What psychos, athletes share

STUDY: BOTH PUSH HUMAN PERFORMANCE TO ITS LIMITS

British rowing star comes to a chilling conclusion.

Psychopaths and elite sportspeople share certain characteristics including pushing life to the limit, Britain’s most decorated female Olympic athlete Katherine Grainger said.

The 40-year-old Scotswoman – who defied the sceptics to take silver in the women’s double sculls in Rio to medal for the fifth successive Games – came to this conclusion when she wrote her dissertation on psychopaths for a Masters in medical law and ethics, to add to her degree in law and another in homicide.

Grainger, who tumultuously won gold in the London Games and then took two years out before returning to the sport, emphasised the similarities only went so far.

“My masters was in psychopaths and I try not to link it directly to rowing and my team-mates,” she said after arriving back from Rio with many of her team-mates who had also contributed to the record 67 medals.

“It is not a direct comparison in any way. But it is quite an extreme part of human behaviour and the mental side of people and actions and thoughts and deeds, to a certain extent sport is like that.

“People who are very passionate, very driven at what they do and take it right to the limit of human performance.

“It is always interesting seeing human beings experiencing life at the limit, whatever that limit is.”

Grainger, who also won silver in Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008), said despite her academic qualifications in legal matters she wasn’t sure what career she would choose.

“I’m lucky there are a lot of doors I can open and choose what to do next,” said Grainger.

“I’ve got loads of interests and lots of things that excite me about the future.”

Now, however, the immediate future belongs with her family, to whom she acknowledges she owes a huge debt. – AFP