?

45.07 is a world class 400m time

it would be quite the coincidence if he were a world class 400m runner who happened to lose his legs




if he runs a 45s 400 w/legs "1/3 as good as normal legs" then he is a genetic goat, which i think we can all agree is not particularly likely

lolwat

he just qualified for the olympics, that's not elite?

I think the point isn't whether he has an advantage now, as that's kind of unclear, more that it sets a precedent so that if there is technological advantages so that there is a large indisputable edge, then it'd reach a point where someone can do <40s or some mark where able bodied athletes can't physically win

Yeah this is a really tough spot for the head guys of Athletics, they are going to get abuse either way.

Then prove it! This should be a slam dunk in terms of the science. It hasn't been.

This is a human being who still has to work his ass off to run those times, put in ridiculous training hours, practice obsessively, etc, etc. Seems to me that if you're going to invalidate his right to compete you need indisputable evidence that it isn't his own effort that's producing these times. That case has yet to be made.

why should the baseline assumption be that there is no competitive advantage

edit: the stuff about his training and what not has no bearing on my position. i'm happy for him he was able to find some physical success despite his unfortunate plight, but again that is distinct from whether these create an advantage

edit2: this 80%/240% figure is hard to believe. look at his build and compare it to other 400m runners. 400m runners are not yoked like 100 runners, but they are more lean/carry more muscle mass than this. look at his thighs in particular

You can set the baseline assumptions where you wish, but until they are conclusively proven either way they are mere assumptions.

apparently someone thinks it has been proven

240% spring in a normal leg tho

edit: just have them unattached-- i assume this can be done relatively easily and w/o pain-- and have him perform time trials w/a primitive set of prosthetics. he will likely run slower anyway, just like someone would run slower without spikes, but if the blades are not a factor the reduction should not be too significant

why would you people discuss numbers, studies an' **** when the only thing that matters is we want humans vs humans, not humans vs cyborgs

also maybe these legs don't give him an advantage, but the prosthetic legs of the future will. So there is no way you can accept this without essentially ruining the olympics in the next decades. I'm sure there'd be people who'd chop their legs off to beat the world record

Poor little tink-tink.

I for one welcome our new cyborg overlords.

How much do feet:calves/knees weigh. Seems like that may be as much of the advantage as anything. Does he get the benefit of calves with less (?) Of the weight?

Short answer is that SE would always prefer to talk about numbers and studies instead of applying common sense.

Between this and the wrestler with one leg dominating, I think it's pretty clear that we shouldn't let these people participate.