Physical limit for World Records?

Who thinks that there must be a limit to what a human body can do? What is the limit of human developement?
Most scientists think that -evolucion and mutation aside- there isnt much room for improvement in some areas, like speed and long jump.

I know they said the same 50 years ago, but technology seems to back that 9,4 secs is the absolute limit for 100 meters for a perfectly trained human being. Unless humans change their skeleton and muscle structure, there must be a limit...the question is, how close are we?

Who thinks that there must be a limit to what a human body can do? What is the limit of human developement?
Most scientists think that -evolucion and mutation aside- there isnt much room for improvement in some areas, like speed and long jump.

I know they said the same 50 years ago, but technology seems to back that 9,4 secs is the absolute limit for 100 meters for a perfectly trained human being. Unless humans change their skeleton and muscle structure, there must be a limit...the question is, how close are we?

Probably the only human limit will be the accuracy of timepieces. The records will just get narrower and narrower. People winning the sprint and breaking the record by 1000ths of a second rather than hundreds of a second. New technology, new training methods, new drugs and then genetic engineering will no doubt all play their role too.

Probably the only human limit will be the accuracy of timepieces. The records will just get narrower and narrower. People winning the sprint and breaking the record by 1000ths of a second rather than hundreds of a second. New technology, new training methods, new drugs and then genetic engineering will no doubt all play their role too.

That idea inolves the notion of a limit. Just that the progression would be so slow it would give time to alter the human body (mutation-drugs-evolution, pick your poison).

IF there is a limit, we must be getting close (providing a 2.30 meter jamaican who can move his legs like he is 1.70 doesnt come up!)
Maybe if the height average of humans increases substantially in the next centuries, but not with our current configuartion, but i see your point and its correct

Good question QG - some records from 10-20 odd years ago are still standing.

Michael Johnson in the 400m - he could probably have gone under 43 secs as well.
Sotomayor in the High Jump at 245 - no one has ever got near either record I dont think in recent competition as well.

Im sure there are more out there as well.

I think every now and then "freak" athletes come along that are so far ahead of their time and just wont be matched until the next one comes along probably in a couple of generations.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/aug/17/usain-bolt-100-metres
Bolt looks to be such a "freak" athlete.

Interesting programme on the BBC a couple of weeks ago gave me a much better understanding of the 100m event.

What is irrefutable fact is that the human body cannot (at the moment) sustain the same rate of speed for 100m, and that after about 60 metres, runners start to decelerate.
What makes Bolt special is that he decelerates much less than the other runners, so although it looks like he is getting faster than the other runners in the final 30-40 metres, he is only slowing down at a lesser rate.

So, if or when there is a runner who does not decelerate in the final 30-40 metres, or does so even less than Bolt the times will tumble once more, but according to the scientists on the show it's a very big "IF"

Bolt gets poor starts. Watch his races. I heard them commenting about it. If he actually got better off the blocks, he'd shatter his current records. 

Bolt gets poor starts. Watch his races. I heard them commenting about it. If he actually got better off the blocks, he'd shatter his current records. 

He looks like he isnt really trying his best. The russian pole vault ace Elena said she only broke the world record 1 cm at a time because she was payed every time she did it. Also said that if she did her best she had nothing left to give afterwards.

Bolt jogged on the last 20m of the race

He looks like he isnt really trying his best. The russian pole vault ace Elena said she only broke the world record 1 cm at a time because she was payed every time she did it. Also said that if she did her best she had nothing left to give afterwards.

Bolt jogged on the last 20m of the race

She learnt that trick from her mentor, Sergey Bubka who did exactly the same.

As for Bolt, I agree. He could have had another world record in the 200M.

She learnt that trick from her mentor, Sergey Bubka who did exactly the same.

As for Bolt, I agree. He could have had another world record in the 200M.

Bubka was a beast.
If Bolt ran as concentrated as any US sprinter he would certainly shatter the clocks

Would be a shame though if Bolt doesn't even give his all at the damn Olympics! The next Olympics might be his last succesful one. And who knows, with his length, I wouldn't be surprised if he runs into injuries early on in his career. Would be a shame if he hasn't raised the bar as high as he can at his peak.