How does HEIGHT affect Speed for Female Sprinters

[@chloecastro6452]

i’m 5’1 and it’s so cool to see short women dominate a field where it’s stereotypically better to be tall!!!!

[@mcentepede]

Don't listen to social media and these so called scientists yo. They all full of crap. Train your body and mind, much can be accomplished. Ok Usain Bolt at 6'5 and 200 pounds obviously the fastest ever. So they justify it being his size. But the fastest on the planet pound for pound has to be Shelly Ann Fraser. Sh'es 5 feet and 105 pounds in her tracksuit. Yet she consistently beat 6 feet tall jacked women all the time. She also defended the 100 metres title with two golds. Not too many women did that. The ones that did were significantly bigger than her. Shacarri is tiny too, she's winning alot also.

[@Ytremz]

The bigger you are, the more strength you need to accelerate all that weight and get a good start. Longer strides normally pair with a bigger frame.

[@pelmfbpndd7065]

minus longer legs, feet, hips, elongated, flat physique with proportionally to the body leg and shoulder leg (zmd in men (-trigger arm length shoulder leg length (-hormones, genetic disposition) as well as arm length narrower hips (what, as well as less tightly knit, looser, less compact, softer tissue structure, more of an advantage or less of a disadvantage in "currently warmer areas) or + rounder, broader physique with proportionally to the upper body shorter legs, hips and abdomen with proportionally to leg and foot length broader hips, ribcage, torso (which, as well as more tight-meshed, compact tissue structure as well as f.e. more fat in the outer skin, more compact tissue structures, more of an advantage or less of a disadvantage in colder areas)

[@defnotconar]

I've been wondering about this for a while. Thank for making a video on this topic!

[@pukulu]

It's evident that for female sprinters it pays to be a bit taller for the 200 meters than for the 100 meters. Top speed is more important at 200 meters while a great start helps for the 100 meters. Still, it's not so intuitive that several of the best females in the 100 meters have been rather short, 5'1" to 5"4". Fraser-Pryce is a great example but so is Sha'Carri Richardson, or Marie Josee Ta Lou.

[@balisaani]

"Best" but not in the top 12 fastest - not sure about doping playing a part or not (other than Flo G-J and Marion Jones), but that's a pretty clear divider of best in sprinting: fastest times.

[@JoeTodd6]

It's a shame that Schippers' peak didn't last for longer but 2 WC Golds and a championship record in the 200m is very impressive. Netherlands seem to have some serious talent in the women's 400m right now

[@realalbertan]

& Femke is tall at 184 / 6'

[@ckzf1842]

6’ is VERY tall, esp. for a woman !!

[@brucepower3429]

​@@ckzf1842not in the netherlands lol

[@dirkjackson8939]

PEDS

[@tomsoyer5639]

@@brucepower3429 yes it is

[@AllInTheGame01]

0:07; I'm sorry but the end of that 4x1 race between NED & SUI will never stop being funny :) Quite telling that to date there are no women below 5' 6' that's run a wind-legal sub 21.7s. Will be interesting to see if Sha'Carri (21.92 PB) who ran 21.61 (+2.6) or roughly 21.80 (0.0) in R1 of the 200m @USAs last year will be the first to do so.

[@Hengel_Andrews]

There’s all this data to the 200m and in that data you’ll see all these 1 off fast pbs that don’t fit.

[@Sough]

Pretty obvious to me that she could have done it if she were fresh and going all out, that would easily counteract 0.6 in wind. Interesting to think about how shortness may equal more fatigue though, one might think that less weight and muscle means less energy used or less lactic, but I guess the stride frequency overrules that

[@AllInTheGame01]

@@Sough The 'shortness' is more to do with stride length combined with frequency as longer legged sprinters with very good frequency & speed endurance can really eat up the track in the 200m with Gabby Thomas being a great example.

[@charlesgraham9954]

i loved watching Ashford run back in the 80s, she was so smooth looking. she's my favorite by far.

[@geelb-fe7ef]

Still my favorite of all time love watching her race

[@Shane696]

My question would be what is the difference in leg length. A shorter lady that has a longer leg/short torso build would match up better with a taller lady I would suspect.

[@dwaynejordan5898]

we would have to whip out our measuring tape for this, but you can go further,,you can try to determine body core strength and more muscle mass vs slender...we can compare and contrast many attibutes

[@pinklemonade6597]

Yep im curious about this too!

[@Christian-se5si]

The main factor at play in women’s sprinting is turnover speed. The best women in the world have some incredibly fast foot contact times, which is why a lot of shorter women are very dominant. The stronger factor at play for men is stride length

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

absolute wrong! Stride frequency and length are just effect of running speed not the cause. Shortening the ground contact time does not make you faster. Taking longer strides does not make you faster either. But longer limbs are a big advantage because they allow one to stay on the ground longer at the same speed as with shorter limbs. That's why Bolt had GCT of ~0.9s during his WR!

[@Hengel_Andrews]

Why are you guessing and making incorrect assumptions? Nothing you said has any foundation in science, in fact science had refuted this since the 80s.

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

@@Hengel_Andrews haha. i understand simple laws of physics. Your science should be flushed down the toilet!

[@Christian-se5si]

@@Leonidas-eu9bb women often have gct of .06 . The trade off is theyre not ass powerful and arent able to create as much distance per step which is why the fastest women are only taking 47-51 strides as opposed to 41-45

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

@@Christian-se5si No sprinter is has GCT under .07s! Women take more steps because of their shorter limb length. Power is also a reason but women are lighter so they don't need as much power.

[@tlamelokgosimalebe3119]

Im 5'9 but whenever I'm watching these ladies run on tv i always believed they are tall;well except for Frazer Pryce,Sha Carri and ta lou😂😂 I can't believe how tall Iam now

[@yennox5338]

Even Christian Coleman who looks short compared to everyone else is actually 5'8.

[@gummy5862]

Well yeah 5’9 is pretty tall for a woman. Track isn’t one of those sports where you have to be huge to succeed

[@mssha1980]

5’9 for a man is short

[@yennox5338]

@@mssha1980 Nope, 5'9 is actually the average height for an adult male across the world.

[@mssha1980]

@@yennox5338 ok. It just isn’t tall for a man

[@lvseka]

After watching Julien Alfred’s performance at the Olympics finals, I’m convinced that 5’7” is a sweet sport for women to run at the fastest speeds.

[@JDMimeTHEFIRST]

Short people definitely have to work harder. But Sha’Carri is 5ft 1in. She trains hard and is fast. If she was taller, it would be even easier. I’m short and a runner. I run often with taller people and while they are barely moving at the same pace, I’m working my ass off. It’s definitely harder to win when you are short. You are working harder than tall people

[@JDMimeTHEFIRST]

On average, sprinters are taller than the general population which downs show that height makes a difference and does give you an advantage. Otherwise they’d be the same average height as the general population, not taller.

[@user-md3wm7vu1f]

well the main point of the video seems to be height isnt actually that big of a factor in speed when looking at the data (especially in the 100m). pretty much everyone at the olympic level is already working their ass off as much as you possibly can, so if height were such a large factor, then you would expect to see sprinting dominated by the hardest-working extremely tall people, not a mix of tall and short with many of the GOAT being quite short

[@mcentepede]

Shelly Ann Fraser is 5 feet and about 105 pounds. Literally about half my size. Yet she is a multiple Olympic gold medalist. Probably the fastest human ever pound for pound. And yet she is the size of a 12 year old girl. Her fast, compact strides and speed endurance probably helps her beat all these bigger women. Long strides takes more time and energy, so unless you are Usain Bolt, I don't think the bigger is better trend in sprinting is legit. Bolt actually more suited for Basketball if you ask me.Tall and athletic.

[@Dlami89]

Shorter height / legs = faster start & low top end speed also mid / average top end speed at best, they normally start fast but fade in tge latter stages of the race. Taller height = slower start, high top end speed at best, they normally start slower but have great closing speed and top end speed . The reason being is because shorter sprinters get into their running or strides faster while taller sprinters it takes them a while to get into their stride hence why they tend to have better top end speed. Though i must say there are instances where the roles are sort of reversed there are tall athletes who start well but fade in the latter stages and there are shorter athletes who have slower starts and have high top end speed but its sort of a rare case. This is easily identifiable in the sprints.

[@chill6789]

I always thought the shorter person would have a disadvantage bc there legs have to move twice as fast to keep up with someone that's taller ( longer legs)

[@user-ve7hn2dh8h]

Not twice as fast, but yes, faster than the longer legs

[@jeremybstudentpilot5315]

Shorter sprinters usually have a stronger lower body and smaller feet.

[@SCHDSTAN]

Keep in mind it’s easier to move your legs faster when they are shorter.

[@katjay3125]

Their*

[@opulence_prime]

I agree, look at it this way. Kids have more energy because it circulates faster because they’re so short and small.

[@MR.CLEAN777]

FINALLY Y UPLOADED OMG

[@TremblingQualifier]

i think there advantages/disadvantages to heights at any distance, but how the athlete trains and uses their advantages in performance is what matters most. I can imagine at more extreme ends of height, there could be bigger disadvantages, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of those disadvantages have to do with the impacts of how living in the rest of society is not physically optimized for those heights (with variations based on country) which can affect training and performance in a very straightforward physical performance sport.

[@d2h655]

Grateful for this breakdown

[@YungSiKrey]

Shelly has the best start abd Elaine has the best top speed and Shericka can maintain her top spedd the longest.

[@TeKeyaKrystal]

I adore the Jamaicans in running

[@gentleeyes]

I cry every time I watch Evelyn Ashford close the distance on East Germany in that relay race.

[@jj-if6it]

I'm over 6'1" and can't help but wonder if I missed my calling to succeed at sport somewhere along the way...

[@ThomasRobinson-c2n]

SAFP is the GOAT of women’s 100m sprinting

[@davidhunternyc1]

Fraser Pryce's turnover is breathtaking. How do you train to have fast twitch muscles like that?

[@keenannorris3309]

You don't.

[@dawnbillingslea4143]

ShellyAnn Fraser Pryce was not always muscular either. 🤔 I love her but I’m just saying…many of these sprinters don’t always start out muscular. Some never build it.

[@naomim5746]

Brings me pride. They are so amazing!

[@halfbro]

Still really missing Tori Bowie :(

[@andreanderson2302]

Yes. To this day.

[@andreanderson2302]

In one of her news interviews, she had said that all she wants is a statue in her hometown as a memory. Naturally, this is long before she died. The state of Mississippi should erect a statue in her hometown and the state capital. It's the very least they can do for an Olympian.

[@ledernierutopiste]

I just found out about her death and how she died, absolutely terrible, R.I.P she was a very gracious runner.

[@katjay3125]

That's all?..lol

[@Brahanassei]

Short women are the most powerful women in sprinting

[@edwardrichardson5567]

Short people male or female are more explosive.. A tall person is best suited for the longer sprints up to the 800m..

[@richild3967]

@@edwardrichardson5567 Usain Bolt ?

[@ronester1]

Sha'carri is actually 5'1"

[@KLoff-pg1dm]

She looks TALL on tv lol like long. Thats crazy .

[@mssha1980]

@@KLoff-pg1dmshe has long legs

[@jaykay6761]

Miller Uibo is the equivalent of a 6'6/6'7 Male Sprinter

[@shirobedabo]

She is godly

[@sinking1902]

Stunning woman. Beautiful and elegant on the track. Moves like a goddess.

[@thesharpercoder]

Food for thought. Bolt could reach the 100m finish line using two fewer strides than most of the field.

[@Catlily5]

He is a man.

[@robinbauer1975]

Is this the same in male sprinting. Coleman is the best starter ever and aswell not the tallest

[@awemanyfit]

As a 176CM(5'9.25) male,my school's athletics games are coming. I've not had a roper sprinting program,in my secondary school I wasn't fast. I've been making researches,it seams 200m will be better for me,but I'll also try 400m(I can build endurance,I used to play football to become a professional)

[@maikotter9945]

I guess you mean American Football? A brain injury, would be more certain, than the opposite! What is your birth month? Mine is January. My brother once said to me: "You are 182 cm. (just beyond 6ft).

[@awemanyfit]

@@maikotter9945 football⚽️

[@conartist267]

Great technical video. Love your accent too!

[@klesuo]

Ok so does hip flexion range have a correlation to speed or not? I would have liked to see this aspect explored further as mobility is often mentioned as a key to improving your speed. I do distance running. Not sure if that matters in all this. But I struggle with what modification to my form will help me improve my pace. I am 5’2” but I feel like I expend sooo much more energy than other similar heighted women to keep the same pace. Also I have long legs. If knowing that helps!

[@quadecooper8508]

Jackson to run 10.5 in the 100m this year

[@alammelayuu]

Yes with drug

[@kc5466]

I wouldn’t be surprised if shericka has peaked in her 100m because she have so few things in her 100m to improve on. So she could possibly break her pb but sub 10.60 is tough. Elaine has a better chance of running sub 10.6 again. And Shacarri has a better chance of running sub 10.6 than shericka has of doing it. The ship has sailed on Shelly.

[@rodbrown8306]

Cadence means a lot as well. Body balance shorter seem to have better efficiency.

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

Nope. On the opposite. Shorter sprinters go fast by having a very high cadence, which is INefficient (more energy is lost by moving the limbs at a high rythm, just like driving your car in the first gear all the time). However on the distances shorter than 300 meter that does not matter much, because these distances can be run on anaerobic metabolism which provides enough raw power. On the 400 however efficiency starts to matter, because after about 300m anaerobic energy starts to dwindle and lactic acid starts building up. That is also the reason that most top level 400 meter runners are relatively tall and not to heavily built, and have very good running form.

[@princesskodsoj7709]

⁠​⁠@@rientsdijkstra4266bird brain, EVERYONE gets lactic acid at 300m no matter the height. Use your brain.

[@paulblake1164]

9:53: I noticed a reference to Abby Steiner (5ft 6in,) who has a compelling leg drive and, although not on the list, completed the 2022 world championship.

[@davidtydeman1434]

Interesting analysis

[@Sough]

what? Since when is Shacarri 5 foot 0?

[@notnalaysia9710]

She’s 5’1 irl but some online info be saying she’s 5’0

[@haroldquill8761]

I’ve notice no 5ft male sprinters and certainly have noticed 200m runners are taller in women.

[@trimainebarnett8175]

That mean shericka gone break both records wait and see

[@SarahBell]

Sha’carri is 5’1” 😊 amazing athlete

[@watcherwlc53]

What happened to the video? It is saying it is unavailable?

[@duranwilliams7347]

Where is Merlene Ottey?

[@debrascott8775]

Wait, height has a different effect for men than women? Please.

[@gummy5862]

Men’s professional sprinting overwhelming favors tall bodies, whereas women’s sprinting has dominant athletes throughout the height spectrum, although most female sprinters tend to be higher end of average female height to moderately tall.

[@michaelmaxwell2464]

Does it? I mean Usain Bolt was always told he was too tall for the 100m and it used to be thought that really tall men couldn't run the 100. Bolt CHANGED that viewpoint.

[@princesskodsoj7709]

@@michaelmaxwell2464yeah…changed the viewpoint FOR MEN. People are so delusional to think tall people can’t sprint 100 meters, they still think that to this day..especially for women.

[@MR12AMAZING]

​@@gummy5862Amongst the top 10 fastest 100m runners of all time, 6 of them are below 6ft. Baring this in mind, you can't say it overwhelmingly favours tall bodies. If anything it's neutral. It wasn't till Bolt came around when people started this whole thing of taller people having an advantage.

[@adrianbundy3249]

How does Parker Valby fit into this do you think?

[@33Camden]

Marion Jones would’ve won those Olympic medals without any enhancement . . . . She was way too good anyway🤷🏽‍♂️

[@Mattt5]

I guess we'll never know

[@jonz23m]

They are all enhanced

[@abenaandersen]

In the 2000 Olympic final most of the women were on PED’s and tested positive or were excluded later. It was unfair not just to let Marion keep her gold medal. Despite that I think what she did was deplorable.

[@cesarzoghbi4695]

What an interesting analysis. This is a topic that I always discuss with my wife because she is also small, but I think that the main thing when it comes to sprinters is the % muscle fibers.

[@RM-jj4xi]

Power to weight and what happens during footstrike and the recycling action would seem more important.

[@jdagreat4595]

Imagine being 1 of 3 fastest human women in the world 😮

[@XDF745]

Jeter wasn't always so muscular. 👀

[@sinking1902]

She’s saucy for sure.

[@longbow857]

For anyone thinking Schippers is a gigant: she is just above average length for a woman in The Netherlands wich is 5'7. So this whole video was hillarious to watch as a Dutchy for what is considered average and tall by the narrator xD

[@MR12AMAZING]

She's just over 5ft 10. That's still tall for a Dutch woman if the average is 5ft 7.

[@mychannel-rt2gn]

5’10 is tall for a woman in Nederland…

[@richild3967]

I’m watching this as 5’10.5 woman thinking my goodness people must think I’m a giant meanwhile i don’t feel that tall

[@geelb-fe7ef]

Merlene Ottey

[@mohommedsoumaoro9140]

All American accent!! Wonder if you have to speak french to be on the team.

[@arathgomez172]

Richardson is 5’1

[@cesarzoghbi4695]

Qué interesante análisis

[@shinigami1176]

I mean short men can also beat tall men if they can good acceleration and higher stride frequency

[@cashrjr23]

more steps on the ground verses long strides

[@Lizetteeexo]

Thanks for this video I been so curious! I’m 5’0 and sprint fast naturally I’m always running daily but my bf is 6’5 and of course runs fast compared to most men cause of his long stride

[@Yorubapraises]

I ran track in middle school and HS and won first and second place many times. I have 3 trophies for 1st place sprinting, relay, and 4x100. Im also 5'3 or 163 cm and ran a 10.42. I had a powerful start but lost my last race terribly to a 5'6 female.

[@metsrus]

Next video how does race affect speed

[@SD78]

Typically, shorter runners have a better start and acceleration, but get reeled in by the stride rate of taller athlete.

[@princesskodsoj7709]

False

[@MR12AMAZING]

​@@princesskodsoj7709He said 'typically'. You may mention outliers but this is a fact.

[@samatardavidbndphotofilm]

They are nearing men world records that that was being set in the 80s.

[@simstander5471]

What is 5 foot? Why can’t you people use centimetres? It just makes sense.

[@marriejames01]

Hollered at the short girl eating the track.😂

[@sammyjacksonofhollywood1245]

it's about power, not height

[@wilroychrist3726]

You should talk about turnover too.

[@bharatmahaan2991]

Only Shelly Anne Fraser-Pryce...

[@MmmGallicus]

Metric please

[@electric8668]

RIP Tori Bowie

[@adamfernandes4312]

Watch at 2x speed

[@csy2068]

Why we talking abt jones when she was using drugs

[@gbone7581]

and Flo-Jo as well.

[@mssha1980]

You could say the same for many people

[@fixthatface483]

@@gbone7581Lies.

[@tsmith9063]

Shacarri is 5 1

[@maikotter9945]

What about "Games of Mediocracy"? The gold medal, would be given to the athlete, with most MEDIAN result! A 100 meters Women´s World Championship Final, without anybody from Asia, is telling very much! ° 8 starters; 5 from the Americas, 2 from Ivory Coast; 1 from the Netherlands The Dutch have the tallest population on MEDIAN!

[@nastybadger-tn4kl]

Its all about weight balancing

[@miyelanichauke4646]

Flo jo the goat

[@Desperado070]

Actually that is bs... W've heard this aslong as humans can remember but being longer does not mean you faster in long sprints. Or if you shorter you be faster on the short sprints, actually it has nothing to do with any of these things. It is about how fast you feet can hit the ground after each other and nothing else... Which comes down to training and training and training

[@geelb-fe7ef]

That's what strike rate is how many times your feet hit the ground. Exactly what the narrator was saying so listen right!

[@Desperado070]

@@geelb-fe7ef Do you got brain problems?

[@princesskodsoj7709]

Exactly!!

[@princesskodsoj7709]

It’s all about training

[@princesskodsoj7709]

@@geelb-fe7efuse your brain. He said it’s about how fast your feet hits the ground, not how many times it hits the ground. There’s a difference, bird brain.

[@howardlam6181]

not enough muscle and horsepower to justify the higher gear ratio

[@Tobzzzz_]

Why are black and African people genetically stronger and more agile than their counterparts? Has there been a study done on this?

[@patbenz4327]

In my opinion, the fact that the fastest people are black (West African descent) doesn't mean you have to be black to be fast.

[@Tobzzzz_]

@@patbenz4327 facts are facts. West Africans have superior athleticism

[@patbenz4327]

​@@Tobzzzz_ So, you're saying there are no exceptions? Is it impossible for a non-black person to have the same genes as those sprinters? I think nature is more diverse than that. If some people in Africa can have blue eyes, If black Melanesians can have blond hair, I think any race can have rare genetical mutations that make them fast sprinters. That's my opinion.

[@Tobzzzz_]

@@patbenz4327 not saying there aren’t any exceptions. I started going to the gym recently and have gained a lot of muscle fast. My trainer said it’s because I’m West African. Our bodies just build muscle faster…so we’re generally more fit and strong. It is what it is.

[@ProductionProcessYT]

Insane

[@MajSolo]

Efficient use of my time watching 30 races or whatever it was 😀

[@etoeto6754]

0:12 blacktivities

[@Councils-Girl]

Melanin effects speed😄

[@mychannel-rt2gn]

Not really

[@lilcourtny08]

​@mychannel-rt2gn yes it does, fastest athletes are black plain and simple

[@ajrocks12x]

Ehhhh no. I don't believe Sha'Carri and Shelly-Ann are that tall. More like 4'9". Another reason why neither will be great at 200M. Just too short.

[@stonehenges5722]

Duck-style

[@unruly7516]

😊

[@jj-if6it]

The huge wigs look kinda ridiculous, and surely they'd weigh them down a bit?

[@parrotbrand2782]

Main factor is take drugs. Just like Flo Jo. That's why she died young and her records still stands.

[@tsmith9063]

All these heights are incorrect

[@LapNgo-h9u]

I just want to see Abby Steiner videos.

[@scottmitchell1974]

SAFP

[@mightygame9944]

Wihtin 5min of watching, i still didnt hear the "why" but more explanation of their success, so i quit the video.

[@daniella921]

Means nothing

[@phoenixsasha2727]

So basically height is irrelevant.

[@callumbush1]

None of this crop will beat Flo Jo rip!

[@Abdu11L4hi]

Flo jo was clearly juiced up to the limit

[@callumbush1]

@@Abdu11L4hi she passed every test given to her never failed one

[@Abdu11L4hi]

@@callumbush1 bro ben johnson passed every test except one 💀💀💀 Flo Jo got lucky she died so young asw she looked like a man 👨

[@callumbush1]

@@Abdu11L4hi you've no idea what you're talking about.

[@Abdu11L4hi]

@@callumbush1 says you she was clearly juice the real wr belongs to elain e and shericka

[@pesocheco]

Carri 5’5 lol

[@lindameermann3760]

The size doesn't matter. For American and Jamaican sprinters it is solely due to doping. They're just pumped full of it.

[@Lalaland-og9xr]

I’m sorry that the women representing your country are slow, but just because American and Jamaican women are fast and one of the most talented doesn’t mean they’re doping lol cope

[@lindameermann3760]

@@Lalaland-og9xr Everyone knows that they are pumped full of doping. Anyone who claims otherwise is a complete idiot. So, are you one?

[@DjiwjdjGdhehbe]

Or maybe everyone else is slow 🤣

[@aidan2849]

So height affects sprint speed different in women and men.

[@SarahBell]

Sha’carri is 5’1” 😊 amazing athlete