How much does a sprinters height effect his/her performance?
I’m talking a guy who is 5ft '5 compared to 5ft '11 or a female sprinter who is
4ft '9 compared to 5ft '8.
I remember when coaches used to sat “you’re too short to run sprints”
Remember those coaches?
Kenny Mac~~
height is only a figure just as age is also.elite sprinters range from 5 7/8 to 6 2/3.don’t let that disturb you but they are the ranges.the 5 8b guys are ato,dennis,andre.the over 6 guys are carl,linford,donovan and so on.
It’s kind like Charlies qoute about the optimum leg length being long enough to go from the hip to the ground …
Dont let height stop you sprint.
(Except from extreme cases).
Look at Francis Obikwelu, he “shouldn’t” be a good sprinter out from his height. (6"5’) . He is a world class sprinter.
Obikwelus height is actually around 6"3’
Here seen together with Geir Moen.
damn it just gets worse and worse for me.
too tall (6’4")
initials dont match(ff or tt like mizuno sponsored frankie and terrence)
too wh&te (ahhh)
hey im australian, thats gotta count for something.
i’d say how fast you are affects ur performance more than height, weight, colour or initials ever will.
my 20c
On the subject of height, whats the forums opinion on how height affects endurance athletes? On a purely anecdotal basis I have noticed that the taller the athlete, the less “proficient” at endurance events. I know this may just be the guys from my school and university, and training may negate any “genetic disadvantage” but I woul dbe interested to hear what everyone has to say!
How about Usain Bolt? Isn’t he 6’5? Still fast though, and he may not even be finished growing yet. Scary!
Yeah he’s 6’5, that’s extreme…
Three quarters of a century ago the Cambridge Mathematician turned Nobel Prize winning Physiologist Prof A.V.Hill predicted, on the basis of dimensional analysis, that maximum speed should be independent of body size for similar body structure. (Think of Charlie Greene v Jim Hines, Don Quarrie v Hasley Crawford). I have extended his analysis to indicate that tall men should have an advantage in sustained sprints (eg 400m), but be at a disadvantage in long distances (eg 10k)
sprintersscientist,
Can you by any chance post your findings or your study? Or give us a synopsis.
Is it me or does Gier Moen looks like Jason Seahorn in that picture. And Obikwelu looks like Seal. 
I’d say it has more to do with proportions and symmetry than height. If you’re 6’4" but you’re not a tall and lanky 6’4" you could excel. But if you’re 5’9" which some may say is ideal it makes no difference unless you’re in the proper shape. I had a friend who once came up with a catergorization for two different types of sprinters. The power sprinter and the finesse sprinter. Basically if you have the finesse you’ll be fine. I guess optimum performance would be achieved if you had both. What does everyone think? Any other suggestions or renditions on this? What you’d you call yourself?
I’d say u were ‘gettin a little crazy’ treble lol
treble…
Last week in the NY Times there was an article about how taller tennis players have trouble because their COM is so high from the ground, thus making it harder to change directions. Does the height of the COM affect sprinters in any way and how?
Possibly at start,
COM has a major impact on agility - specifically COD (change of direction).
This can be true, but i dunno if any of u guys saw wimbledon recently, but the shhock of the tournament was a 6’7" giant beat world no.1 leyton hewitt. This guy (Karlovic) could play reasonable tennis, and in order to play reasonable tennis u have to able to change direction competently, thus meaning or making him an exception to the rule. Just my 20c…