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Athletic performance, including in humans and animals, is plateauing, nearing absolute physical limits. Future improvements in sports depend on technology and rule changes, not just training.

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Area of Science:

  • Sports Science and Physiology
  • Human and Animal Performance Analysis
  • Biomechanical Limits in Athletics

Background:

  • Athletic performance has historically been debated, with recent stagnation suggesting inherent limitations.
  • Species like humans, greyhounds, and thoroughbreds show a plateau in performance capabilities.
  • Societal, economic, and technological factors influence the trajectory of athletic achievements.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and assess the potential plateau in top physical capabilities across various athletic disciplines.
  • To examine historical, sociocultural, anthropometrical, and physiological factors affecting athletic progress.
  • To understand the drivers behind the observed stagnation in world-class performances.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of scientific studies on athletic performance.
  • Analysis of time-series data for Olympic disciplines (track and field, swimming) from 1896-2012.
  • Comparative analysis across different species (humans, greyhounds, thoroughbreds, frogs).

Main Results:

  • A significant decrease in performance development trends observed in Olympic events.
  • Simultaneous saturation effects noted in human and animal athletic performances, indicating a universal limit.
  • Key limiting factors include genetic conditions, depletion of optimal traits, economic contexts, and physiological constraints.

Conclusions:

  • Current athletic performances are approaching absolute physical limits, leading to a scarcity of new world records.
  • Further advancements are unlikely through biological evolution alone.
  • Future performance enhancements will primarily rely on technological innovations and modifications to competition rules.