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  • Published: 13 November 2014
  • ISBN: 9781473522459
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 10 hr 22 min
  • Narrator: David Epstein
  • RRP: $22.99

The Sports Gene

What Makes the Perfect Athlete





An entertaining and thought-provoking examination of the truth behind sporting talent

*** Shortlisted for William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2013 ***

Is Usain Bolt a superhuman one-off?
Are sports stars like Paula Radcliffe and Tiger Woods born or made?
Could we all be Olympians if we trained hard enough?
And is the answer to be found by looking at Alaskan huskies?

In this ground-breaking and entertaining exploration of athletic success, award-winning writer David Epstein gets to the heart of the great nature vs. nurture debate, and explodes myths about why top sportsmen excel.

Along the way Epstein exposes the flaws in the so-called 10,000-hour rule that states that rigorous practice from a young age is the only route to success. He shows why some skills that we imagine are innate are not – like the bullet-fast reactions of a baseball player – and why other characteristics that we assume are entirely voluntary, like an athlete’s will to train, might in fact have important genetic components.

Through on-the ground reports at locations ranging from below the equator to above the Arctic Circle, revealing conversations with leading scientists and Olympic champions, and interviews with athletes who have rare genetic mutations or physical traits, Epstein forces us to rethink the very nature of sport.

  • Published: 13 November 2014
  • ISBN: 9781473522459
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 10 hr 22 min
  • Narrator: David Epstein
  • RRP: $22.99

About the author

David Epstein

David Epstein is an award-winning senior writer for Sports Illustrated, where he covers sports science, medicine, and Olympic sports. His investigative pieces are among Sports Illustrated’s most high-profile stories. An avid runner himself, he earned All-East honours on Columbia University's varsity track squad. This is his first book.

Praise for The Sports Gene

Captivating… Dazzling and illuminating

Richard Moore, Guardian

Epstein is not afraid to follow science in "trekking deep into the bramble patches of sensitive topics like gender and race"

Choice

Captivating… In a particularly fascinating chapter, Epstein investigates an old theory that purports to explain why Jamaica produces so many Olympic sprinters

Christie Ashwanden, Scotsman

The Sports Gene is a formidable and absorbing book… A terrific book…a fascinating read…impressive as hell

Sunday Business Post

If you want to stay abreast of the rapid developments in sports science… The Sports Gene is a must

BBC Focus Magazine
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