kajet wrote:
SheTries wrote:
Think of the damage caused to individuals by commenting on their weight and body image.
Physique has an impact on sports performance. We're not discussing aesthetics but athletic potential. I sympathize with people who are self-conscious (or worse) when their appearance is a subject of public discussion, but this is the pro triathlon scene, athletes should get over it or retire.
I don't think Beth Potter is too skinny, that's a load of nonsense, by the way. She appears very much like many successful short-course triathletes.
There is 0 direct link between physique and performance. There is a link between body composition and performance, but it is not a direct linear or universal one. Like anything, everyone has unique individual physiological differences, and a different balance point at which point the trade-offs between strength/being lean/body weight, etc. swing to the side of diminished performance. What causes harm is the assertion or assumption that these links are universal, and that lean = fast, because that can push people to make bad decisions (yes, even adults). We shouldn't be judging athletes on how lean they look, either positively or negatively. We should be creating an environment that values health over aesthetics, and where coaches are not only accountable for performance, but the health of their athletes.
I've seen this to the extreme, at an NCAA indoor track meet, where the warm-up shirt of one of the throwers (who was a former runner) was an act of protest to such toxic coaching, and said "I'd rather throw and eat, than run and chuck". There's a balance to be had between race weight (or even strength/weight ratio), and resilience to injury, illness, etc. This is also not unique to female athletes (although unfortunately there's much more aesthetic and leanness pressure on female athletes, but you see comments on male pro cyclists as an example on their physique and the perceived link to their ability to perform).
Official Record or not, she's clearly performing well right now, and hopefully she can stay healthy and is not peaking too early away from the meaningful races (the old adage of "all dressed up with nowhere to go").
The last thing that we all need to be doing is mansplaining health and fitness advice to olympians...