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  • The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius."

    奧林匹克的格言是“Citius, Altius, Fortius”

  • Faster, Higher, Stronger.

    意為 “更快、更高、更強”。

  • And athletes have fulfilled that motto rapidly.

    而運動員們迅雷不及掩耳地做到這一格言。

  • The winner of the 2012 Olympic marathon

    2012年奧林匹克馬拉松的冠軍記錄是

  • ran two hours and eight minutes.

    兩小時八分鐘。

  • Had he been racing against the winner

    如果讓這位2012年的馬拉松冠軍

  • of the 1904 Olympic marathon,

    在1904年的奧林匹克馬拉松中競賽,

  • he would have won by nearly an hour and a half.

    他要比當年的冠軍快一個半小時。

  • Now we all have this feeling

    此時此刻,我們都覺得

  • that we're somehow just getting better

    某程度上我們作為人類

  • as a human race, inexorably progressing,

    在日漸一日地、勢不可擋地進步,

  • but it's not like we've evolved into a new species

    但這種進步,又並不像是在區區一世紀內

  • in a century.

    就進化成另一個新物種的那種。

  • So what's going on here?

    那麼到底是怎麼回事呢?

  • I want to take a look at what's really behind

    我想看看運動進步歷程的背後

  • this march of athletic progress.

    到底藏著什麼秘密。

  • In 1936, Jesse Owens

    1936年,傑西·歐文斯

  • held the world record in the 100 meters.

    在一百米田徑中創下了新的世界紀錄。

  • Had Jesse Owens been racing last year

    如果傑西·歐文斯參加了

  • in the world championships of the 100 meters,

    去年的世界一百米田徑賽,

  • when Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt finished,

    牙買加短跑運動員尤賽恩·博爾特衝到終點時,

  • Owens would have still had 14 feet to go.

    歐文斯離終點還有十四英尺。

  • That's a lot in sprinter land.

    在短跑賽場上,十四英尺可不是小數目。

  • To give you a sense of how much it is,

    為了讓大家感受一些其中的區別,

  • I want to share with you a demonstration

    我想跟大家分享

  • conceived by sports scientist Ross Tucker.

    運動科學家羅斯·德科構思的一個範例。

  • Now picture the stadium last year

    現在,請大家想像自己身處

  • at the world championships of the 100 meters:

    去年世界杯百米錦標賽的賽場:

  • thousands of fans waiting with baited breath

    成千上萬位運動迷屏住呼吸,

  • to see Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history;

    等候看見尤賽恩·博爾特這位歷史上最快的人;

  • flashbulbs popping as the nine fastest men in the world

    閃光燈奮然驟現,只見世界上最快的九個人

  • coil themselves into their blocks.

    現身於他們各自的起跑器旁。

  • And I want you to pretend

    我要大家想像

  • that Jesse Owens is in that race.

    傑西·歐文斯也在這九個人當中。

  • Now close your eyes for a second and picture the race.

    現在,閉上眼睛,想像一下這場比賽。

  • Bang! The gun goes off.

    梆!槍聲一響。

  • An American sprinter jumps out to the front.

    一名美國短跑運動員一下就躍到前列。

  • Usain Bolt starts to catch him.

    尤賽恩·博爾特開始追上這位運動員。

  • Usain Bolt passes him, and as the runners come to the finish,

    尤賽恩·博爾特超越了他,每位運動員衝線終點時,

  • you'll hear a beep as each man crosses the line.

    你都會聽到“嗶”一聲。

  • (Beeps)

    (”嗶“)

  • That's the entire finish of the race.

    然後整場比賽就結束了。

  • You can open your eyes now.

    現在大家可以睜開雙眼。

  • That first beep was Usain Bolt.

    第一聲“嗶”是,尤賽恩·博爾特。

  • That last beep was Jesse Owens.

    最後一聲“嗶”,是傑西·歐文斯。

  • Listen to it again.

    再聽一次。

  • (Beeps)

    (“嗶”)

  • When you think of it like that,

    這樣聽來,

  • it's not that big a difference, is it?

    是不是覺得差別不大?

  • And then consider that Usain Bolt started

    那麼想一下,尤賽恩·博爾特起步時

  • by propelling himself out of blocks

    腳下有起跑器

  • down a specially fabricated carpet

    將他推向特製的地面地毯,

  • designed to allow him to travel

    這種地毯的設計允許他

  • as fast as humanly possible.

    以人類所能達到的最快速度奔跑。

  • Jesse Owens, on the other hand,

    而傑西·歐文斯呢,

  • ran on cinders, the ash from burnt wood,

    則在煤渣路上跑,盡是木頭焚燒後剩下的灰渣,

  • and that soft surface stole far more energy

    而那種柔軟的路面在他跑步的過程中,

  • from his legs as he ran.

    吞噬了他腿上大量的精力。

  • Rather than blocks, Jesse Owens had a gardening trowel

    傑西·歐文斯沒有起跑器,只有一把種花用的泥鏟,

  • that he had to use to dig holes in the cinders to start from.

    他只能用這把泥鏟在起跑的煤渣路上挖坑。

  • Biomechanical analysis of the speed

    對歐文斯運動關節速度的生理力學分析顯示

  • of Owens' joints shows that had been running

    如果歐文斯的關節跑步接觸面

  • on the same surface as Bolt,

    能夠跟博爾特的一樣,

  • he wouldn't have been 14 feet behind,

    歐文斯就不會被拋在十四英尺外,

  • he would have been within one stride.

    而是只差一步之遙就能趕上博爾特。

  • Rather than the last beep,

    歐文斯不會是最後的一“嗶”,

  • Owens would have been the second beep.

    而是第二“嗶”。

  • Listen to it again.

    再聽一次。

  • (Beeps)

    (“嗶”)

  • That's the difference track surface technology has made,

    這就是田徑跑道接觸面技術進步所產生的差別,

  • and it's done it throughout the running world.

    而這一技術在賽跑界比比皆是。

  • Consider a longer event.

    想一個時間更長的運動時間。

  • In 1954, Sir Roger Bannister

    1954年的羅傑·班尼斯特爵士

  • became the first man to run under four minutes in the mile.

    是人類歷史上第一個在四分鐘內跑完一英里的人。

  • Nowadays, college kids do that every year.

    現在,每年都有大學生達到這一紀錄。

  • On rare occasions, a high school kid does it.

    偶爾,一個高中生也可以做到。

  • As of the end of last year,

    截至去年年底

  • 1,314 men

    有一千三百一十四個人

  • had run under four minutes in the mile,

    已經可以在四分鐘內跑完一英里,

  • but like Jesse Owens,

    但是跟傑西·歐文斯一樣,

  • Sir Roger Bannister ran on soft cinders

    羅傑·班尼斯特爵士跑的是軟煤渣路,

  • that stole far more energy from his legs

    他腿部的力量都被這煤渣路吞耗了,

  • than the synthetic tracks of today.

    不能與今日的塑膠跑道相比。

  • So I consulted biomechanics experts

    我因此找了一些生理力學專家

  • to find out how much slower it is to run on cinders

    諮詢在煤渣路上跑步

  • than synthetic tracks,

    到底比在塑膠跑道慢多少,

  • and their consensus that it's one and a half percent slower.

    他們一致認為,慢1.5%。

  • So if you apply a one and a half percent slowdown conversion

    因此,如果你按1.5%的算法

  • to every man who ran his sub-four mile

    來計算每位在塑膠跑道上

  • on a synthetic track,

    在四分鐘內完成了一英里的速度,

  • this is what happens.

    這就是呈現的結果。

  • Only 530 are left.

    只剩下五百三十人。

  • If you look at it from that perspective,

    如果你從這個角度來看的話,

  • fewer than ten new men per [year]

    每年只有不到十個人

  • have joined the sub-four mile club

    能夠跟隨羅傑·班尼斯特爵士

  • since Sir Roger Bannister.

    加入這個“四分鐘內一英里“俱樂部。

  • Now, 530 is a lot more than one,

    現在,五百三十人遠比一個人多,

  • and that's partly because there are many more people

    其中的部分原因是,

  • training today and they're training more intelligently.

    現在越來越多人接受訓練,而且訓練相當有技巧。

  • Even college kids are professional in their training

    跟羅傑·班尼斯特爵士相比,

  • compared to Sir Roger Bannister,

    大學生的訓練也要比他的專業,

  • who trained for 45 minutes at a time

    班尼斯特爵士當年在醫學院上完婦科課之後才去訓練,

  • while he ditched gynecology lectures in med school.

    而且每次只是訓練四十五分鐘。

  • And that guy who won the 1904 Olympic marathon

    贏得1904年奧林匹克馬拉松賽的那位仁兄

  • in three in a half hours,

    在半小時內跑完三英里,

  • that guy was drinking rat poison and brandy

    那位仁兄是一邊喝著老鼠藥和白蘭地,

  • while he ran along the course.

    一邊跑完整程馬拉松。

  • That was his idea of a performance-enhancing drug.

    那些就是他所謂的增強表現藥。

  • (Laughter)

    (笑聲)

  • Clearly, athletes have gotten more savvy

    相比以前,現在的運動員對增強表現的藥物

  • about performance-enhancing drugs as well,

    顯然已經更加精通,

  • and that's made a difference in some sports at some times,

    而這有時也會使某些運動顯示出差距變化,

  • but technology has made a difference in all sports,

    但是科技在所有運動領域中創造差距變化,

  • from faster skis to lighter shoes.

    例如速度更快的雪橇、更加輕便的鞋子。

  • Take a look at the record for the 100-meter freestyle swim.

    我們看看百米自由泳的記錄。

  • The record is always trending downward,

    這個記錄一直往下降,

  • but it's punctuated by these steep cliffs.

    但卻不時出現這些突然峭降。

  • This first cliff, in 1956, is the introduction

    第一次的峭降是在1956年

  • of the flip turn.

    第一次引入翻騰轉體技巧。

  • Rather than stopping and turning around,

    運動員不再需要停止再轉身,

  • athletes could somersault under the water

    而是可以在水上一百八十度轉體,

  • and get going right away in the opposite direction.

    往反方向繼續前游。

  • This second cliff, the introduction of gutters

    第二次的峭降,當時引入了水槽設計,

  • on the side of the pool

    在游泳池四周的水槽

  • that allows water to splash off,

    允許水濺出,

  • rather than becoming turbulence

    而不是形成漩渦,

  • that impedes the swimmers as they race.

    給運動員在比賽中造成阻礙。

  • This final cliff,

    最後一次峭降,

  • the introduction of full-body

    當時引入了

  • and low-friction swimsuits.

    低摩擦力的全身泳衣。

  • Throughout sports, technology has changed the face of performance.

    在運動歷程中,科技已經為運動性能改頭換面。

  • In 1972, Eddy Merckx set the record

    1972年,艾迪·莫克斯

  • for the longest distance cycled in one hour

    創下了一小時內最長的單車行程記錄

  • at 30 miles, 3,774 feet.

    三十英里三千七百七十四英尺。

  • Now that record improved and improved

    這個記錄在不斷地更新再更新,

  • as bicycles improved and became more aerodynamic

    自行車不斷地在更新,更加符合空氣動力學,

  • all the way until 1996,

    一直到了1996年,

  • when it was set at 35 miles, 1,531 feet,

    當時的記錄是三十五英里一千五百三十一英尺,

  • nearly five miles farther

    跟1972年的艾迪·莫克斯相比,

  • than Eddy Merckx cycled in 1972.

    幾乎超出五英里。

  • But then in 2000, the International Cycling Union

    但是在2000年,國際自行車聯盟決定

  • decreed that anyone who wanted to hold that record

    任何想要打破這個記錄的人

  • had to do so with essentially the same equipment

    所使用的設備必須與1972年

  • that Eddy Merckx used in 1972.

    艾迪·莫克斯所使用的基本一致。

  • Where does the record stand today?

    今日這個記錄又是多少?

  • 30 miles, 4,657 feet,

    三十英里四千六百五十七英尺,

  • a grand total of 883 feet

    比起四十年之前

  • farther than Eddy Merckx cycled

    艾迪·莫克斯所騎的行程

  • more than four decades ago.

    不過多出整整八百八十三英尺。

  • Essentially the entire improvement in this record

    這一記錄的突破,

  • was due to technology.

    基本源於科技。

  • Still, technology isn't the only thing pushing athletes forward.

    但是,科技並不是推使運動員前進的唯一因素。

  • While indeed we haven't evolved

    的確,我們尚未在一個世紀內

  • into a new species in a century,

    完全進化成另外一個新物種,

  • the gene pool within competitive sports

    但是競賽運動的基因庫

  • most certainly has changed.

    很肯定已經發生了變化。

  • In the early half of the 20th century,

    在二十世紀上半葉,

  • physical education instructors and coaches

    體育教育的指導員和教練都認為

  • had the idea that the average body type

    平均的身體類型

  • was the best for all athletic endeavors:

    是所有運動的最適宜的體型:

  • medium height, medium weight, no matter the sport.

    中等身高、中等體重,無論是對何種運動而言。

  • And this showed in athletes' bodies.

    這在運動員的體態上可以體現。

  • In the 1920s, the average elite high-jumper

    20世紀20年代,平均優秀跳高運動員

  • and average elite shot-putter were the same exact size.

    跟平均優秀鉛球選手有完全一樣的體型。

  • But as that idea started to fade away,

    但是這樣的想法開始消失,

  • as sports scientists and coaches realized that

    因為運動科學家和教練發現

  • rather than the average body type,

    平均身體體型並非是最好的,

  • you want highly specialized bodies

    你需要的是

  • that fit into certain athletic niches,

    專門適合某種運動類型的體型,

  • a form of artificial selection took place,

    並且開始了某種人為的篩選,

  • a self-sorting for bodies that fit certain sports,

    自我篩選出適合某種運動的體型,

  • and athletes' bodies became more different from one another.

    而不同運動員的體型差距越來越大。

  • Today, rather than the same size as the average elite high jumper,

    時至今日,平均優秀跳高運動員的體型

  • the average elite shot-putter

    跟平均優秀鉛球選手的體型不再一樣,

  • is two and a half inches taller

    後者比前者要高2.5英寸,

  • and 130 pounds heavier.

    並且重130磅。

  • And this happened throughout the sports world.

    而這樣的事情在運動界比比皆是。

  • In fact, if you plot on a height versus mass graph

    事實上,如果你要畫一張身高體重對照表,

  • one data point for each of two dozen sports

    為二十世紀上半葉的二十四種運動

  • in the first half of the 20th century, it looks like this.

    畫出各自的數據點,則會得到這樣的一張圖。

  • There's some dispersal,

    稍微呈現離散,

  • but it's kind of grouped around that average body type.

    但還是圍繞著平均體型而出現。

  • Then that idea started to go away,

    然後這樣的想法開始消失,

  • and at the same time, digital technology --

    與此同時,數位科技——

  • first radio, then television and the Internet --

    首先是無線電台,然後是電視、網路——

  • gave millions, or in some cases billions, of people

    向數百萬人或者數十億人

  • a ticket to consume elite sports performance.

    提供了消費精英運動表演的門票。

  • The financial incentives and fame and glory afforded elite athletes skyrocketed,

    得到金錢獎勵以及名望榮譽的運動員直線上升,

  • and it tipped toward the tiny upper echelon of performance.

    並且漸漸擠向性能表現的頂端。

  • It accelerated the artificial selection for specialized bodies.

    這種情況加速了專門合適體型的人為挑選。

  • And if you plot a data point for these same

    如果你要為今日同樣的二十四類運動

  • two dozen sports today, it looks like this.

    畫一張數據點表的話,看上去會是這樣(藍色部分)。

  • The athletes' bodies have gotten

    運動員的體型

  • much more different from one another.

    已經大大地拉開差距。

  • And because this chart looks like the charts

    正因為這張圖看上去

  • that show the expanding universe,

    與顯示宇宙擴展的圖相似,

  • with the galaxies flying away from one another,

    就像不同的星系飛離另外其他星系一樣,

  • the scientists who discovered it call it

    發現這張圖的科學家把這張圖命名為

  • "The Big Bang of Body Types."

    “體型大爆炸”。

  • In sports where height is prized, like basketball,

    在重視身高的運動中,例如籃球,

  • the tall athletes got taller.

    高的運動員會越來越高。

  • In 1983, the National Basketball Association

    1983年國家籃球協會(NBA)

  • signed a groundbreaking agreement

    簽訂了一份具有歷史性意義的協議,

  • making players partners in the league,

    允許選手加入聯盟,

  • entitled to shares of ticket revenues

    能夠分享門票收益

  • and television contracts.

    和電視合約收益。

  • Suddenly, anybody who could be an NBA player

    霎時間,任何可能成為NBA選手的人

  • wanted to be,

    都想成為NBA選手,

  • and teams started scouring the globe

    而籃球隊也開始在全球搜索,

  • for the bodies that could help them win championships.

    尋找可以幫助他們贏得冠軍的體型。

  • Almost overnight,

    一夜間,

  • the proportion of men in the NBA

    NBA中

  • who are at least seven feet tall doubled

    至少有七尺高的人數比例

  • to 10 percent.

    翻倍到10%。

  • Today, one in 10 men in the NBA

    今日,NBA中,十個人

  • is at least seven feet tall,

    就有一個至少有七尺高,

  • but a seven-foot-tall man is incredibly rare

    但是在大眾人口當中,

  • in the general population --

    七尺高的男人是相當少見的——

  • so rare that if you know an American man

    少見的程度是,如果你認識一個美國男人

  • between the ages of 20 and 40

    他剛好在二十歲到四十歲之間,

  • who is at least seven feet tall,

    又剛好至少有七尺高,

  • there's a 17 percent chance

    那麼就有17%的可能性

  • he's in the NBA right now.

    他現在就是NBA的人。

  • (Laughter)

    (笑聲)

  • That is, find six honest seven footers,

    也就是說,隨意找七位老實的七尺高人

  • one is in the NBA right now.

    就有一個在NBA工作。

  • And that's not the only way that NBA players' bodies are unique.

    NBA選手體型的獨特之處不僅如此。

  • This is Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man,"

    這是列奧納多·達·芬奇的“維特魯威人”,

  • the ideal proportions,

    擁有最理想的體態比例,

  • with arm span equal to height.

    臂長與身高相等。

  • My arm span is exactly equal to my height.

    我的臂長與身高剛剛相等。

  • Yours is probably very nearly so.

    大家的也大概一樣。

  • But not the average NBA player.

    但是一般的NBA選手卻不是這樣。

  • The average NBA player is a shade under 6'7",

    平均的NBA選手身高約六尺七寸,

  • with arms that are seven feet long.

    但手臂有七尺長。

  • Not only are NBA players ridiculously tall,

    NBA選手不僅高得離譜,

  • they are ludicrously long.

    而且還長得荒唐。

  • Had Leonardo wanted to draw

    如果當初里奧納多想要畫的

  • the Vitruvian NBA Player,

    是維特魯威NBA選手,

  • he would have needed a rectangle and an ellipse,

    他估計要用長方形和橢圓,

  • not a circle and a square.

    而不是圓形和正方形。

  • So in sports where large size is prized,

    因此那些重視體型的運動裡面,

  • the large athletes have gotten larger.

    體型大的運動員已經越變越大了。

  • Conversely, in sports where diminutive stature is an advantage,

    相對而言,在小巧體型佔優勢的運動裡面,

  • the small athletes got smaller.

    小巧的運動員就越變越小。

  • The average elite female gymnast

    平均優秀女體操運動員

  • shrunk from 5'3" to 4'9" on average

    在過去三十年內

  • over the last 30 years,

    就從五尺三寸縮水到四尺九寸,

  • all the better for their power-to-weight ratio

    更加符合他們的力量—體重比例,

  • and for spinning in the air.

    也更加適合在空中旋轉。

  • And while the large got larger

    因此體型大的運動員越來越大,

  • and the small got smaller,

    體型小巧的就越來越小,

  • the weird got weirder.

    而體型怪異的就越長越怪。

  • The average length of the forearm

    水球運動員的前臂的平均長度

  • of a water polo player in relation

    跟他們的整只手臂相比

  • to their total arm got longer,

    變得更加長了,

  • all the better for a forceful throwing whip.

    這樣更加容易進行有力擊打。

  • And as the large got larger,

    正如體型大的運動員越來越大,

  • small got smaller, and the weird weirder.

    體型小巧的就越來越小,體型怪異的就越長越怪。

  • In swimming, the ideal body type

    在游泳中,理想的體型是

  • is a long torso and short legs.

    軀體長、雙腿短。

  • It's like the long hull of a canoe

    這就正如獨木舟

  • for speed over the water.

    船體長就可以在水中快速行走。

  • And the opposite is advantageous in running.

    而在跑步運動中則恰恰相反。

  • You want long legs and a short torso.

    跑步需要的是長腿短軀。

  • And this shows in athletes' bodies today.

    而這已體現在運動員的體型上來。

  • Here you see Michael Phelps,

    這裡你看見的是邁克爾·菲爾普斯,

  • the greatest swimmer in history,

    歷史上最偉大的游泳員,

  • standing next to Hicham El Guerrouj,

    旁邊站的是希查姆·艾爾·奎羅伊,

  • the world record holder in the mile.

    世界一英里田徑紀錄保持者。

  • These men are seven inches different in height,

    這兩位男士身高相差七寸

  • but because of the body types

    但正因為他們的體型

  • advantaged in their sports,

    使他們在運動中獲得優勢,

  • they wear the same length pants.

    他們穿的是同樣長度的褲子。

  • Seven inches difference in height,

    身高相差七寸,

  • these men have the same length legs.

    但卻有同樣長的腿。

  • Now in some cases, the search for bodies

    有時候,為了尋找

  • that could push athletic performance forward

    能夠優化運動表現的體型,

  • ended up introducing into the competitive world

    結果會把一些之前沒有參加過運動競賽的人群

  • populations of people that weren't previously competing at all,

    帶進這個運動競賽世界裡,

  • like Kenyan distance runners.

    比如肯亞的中、長跑運動員。

  • We think of Kenyans as being great marathoners.

    我們認為肯亞人是偉大的馬拉松運動員,

  • Kenyans think of the Kalenjin tribe

    而肯亞人則認為卡倫津部落的人

  • as being great marathoners.

    才是偉大的馬拉松運動員。

  • The Kalenjin make up just 12 percent

    卡倫津部落的人口

  • of the Kenyan population

    僅佔肯亞人口的12%,

  • but the vast majority of elite runners.

    但大部分的卡倫津都是出世的奔跑者,

  • And they happen, on average,

    他們剛好都有

  • to have a certain unique physiology:

    獨特的生理機能:

  • legs that are very long

    他們的腿相當長

  • and very thin at their extremity,

    同時又相當瘦,

  • and this is because they have their ancestry

    這是因為他們的祖先

  • at very low latitude

    生活在緯度相當低、

  • in a very hot and dry climate,

    溫度相當高、空氣相當乾燥的氣候裡,

  • and an evolutionary adaptation to that

    作為進化適應的調整,

  • is limbs that are very long

    他們的腿相當相當的長

  • and very thin at the extremity

    也相當相當的瘦,

  • for cooling purposes.

    目的是為了給身體降溫。

  • It's the same reason that a radiator has long coils,

    其中的原理,跟水箱長長的冷卻管一樣,

  • to increase surface area compared to volume

    目的是為了給流量增加表層接觸面,

  • to let heat out,

    散發熱量,

  • and because the leg is like a pendulum,

    由於雙腿就像鐘擺,

  • the longer and thinner it is at the extremity,

    越長越瘦,

  • the more energy-efficient it is to swing.

    擺起來就越能節省能耗。

  • To put Kalenjin running success in perspective,

    為了理解卡倫津田徑的成功,

  • consider that 17 American men in history

    大家可以想想,歷史上有十七名美國人

  • have run faster than two hours and 10 minutes

    在兩小時十分鐘內

  • in the marathon.

    完成馬拉松賽。

  • That's a four-minute-and-58-second-per-mile pace.

    這速度是每英里四分鐘五十八秒。

  • Thirty-two Kalenjin men did that last October.

    去年十月份就有三十二位卡倫津人達到這速度。

  • (Laughter)

    (笑聲)

  • That's from a source population the size

    這相當於在種源群落內

  • of metropolitan Atlanta.

    擁有亞特蘭大的大都市規模。

  • Still, even changing technology

    但是科技帶給運動的改變

  • and the changing gene pool in sports

    以及基因庫帶給運動的改變

  • don't account for all of the changes in performance.

    都不是運動表現中所有變化的主要因素。

  • Athletes have a different mindset than they once did.

    現在的運動員現在的心理想法與以往截然不同。

  • Have you ever seen in a movie when someone gets

    大家看電影的時候

  • an electrical shock

    有沒有曾經看過人遭受電擊

  • and they're thrown across a room?

    被拋到房子的另一邊的情景?

  • There's no explosion there.

    其實這並不是爆炸。

  • What's happening when that happens is that

    其實在遭受電擊時,

  • the electrical impulse is causing

    電脈衝使得

  • all their muscle fibers to twitch at once,

    人所有的肌肉纖維瞬間扭曲,

  • and they're throwing themselves across the room.

    然後他們把自己拋到房間的另一頭。

  • They're essentially jumping.

    實質上他們是在跳躍。

  • That's the power

    這就是

  • that's contained in the human body.

    蘊藏在人類體內的力量。

  • But normally we can't access nearly all of it.

    但是一般情況下我們基本不能使用全部的力量。

  • Our brain acts as a limiter,

    我們的大腦就像一個限制器,

  • preventing us from accessing all of our physical resources,

    阻止我們不讓我們使用我們體內的所有資源,

  • because we might hurt ourselves,

    因為我們可能會因此傷害到自己,

  • tearing tendons or ligaments.

    把肌腱或韌帶扭斷。

  • But the more we learn about how that limiter functions,

    但是我們越是知道這個限制器的運作方式

  • the more we learn how we can push it back

    我們就越是知道我們怎樣才能將這個限制器

  • just a bit,

    推開一點,

  • in some cases by convincing the brain

    有時候通過說服大腦,

  • that the body won't be in mortal danger

    身體再推向極端一點,

  • by pushing harder.

    也不會受到致命的危險,

  • Endurance and ultra-endurance sports

    耐力運動和極端耐力運動

  • serve as a great example.

    就是一個很好的例子。

  • Ultra-endurance was once thought to be harmful

    極端耐力運動曾經被認為

  • to human health,

    會給人類健康帶來危害,

  • but now we realize

    但是現在我們意識到

  • that we have all these traits

    我們有各種特性

  • that are perfect for ultra-endurance:

    來進行這些極端耐力運動:

  • no body fur and a glut of sweat glands

    我們的身體沒有皮毛,卻有一整套汗腺,

  • that keep us cool while running;

    這樣我們就可以在奔跑時冷卻體溫;

  • narrow waists and long legs compared to our frames;

    與我們的肢體相比,相對細窄的腰和長長的腿;

  • large surface area of joints for shock absorption.

    大面積關節可以吸收震動。

  • We have an arch in our foot that acts like a spring,

    我們腳上有彈簧一樣的腳踝,

  • short toes that are better for pushing off

    短腳趾更加適合推動

  • than for grasping tree limbs,

    而不是扣緊樹枝,

  • and when we run,

    當我們奔跑時,

  • we can turn our torso and our shoulders

    我們可以這樣轉動我們的軀幹和肩膀

  • like this while keeping our heads straight.

    又可以同時保持頭部向前。

  • Our primate cousins can't do that.

    我們的靈長類表親就做不到這點。

  • They have to run like this.

    牠們只能這樣跑。

  • And we have big old butt muscles

    我們還有大大的股肌

  • that keep us upright while running.

    讓我們可以在奔跑時保持直立。

  • Have you ever looked at an ape's butt?

    你有沒有見過猿的臀部?

  • They have no buns because they don't run upright.

    牠們沒有臀部,因為牠們不能直立奔跑。

  • And as athletes have realized

    運動員意識到

  • that we're perfectly suited for ultra-endurance,

    我們十分適合做極端耐力運動,

  • they've taken on feats

    他們已經開始做一些

  • that would have been unthinkable before,

    以前絕對想都不敢想的壯舉,

  • athletes like Spanish endurance racerlian Jornet.

    譬如西班牙的耐力運動競技員基李安·左內。

  • Here's Kílian running up the Matterhorn.

    這是基李安跑馬拉松。

  • (Laughter)

    (笑聲)

  • With a sweatshirt there tied around his waist.

    他腰間綁著這件運動衫。

  • It's so steep he can't even run here.

    這裡相當陡峭,他根本就不能在那裡跑。

  • He's pulling up on a rope.

    他現在在拉著繩索向上爬。

  • This is a vertical ascent

    他要垂直攀爬

  • of more than 8,000 feet,

    至少八千尺,

  • andlian went up and down

    而基李安上去下來

  • in under three hours.

    花了不到三小時。

  • Amazing.

    太神奇了。

  • And talented though he is,

    雖然基李安很有才,

  • lian is not a physiological freak.

    但是他不是生理怪人。

  • Now that he has done this,

    既然他現在已經完成這一壯舉,

  • other athletes will follow,

    其他運動員也會跟隨他的腳步,

  • just as other athletes followed

    正如其他運動員跟隨了

  • after Sir Roger Bannister

    羅傑·班尼斯特爵士的腳步

  • ran under four minutes in the mile.

    在四分鐘內跑完一英里。

  • Changing technology, changing genes,

    不斷改變的科技、不斷改變的基因、

  • and a changing mindset.

    不斷改變的思想。

  • Innovation in sports,

    運動的創新——

  • whether that's new track surfaces

    不管是跑道表面,

  • or new swimming techniques,

    還是新的游泳技巧,

  • the democratization of sport,

    運動的民主化——

  • the spread to new bodies

    向新體型、

  • and to new populations around the world,

    全球新人口的傳播,

  • and imagination in sport,

    和運動的想像力——

  • an understanding of what the human body

    理解人類身體

  • is truly capable of,

    真正的能耐,

  • have conspired to make athletes stronger,

    這些都已經共同協力使得運動員

  • faster, bolder,

    比從前更強、更快、

  • and better than ever.

    更大膽、更好。

  • Thank you very much.

    非常感謝。

  • (Applause)

    (掌聲)

The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius."

奧林匹克的格言是“Citius, Altius, Fortius”

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