be. HOWEVER, if somebody comes along who does have the better genes, he/she will still be able to trump other people (considering they take advantage of modern tools) because he/she has a head start/advantage over others who don’t have superior genes. One thing however, if the mind of the superior gene athlete is not as strong and focused as his competitors, he’s not winning anything, or he is only going to go but so far. Because as with anything in life, people who are extremely driven are the ones that make it far in life, not necessarily somebody who has all the potential and tools.
Also, I’m highly confident that it does not take much to see your genes express themselves. When I was young (14) it was obvious that I lacked coordination so I was horrible in basketball and I was horrible in catching a football where as other guys who were much shorter or smaller then me where much better. They could also do handstands, backflips and other body weight actions with ease where I either could not do it (back flip) or had to struggle with it.
However, when it came to sprinting, with no formal training each school I went to from grade school to high school I established myself as the fastest kid (high school fastest ever over 400m at my school). I kid you not, in grade school I was routinely pitted against a 25+ male gym teacher, he was the only male who could beat me. lol, I will never forget those races in the school parking lot, the white athletic gym teacher way out in front, me in the middle all by myself, and everybody else behind me in the back as we raced about 60m.
My 02…