ATHLETICISM THAT’S THE RIO DEAL
Officials from five sporting bodies outline fitness levels required to reach Summer Olympics
What makes an Olympian? Is it something you’re born to do, or are Olympians the product of a system that identifies and nurtures athletes? To find out more about the unique characteristics of Olympic athletes, here’s what it takes to be podium-worthy in the sports-towatch in Rio:
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
While the indoor game can rely on specialists, success outdoors relies on the ability to move well, hit well and defend well. This need for a complete game is the reason beach players tend to be older, as it takes time to develop all the technical aspects of the game.
“In beach volleyball, it’s your weakness that will kill you,” said Ed Drakich, beach high performance director for Volleyball Canada.
Unlike host Brazil, whose beach players grow up playing the game, in Canada most of our players come out of the university system, after which they start to pick up the skills necessary for the beach game. Experience is a big element, as there are no coaches on the sidelines, so it takes a while to transition from indoor to the beach.
“Beach players need to run, dive and jump in the sun and temperatures that can reach 35-38 C,” Drakich said.
Players also need to be mentally tough. “Two of the most important things in beach volleyball are the size of the heart and the strength of the mind,” Drakich said.
RUGBY SEVENS
Rugby players need power, agility and speed, but the traditional shorter, stockier rugby build is more suitable for the traditional 14-a-side game, in which the field is more crowded and the game requires more contact. By contrast, the sevens game is wide open, which lends itself to a swifter athlete who still has the power to make solid tackles.
So while there’s no ideal body type, the players need to be able to adapt to a fast game that features seven-minute quarters with the players performing repeated 6090 second sprints.
Being fleet-footed is a good attribute, Rugby Canada’s Ken Goodland said.
Most of Canada’s team started playing rugby in high school, but the need for speed means athletes can come from other sports, too. Track and basketball athletes transition well to the game. Megan Lukan made the Olympic team after a career playing NCAA basketball.
“We might get an athlete with blistering speed but (who) is low on rugby skill, so we up-skill them,” Goodland said.
But what a sevens player needs the most is an athleticism that lends itself to developing multiple skills and abilities.
“I’m a huge believer in kids playing multiple sports,” Goodland said.
DECATHLON
Competing in 10 sports (100-metre sprint, long jump, discus, shot put, 400-metre run, 100-metre hurdles, pole vault, high jump, javelin, 1,500-metre run) in two days is arguably one of the most gruelling competitions of the Games.
The sport has changed with lots of diversity in terms of the size and shape of its competitors. Good runners are light and quick, and good throwers big and strong, but it’s an overall ability to run, jump and throw that makes a good decathlete.
As for what type of skills coaches look for, speed and jumping ability are good places to start, said James Holder, decathlon coach for Athletics Canada with an international stable of decathletes.
That and the ability to handle the high volume of training it takes to become proficient in 10 events.
Decathletes hit their prime in their mid- to late 20s. Canada’s medal hopeful — Damian Warner, 26 — is known for his speed, though his throwing ability has improved greatly in recent years.
POLE VAULT
You have to wonder who aspires to throw themselves over a six-metre high bar after running full speed down a runway carrying a threeplus-metre pole and planting it in a box one metre long, 60 cm wide at the front and 40 cm at the back.
“Someone who likes thrills and is very athletic,” said Dennis Mitchell, coach of Canada’s medal hopeful Shawn Barber.
There’s a long learning curve to pole vaulting, with most athletes getting their first try in high school, though the earlier into the sport, the better. Being tall is an asset as it allows you to hold the pole higher, which is where Barber excels. Speed, power and strength help, too.
But in the end, the person who has the best speed on takeoff usually wins.
TRACK CYCLING
“Athletes can get good at cycling pretty quickly,” said Craig Griffin, coach of the women’s track cycling team who are favoured to medal in Rio. “Skill isn’t the defining element.”
Track cyclists need to get up to speed, 60 km/h, and sustain it, similar to a good one-mile specialist on the running track.
“You need 400-metre speed, but 1,500-metre endurance,” Griffin said of track cyclists.
An athlete’s height or build isn’t important. Instead, it’s maximum aerobic power and ability to be aerodynamic on the bike that define an Olympian.
Georgia Simmerling, a member of our Canadian Track Cycling team in Rio, joined the national team six months ago, three years after lacing up a pair of speed skates for the first time. A former Olympian in alpine skiing, her strength and power won her a place on the team.