The ACE gene provides instructions for producing a protein called angiotensin-converting enzyme. This converts a hormone called angiotensin I into another form called angiotensin II. Angiotensin II serves to control blood pressure and can also influence skeletal muscle function. The ACE gene has a variation called the ACE/ID polymorphism that serves to alter the activity of the gene. An individual may also possess two copies of a version called the D allele, also known as the DD pattern. It can also exist as two copies of one version called the I allele, known as the II pattern, or one copy of each version, called the ID pattern. Comparing the three models, the DD model is associated with the highest levels of angiotensin converting enzyme. The DD pattern is also thought to correlate with a higher percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers and increased speed. The ACTN3 gene instead provides instructions for the production of an alpha (О±)-actinin-3 protein, which is found predominantly in fast-twitch muscle fibers. There is a variation of this gene called R577X that leads to the production of an abnormally short О±-actinin-3 protein that is rapidly broken down. Some people possess this variant in both copies of the gene, this genetic pattern or genotype is known as 577XX. Individuals who possess it have an absence of (О±)-actinin-3, this is said to reduce the number of fast-twitch muscle fibers, while increasing the proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers. The 577RR genotype is associated with a higher percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers and is commonly found in short-distance runners. Therefore, the ACE D/D gene and the ACTN3 R/R gene are more suited to power-related performance such as sprinting due to the greater presence of fast-twitch muscle fibers^. The ACE I/I gene and the ACTN3 Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The optimal height for sprinting is said to be between 180cm and above. Both athletes were of average weight, however one had a significant height advantage. So, it stands to reason that this would have contributed to the difference in times as the taller athlete would have had a longer stride and been able to produce more power. To travel a long distance in the sandpit, you need speed, strong leg muscles and a lean body, which is actually exactly the same as what a good sprinter would need, therefore also showing the difference in results.From The The age between 13 and 18 is when an athlete experiences the greatest growth in their genetic potential since it is during that time that they are going through puberty. Therefore, age actually affects results as the athlete has more time to grow and mature their body. Age only has a detrimental effect once you reach the peak of 26 and beyond. This is known as the aging effect, and an athlete's physical ability slowly declines as age overcomes this barrier. Training is the most obvious factor that could influence your results. An athlete who has been training for longer would have more time to develop their genetic potential and therefore produce better results. Exceptions occur with athletes who are naturally gifted and talented in a specific sport, but in general the more you train and the harder you train, the better your body adapts and grows, improving performance. Results These results are however verysuperficial as the experiments only involve 6 athletes, barely touching the surface of a real scientific experiment. This is not sufficient to provide accurate results as my experiments do not cover a broad spectrum of athletes or a large multitude of factors. Another loophole in my experimentation would include the fact that we are unable to accurately say how these factors specifically affect an athlete's performance. We know that these factors influence performance, but unless we have a multitude of athletes with varying abilities that allow for broad comparisons, it would not be possible to gain a very accurate understanding of how these factors specifically modify or influence a performance. These inaccuracies, however, have already been minimized by finding athletes who all had the same factors and only the one tested was changed. To further flesh out my investigation, I should survey professional athletes to see how the factors I am testing actually affect their performance in their sport, primarily track and field. Internet Search Basketball is a physically demanding sport where height is the most important aspect of the game. The average height in the NBA is 2.01 m, which means that every athlete is taller than the average human. In the 72-year history of the NBA*, there have only been 24 recorded players who were 175 cm or less (5 feet 9 inches). Even with hard work it would be almost physically impossible to compete with athletes who are 30cm taller than you. Among these 24 players, those who have performed well and been successful can be counted on one hand and can barely keep up with more genetically gifted athletes who may put in less or similar effort. Height, however, is not the only factor that determines an athlete's performance as there have been many basketball players over 6 feet tall who have failed in the NBA. The physicality and skill that comes from constant practice also defines a good player as shorter athletes make up for their lack of height by constantly practicing ball handling or shooting skills, making up for their inability to dunk and push away shots. others from the ball as taller players tend to possess more physicality due to their greater mass and weight. Track and field is also a physically demanding sport as it includes many different specialties. Certain physical attributes are necessary for certain sports in this case as track and field can range from jumping and running to throwing. Furthermore, each of these specialties presents very distinct skills, which place Decathlon* athletes in high regard. In a 100 meter dash, being too tall would decrease an athlete's ability to launch from the blocks faster than shorter athletes, however this is compensated for in the later stages of the race. This can be seen in Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, who reaches an incredible height of 1.95 m. Usain Bolt is always slow at the start and only begins to reach top speeds towards the 60 meter portion of the race, where he completely dominates the rest of the field thanks to his tall stature and wide strides. Usain Bolt holds the world record for the 100 and 200 meters and, thanks to his tall frame, completed his world-record run in 41 steps, compared to 45 for Tyson Gay, who finished second. Along with his athletic talent and age of 24, Usain Bolt was at his peak, evidently when he broke the world record for 100 and 200 meters in the same year. His height allowed him to complete the race in 4 steps less, arriving with much faster timing. To top it off, Usain Bolt was also leading the pack,something rarely seen due to his tall stature, which was what raised doubts about whether he initially undertook the 100 metres. Despite his great genetics, he was not particularly suited for sprinting due to his height and in fact originally ran longer distances such as the 200 and 400 meters as he took full advantage of his tall stature. However, Usain Bolt made up for his slow starts by practicing repeatedly to minimize the time lost on the blocks compared to other athletes. It was only through constant practice and lucky genetics that allowed Usain Bolt to be the fastest in the world. The lucky genetics in a certain sense are questionable as it made him unsuitable for the 100 meters as his coach initially thought, but he invented for this with constant commitment and training, possibly also putting his genetics to good use. As we all know, there have been many athletics world records broken over the years. Every single official race record, regardless of gender, spans from the 1980s to the 2000s, with no records lasting longer. This is more than clear evidence that better equipment and technologies improve athletes' performance. From better training regimes to specialized shoes, athletes would obviously perform much better. For example, in the 100 meter sprint, the oldest world record from 1891 was 10.80. This is considered mediocre nowadays, even slower than Singapore's national record for this event, 10.37. The world record today is 9.58, recorded in 2009, a difference of a century and what was once thought impossible has been achieved as breaking the 10 second barrier is now something that happens occasionally among top sex athletes male. This is no exception for sprinters either, as the world record set in 1922 of 13.6 now stands at 10.49 set in 1988. These significant differences are the result of decades of genetic improvement, nutrition and technological advances. Some conditions, such as wind speed and weather conditions, will also affect performance. In almost all track and field events, wind will have a strong influence on an athlete's results and performance. Therefore, for most of these sports, wind speeds greater than +*2.0 m/s will be considered illegal and will not be eligible for records, but will still be permitted. A tailwind will assist the moving athlete or object and therefore cause it to produce much better results, while a headwind works in the opposite way, resisting the moving object or athlete. Altitude also affects an athlete's performance as each athlete trains in different conditions, many are not used to high altitude levels as the oxygen at that level is thinner, making it more difficult for athletes to breathe. This however benefits sprint athletes as there is less air resistance and since sprint athletes already have all the oxygen needed for the short run in their bloodstream and muscles, the thin air would not affect them much. Finally, an athlete's reaction time would also greatly influence the results of a race, especially in the 200 meters and under, as these races are relatively short and even a difference of a millisecond could distinguish the winner. However, predicting when the gun will fire is not a viable strategy as anyone sprinting from the blocks before 0.1 second is immediately disqualified as it is physically impossible to have a faster reaction time than that including factors such as the time taken for the gun to sound to reach the athlete's ears. Even the.