Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger? | David Epstein

Translator: Ereblir Kadriu Reviewer: Iris Xholi

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

Moto e lojerave Olimpike eshte "Citius, Altius, Fortius"

Faster, Higher, Stronger.

Me shpejte, me larte, me forte.

And athletes have fulfilled that motto rapidly.

Dhe atletet kane permbushur ate moto shume shpejt

The winner of the 2012 Olympic marathon

Fituesi i maratones Oplimpike te 2012

ran two hours and eight minutes.

vrapoi dy ore e tete minuta.

Had he been racing against the winner

Ne do ishte duke garuar kunder fituesit

of the 1904 Olympic marathon,

te maratones Olimpike te vitit 1904,

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

ai do te kishte fituar me afer nje ore e gjysme.

Now we all have this feeling

Tani te gjithe ne e kemi kete ndjenje

that we're somehow just getting better

se jemi duke u bere me te mire

as a human race, inexorably progressing,

si qenie njerzore, duke perparuar ne menyre te pandalshme

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

por nuk eshte se kemi evoluar ne qenie te reja

in a century.

brenda nje shekulli.

So what's going on here?

Pra, cka po ndodh ketu?

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

Dua te shikoj se c'fshihet pertej ketij

this march of athletic progress.

marshimi te zhvillimit te atletikes.

In 1936, Jesse Owens

Ne 1936, Jesse Owens

held the world record in the 100 meters.

mbajti rekordin botëror në 100 metra.

Had Jesse Owens been racing last year

Nese do merrte pjese ne kampionatin boteror vitin e kaluar 100 metersh

in the world championships of the 100 meters,

ne garen e 100 metershit,

when Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt finished,

kur sprinteri xhamaikan Usain Bolt e perfundoi,

Owens would have still had 14 feet to go.

Owrns kishte akoma 14 hapa per te vrapuar.

That's a lot in sprinter land.

Kjo do te thote shume per sprint.

To give you a sense of how much it is,

Per t'ju treguar se sa shume eshte,

I want to share with you a demonstration

une dua te ndaj me ju nje demonstrim

conceived by sports scientist Ross Tucker.

te konceptuar nga sportisti Ross Tucker.

Now picture the stadium last year

Tani, imagjinoni stadiumin vitin qe kaloi

at the world championships of the 100 meters:

ne kampionation boteror te 100 metershit:

thousands of fans waiting with baited breath

mijera fansa duke pritur

to see Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history;

per te pare Usain Bolt, njeriun me te shpejte ne histori;

flashbulbs popping as the nine fastest men in the world

nente burrat me te shpejte ne bote

coil themselves into their blocks.

rrotullohen ne blloqet e tyre.

And I want you to pretend

Dua qe te pretendoni

that Jesse Owens is in that race.

se Jesse Owens eshte ne ate gare.

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

Tani mbyllni syte per disa sekonda dhe paraperfytyroni garen.

Bang! The gun goes off.

Krisme! Arma shkrepet.

An American sprinter jumps out to the front.

Nje sprinter Amerikan kercen ne fillim.

Usain Bolt starts to catch him.

Usian Bolt fillon qe ta arrije ate.

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

Usain Bolt e kalon ate, dhe ndersa vrapuesit mbrrijne te fundi,

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

ju do te degjoni nje bip ku secili garues kalon nje pjese.

(Beeps)

(Bip)

That's the entire finish of the race.

Kjo eshte pjesa e plote e gares.

You can open your eyes now.

Mund te hapni syte tani.

That first beep was Usain Bolt.

Bip i pare ishte Usain Bolt.

That last beep was Jesse Owens.

Bip i fundit ishte Jesse Owens.

Listen to it again.

Degjoni perseri ate.

(Beeps)

(Bip)

When you think of it like that,

Tek e mendoni keshtu,

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

nuk eshte ndonje diference e madhe, apo jo?

And then consider that Usain Bolt started

Dhe duke pasur ne konsiderate se Usain Bolt fillon

by propelling himself out of blocks

duke vene ne levzije veten e tij

down a specially fabricated carpet

poshte nje qilimi posacerisht te fabikuar

designed to allow him to travel

i dizejnuar per te lejuar ate te vrapoj

as fast as humanly possible.

aq shpejt sa njerezisht eshte e mundur.

Jesse Owens, on the other hand,

Jesse Owens ne anen tjeter,

ran on cinders, the ash from burnt wood,

vrapon ne shkrumbë, hi nga druri i djegur,

and that soft surface stole far more energy

dhe ajo siperfaqe e bute i shpenzon shume me shume energji

from his legs as he ran.

kemebeve te tij ndersa vraponte.

Rather than blocks, Jesse Owens had a gardening trowel

Pervec blloqeve, Jesse Owens kish nje peshqir kopeshti

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

qe iu desh ta perdorte per te germuar gropa ne menyre qe te niste.

Biomechanical analysis of the speed

Analizat biomekanike te shpejtesise

of Owens' joints shows that had been running

se nyjeve te Owens tregojne se nese do kish qene duke vrapuar

on the same surface as Bolt,

ne te njejten siperfaqe sikurse Bolt,

he wouldn't have been 14 feet behind,

ai nuk do të kishte qenë 14 metra prapa,

he would have been within one stride.

ai do te kishte qene brenda te njejtes vije.

Rather than the last beep,

Ne vend te sinjalit te fundit,

Owens would have been the second beep.

Owens do te kishte qene bipi i dyte.

Listen to it again.

Degjojeni edhe nje here.

(Beeps)

(Bip)

That's the difference track surface technology has made,

Kjo eshte diferenca qe ka bere tknologjia me pisten,

and it's done it throughout the running world.

dhe eshte e bere ne te gjitha pistat e botes.

Consider a longer event.

Konsideroni nje ngjarje me te gjate.

In 1954, Sir Roger Bannister

Ne 1954, Sir Roger Bannisiter

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

u be personi i pare i cili vrapoi nen kater minuta per nje milje.

Nowadays, college kids do that every year.

Ditet e sotme, studentet e universitetit e bejne ate cdo vit.

On rare occasions, a high school kid does it.

Ne raste te rralla edhe nje nxnes i shkolles se mesme mund ta beje.

As of the end of last year,

Deri në fund të vitit të kaluar,

1,314 men

1.314 burra

had run under four minutes in the mile,

kishin vrapuar nen kater minuta per milje,

but like Jesse Owens,

por sikur Jesses Owens,

Sir Roger Bannister ran on soft cinders

Sir Roger Bannister vrapoi ne hi te bute

that stole far more energy from his legs

dhe kjo i harxhoi me shume energji kembeve te tij

than the synthetic tracks of today.

sesa bejne pistat sintektike te sotme.

So I consulted biomechanics experts

Keshtu une konsultova ekspertet e biomekanikes

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

per te zbuluar sa me ngadale vrapohet ne hi

than synthetic tracks,

sesa ne pista sintetike,

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

dhe konsensusi i tyre ishte nje perqind e gjysem me ngadale.

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

Pra nese aplikoni nje perqind e gjysme te shendrrimit te ngadalshem

to every man who ran his sub-four mile

per secilin person qe vrapon kater milje

on a synthetic track,

ne nje piste sintetike,

this is what happens.

kjo eshte ajo cka ndodh.

Only 530 are left.

Kane mbetur vetem 530.

If you look at it from that perspective,

Nese e shikoni nga kjo perspektive,

fewer than ten new men per [year]

me pak se dhjete ne vit

have joined the sub-four mile club

i jane bashkuar klubit te nen- kater milje

since Sir Roger Bannister.

që nga Sir Roger Bannister.

Now, 530 is a lot more than one,

Tani, 530 eshte me shume sesa nje,

and that's partly because there are many more people

training today and they're training more intelligently.

qe trajnohen sot dhe jane duke u trajnuar me me inteligjence.

Even college kids are professional in their training

Edhe femijet e koelgjit jane profesionist ne trajnimet e tyre

compared to Sir Roger Bannister,

te krahasuar ndaj Sir Roger Bannister,

who trained for 45 minutes at a time

i cili trajnohej per 45 minuta

while he ditched gynecology lectures in med school.

qe ishte larguar nga leksionet e gjinekologjise ne shkollen e mjeksise.

And that guy who won the 1904 Olympic marathon

Dhe ai djali i cili fitoi maratonen olimpike te 1904

in three in a half hours,

ne tre ore e gjysme,

that guy was drinking rat poison and brandy

ai djale ishte duke pire helm miu dhe raki

while he ran along the course.

pederisa vraponte ne piste.

That was his idea of a performance-enhancing drug.

Kjo ishte idea e performances se tij.

(Laughter)

(Buzeqeshje)

Clearly, athletes have gotten more savvy

Duket qarte, se atletet jane bere me te pjekur sot

about performance-enhancing drugs as well,

rreth ilaceve qe rrisin perfromancen,

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

dhe kjo ka bere ndryshimin ne disa sporte disa here,

but technology has made a difference in all sports,

por teknologjia ka bere ndryshim ne te gjitha sportet,

from faster skis to lighter shoes.

nga ski me te shpejta tek kepucet e lehta.

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

Hidhni një sy të dhënave për stilin e lirë not ne 100-metër.

The record is always trending downward,

Rekordi gjithmone eshte duke pesuar renie,

but it's punctuated by these steep cliffs.

por eshte nderprere nga keto shkembinj te thikte.

This first cliff, in 1956, is the introduction

Shkembi i pare, ne 1956, eshte hyrja

of the flip turn.

rrokullisese.

Rather than stopping and turning around,

Ne vend se te ndaleni dhe ktheni,

athletes could somersault under the water

atletet mund te kaperdinje nen uje

and get going right away in the opposite direction.

dhe te shkojne menjehere ne drejtimin e kundert.

This second cliff, the introduction of gutters

Shkembi i dyte, eshte prezantimi i kanalit

on the side of the pool

ne anen tjeter te pishines,

that allows water to splash off,

qe e lejon ujin te sperkat,

rather than becoming turbulence

ne vend se te bej turbulenca

that impedes the swimmers as they race.

qe ti pengonte notuesit ndersa garojne.

This final cliff,

Ky shkemb i fundit,

the introduction of full-body

futja e rrobave te banjes trup tere trupit

and low-friction swimsuits.

dhe me ferkim te ulet.

Throughout sports, technology has changed the face of performance.

Permes sportit, teknologjia ka ndryshuar formen e performances.

In 1972, Eddy Merckx set the record

Ne 1972, Eddy Merckx vendosi rekordin

for the longest distance cycled in one hour

për distancë më të gjatë të cilklizmit në një orë

at 30 miles, 3,774 feet.

në 30 milje, 3774 metra.

Now that record improved and improved

Tani ai rekord sa vjen e permiresohet

as bicycles improved and became more aerodynamic

teksa biçikletat u permiresun dhe u bene me aerodinamike

all the way until 1996,

gjate tere 1996,

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

ku u vendos per 35 milje, 1,531 metra,

nearly five miles farther

aferisht pese milje me larg

than Eddy Merckx cycled in 1972.

sesa Eddy Merckx ne vitin 1972.

But then in 2000, the International Cycling Union

Por më pas në vitin 2000, Bashkimi Ndërkombëtar i Ciklizmit

decreed that anyone who wanted to hold that record

dha urdher se kushdo qe deshiron te mbaj ate rekord

had to do so with essentially the same equipment

duhej ta bente me pajisjet e njejta thelbesore

that Eddy Merckx used in 1972.

qe Eddy Mercks perdori ne 1972.

Where does the record stand today?

Ku qendron rekordi sot?

30 miles, 4,657 feet,

30 milje, 4,657 metra,

a grand total of 883 feet

ne nje total prej 883 metra

farther than Eddy Merckx cycled

me shume sesa Eddy Mercks kreu nje cikel

more than four decades ago.

me shume sesa kater dekada me pare.

Essentially the entire improvement in this record

Ne thelb, i gjithe permiresimi ne kete ne kete regjistrim

was due to technology.

ishte per shkak te teknologjise.

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

Megjithatë, teknologjia nuk është e vetmja gjë qe i shtyn atletët përpara.

While indeed we haven't evolved

Ndërsa në të vërtetë ne nuk kemi evoluar

into a new species in a century,

në një specie të re në një shekull,

the gene pool within competitive sports

pishina gjenetike e sporteve konkuruese

most certainly has changed.

me siguri ka ndryshuar.

In the early half of the 20th century,

Ne gjysmen e pare te shekullit 20,

physical education instructors and coaches

instruktore te edukimit fizike dhe trajneret

had the idea that the average body type

paten idene se mesatarja e tipit te trupit

was the best for all athletic endeavors:

ishte me e mira per te gjithe llojet e sportit:

medium height, medium weight, no matter the sport.

gjatesi mesatre, peshe mesatare, pavarsisht sportit.

And this showed in athletes' bodies.

Dhe kjo u tregua ne trupat e atleteve.

In the 1920s, the average elite high-jumper

Ne 1920, mesatraja e elites ne kercim se larti

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

dhe mesatarje e elites ne flakjen se gjyles ishin te se njejtes madhesi.

But as that idea started to fade away,

Por pasi idea filloj te venitej,

as sports scientists and coaches realized that

pasi shkenctaret e sportit dhe trajneret kuptuan se

rather than the average body type,

ne vend te mesatres se tipit te trupit,

you want highly specialized bodies

ajo qe duhej ishin trupa te specializuara

that fit into certain athletic niches,

qe pershtaten per sporte te caktuar,

a form of artificial selection took place,

nje forme e re perzgjedhjeje artificiale zuri vend,

a self-sorting for bodies that fit certain sports,

nje vet-perzgjedhje per trupa qe i pershtaten sporteve te caktuara,

and athletes' bodies became more different from one another.

dhe trupat e atleteve u bene me te ndryshem nga njeri tjetri.

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

Sot, me shume sesa madhesia e njejte sesa mesatraj e elites se kercim se lartit

the average elite shot-putter

mesatarja e elites se flakjes se gjyles

is two and a half inches taller

eshte dy inq e gjysme m e gjate

and 130 pounds heavier.

dhe 130 pund me e rende.

And this happened throughout the sports world.

Dhe kjo gje ka ndodhur me te gjitha sportet e botes.

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

Ne fakt, nese hartoni lartesine kundrejt grafikes se mases

one data point for each of two dozen sports

nje te dhene per te dyja sportet

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

ne gjysem e pare te shekullit 20-te, duket keshtu.

There's some dispersal,

Ka disa shpërndarje,

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

por eshte si grup rreth mesatres se tipit te trupit.

Then that idea started to go away,

Pastaj ajo ide filloi te largohej,

and at the same time, digital technology --

dhe ne te njejten kohe, teknologjia digjitale--

first radio, then television and the Internet --

radio e pare, pastaj televizioni dhe interneti--

gave millions, or in some cases billions, of people

dha miliona, ose ne disa raste biliona, te njerezve

a ticket to consume elite sports performance.

nje bilete per te shpenzuar performanca sportive te elites.

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

Stimujt financiare, fama dhe lavdia i sigurojne atletëve elite te arrijne kulmin,

and it tipped toward the tiny upper echelon of performance.

dhe largoi performancen e klases se larte.

It accelerated the artificial selection for specialized bodies.

Ajo pershpejtoj perzgjedhjen artificiale per trupa te specializuar.

And if you plot a data point for these same

Dhe nese ju hartoni te dhena te njejta

two dozen sports today, it looks like this.

per keto dy sporte sot, do te duket keshtu.

The athletes' bodies have gotten

Trupat e atleteve jane bere

much more different from one another.

shume me ndryshe nga njeri-tjetri.

And because this chart looks like the charts

Dhe per shkak se kjo grafike duket si grafiket

that show the expanding universe,

qe tregojne universin e zgjeruar,

with the galaxies flying away from one another,

me galaksite qe fluturojne nga njera tek tjetra,

the scientists who discovered it call it

shkenctaret te cilet e kane zbuluar ate qe quajne

"The Big Bang of Body Types."

"Big Bengu i tipave te trupit."

In sports where height is prized, like basketball,

Në sport ku lartësia është e çmuar, si basketbolli,

the tall athletes got taller.

atletet e gjate zgjaten me shume.

In 1983, the National Basketball Association

Ne 1983, Asociacioni Kombetar i Basketbollit

signed a groundbreaking agreement

nenshkrujati nje marreveshje inovative

making players partners in the league,

duke i bere lojtaret partner ne lige,

entitled to shares of ticket revenues

duke i dhene aksione ne te ardhurat e biletave

and television contracts.

dhe konratat televizive.

Suddenly, anybody who could be an NBA player

Papritmas, kushdo qe mund te ishte lojtar

wanted to be,

deshironte te behej NBA,

and teams started scouring the globe

dhe ekipet filluan te pastronin boten

for the bodies that could help them win championships.

per trupat qe mund te ndihmonin ata te fitonin kampionatin.

Almost overnight,

Pothuajse brenda natës,

the proportion of men in the NBA

përqindja e njerëzve në NBA

who are at least seven feet tall doubled

të cilët janë të paktën shtatë feet (afer dy metra) te gjate u dyfishuan

to 10 percent.

me 10 përqind.

Today, one in 10 men in the NBA

Sot, nje ne 10 lojtar ne NBA

is at least seven feet tall,

eshte te paketen shtate feet (afer dy metra) i gjate,

but a seven-foot-tall man is incredibly rare

por njeriu shtate feet eshte jashtezakonisht i rralle

in the general population --

ne popullsine e pergjithshme--

so rare that if you know an American man

aq i rralle saqe nese nje Amerikan

between the ages of 20 and 40

ndermjet moshes 20 dhe 40 vjec

who is at least seven feet tall,

i cili eshte te pakten shtate feet i gjate (afer dy metra)

there's a 17 percent chance

ka gjasa 17 perqind gjasa

he's in the NBA right now.

qe ai eshte ne NBA tani.

(Laughter)

(Te qeshura)

That is, find six honest seven footers,

Kjo do te thote, te gjesh gjashte shtatelarte te sinqerte

one is in the NBA right now.

nje prej tyre i ke ne NBA tani.

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

Dhe kjo nuk eshte arsyeja se trupat e lojtareve te NBA jane unik.

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

Ky eshte "Njeriu Vitruvian" i Leonardo Da Vincit

the ideal proportions,

propocionet ideale,

with arm span equal to height.

me gjeresi te krahve te barabarte me gjatesine.

My arm span is exactly equal to my height.

Gjersia e kraheve eshte saktsisht e barabarte me gjatesine time.

Yours is probably very nearly so.

E juaja eshte ndoshta pothuajse gati.

But not the average NBA player.

Por jo ne mesataren e lojtarit te NBA.

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

Mesatarja tek nje lojtari NBA eshte poshte 6'7",

with arms that are seven feet long.

me krahe te cilet jane te gjate 2 metra.

Not only are NBA players ridiculously tall,

Lojtaret e NBA jo vetem qe jane ne menyre qesharake shtatelarte,

they are ludicrously long.

ata ne menyre absurde jane te gjate.

Had Leonardo wanted to draw

A deshironte Leonardo te vizatonte

the Vitruvian NBA Player,

lojtarin Vitruvian te NBA,

he would have needed a rectangle and an ellipse,

ai do të kishte nevojë për një drejtkëndësh dhe një elips,

not a circle and a square.

jo një rreth dhe një katror.

So in sports where large size is prized,

Pra, ne sporte ku madhesia eshte e çmuar,

the large athletes have gotten larger.

atletet e medhenj jane bere me te medhenj.

Conversely, in sports where diminutive stature is an advantage,

Ne anen tjeter, ne sporte ku te qenurit shtat vogel eshte avantazh,

the small athletes got smaller.

atletet e vegjel jane bere me te vegjel.

The average elite female gymnast

Mesatarja e gjimansteve femra elite

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

u zvoglua mesatarisht prej 5'3 ne 4'9

over the last 30 years,

gjate 30 viteve te fundit,

all the better for their power-to-weight ratio

e gjitha ne te miren e raportit fuqi- peshe

and for spinning in the air.

dhe e gjitha per rrotullim ne ajer.

And while the large got larger

Dhe perderisa te medhenjt u bene me te medhenj

and the small got smaller,

dhe te vegjelit me te vegjel,

the weird got weirder.

te çuditshmit u bene me te çuditshem.

The average length of the forearm

Gjatesia mesatare e parakrahut

of a water polo player in relation

i nje lojtari polo uji, ne raport

to their total arm got longer,

me kraun ne teresi, eshte zgjatur

all the better for a forceful throwing whip.

e gjitha ne te miren e hedhjes.

And as the large got larger,

Dhe ndersa te medhenjt u bene me te medhenj,

small got smaller, and the weird weirder.

te vegjlit me te vegjel, dhe te çuditshmit me te çuditshem.

In swimming, the ideal body type

Në not, tipi ideal trupit

is a long torso and short legs.

është një bust i gjatë dhe këmbët e shkurtra.

It's like the long hull of a canoe

Eshte si nje byk i gjate i lundres

for speed over the water.

per shpejtesi ne uje.

And the opposite is advantageous in running.

Dhe e kundërta është e dobishme në vrapim

You want long legs and a short torso.

Ju dëshironi këmbë të gjata dhe një bust të shkurtër.

And this shows in athletes' bodies today.

Dhe kjo tregohet në trupat e atletëve sot.

Here you see Michael Phelps,

E shihni Michael Phelps,

the greatest swimmer in history,

notuesi me i mire ne histori,

standing next to Hicham El Guerrouj,

duke qendruar perkrah Hicham El Guerrouj,

the world record holder in the mile.

bartesi i rekordit boteror.

These men are seven inches different in height,

Këta njerëz janë shtatë inç të ndryshme në gjatesi,

but because of the body types

por për shkak të llojeve të trupit

advantaged in their sports,

avantazh në sport e tyre,

they wear the same length pants.

ata veshin pantallona me gjatësi te njejte.

Seven inches difference in height,

Shtatë inç ndryshim në gjatesi,

these men have the same length legs.

keta njerez kane te njejte gjatesi te kembeve.

Now in some cases, the search for bodies

Keshtu ne disa raste, hulumtimi i trupave

that could push athletic performance forward

qe mund te shty performancat atletike me tutje

ended up introducing into the competitive world

perfundoi duke u futur ne boten konkurruese

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

popullsi njerezish te cilet nuk ishin fare konkurrues me parë,

like Kenyan distance runners.

si vrapuesit ne distance Kenian.

We think of Kenyans as being great marathoners.

Ne mendojme per Kenianet si maratonist te shkelqyer.

Kenyans think of the Kalenjin tribe

Kenianet mendojne per fisin Kalenjin

as being great marathoners.

si maratonist te shkelqyer.

The Kalenjin make up just 12 percent

Kalenjin përbëjnë vetëm 12 për qind

of the Kenyan population

te popullise Keniane

but the vast majority of elite runners.

por shumica e vrapuesve elite sot.

And they happen, on average,

Mesatarisht,

to have a certain unique physiology:

ata kane nje fiziologji unike:

legs that are very long

kembe shume te gjata

and very thin at their extremity,

dhe shume te dobeta ne ekstremitet,

and this is because they have their ancestry

dhe kjo eshte per shkak te prejardhjes se tyre

at very low latitude

në gjerësi shumë të ulët

in a very hot and dry climate,

në një klimë shumë të nxehtë dhe të thatë,

and an evolutionary adaptation to that

dhe një adaptim evolucionar qe

is limbs that are very long

jane gjymtyrët tejet të gjata

and very thin at the extremity

dhe shume te holle ne ekstremitet

for cooling purposes.

per qellime ftohje.

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

Është e njëjta arsye që një radiator ka mbështjellje të gjatë,

to increase surface area compared to volume

për rritjen e sipërfaqes krahasuar me volumin

to let heat out,

per te leshuar ngrohjen jashte,

and because the leg is like a pendulum,

dhe per shkak qe kembet jane si lavjerres,

the longer and thinner it is at the extremity,

sa me te gjata e me te dobeta deri ne ekstremitet,

the more energy-efficient it is to swing.

më shumë energji-efektive lenkundet.

To put Kalenjin running success in perspective,

Per te vene suksesin e vrapimit te Kalenjin ne prespektive

consider that 17 American men in history

duke konsideruar se 17 amerikan ne histori

have run faster than two hours and 10 minutes

kane vrapuar me shpejte se dy ore e 10 minuta

in the marathon.

ne maratone.

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

Kjo eshte kater-minuta- e- 58-sekonda-per-milje.

Thirty-two Kalenjin men did that last October.

Tridhjet-e-dy Kalenjin e kan bere kete gje Tetorin e kaluar.

(Laughter)

(Te qeshura)

That's from a source population the size

Kjo eshte nga nje burimi popullesia me madhesine

of metropolitan Atlanta.

e Atlantes metropolitane.

Still, even changing technology

Megjithatë, edhe ndryshimi i teknologjisë

and the changing gene pool in sports

dhe ndryshimi i gjenit ne sporte

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

nuk vlen per te gjitha ndryshimet ne performnaca.

Athletes have a different mindset than they once did.

Atletet kane mendime te ndryshme nga me pare.

Have you ever seen in a movie when someone gets

A keni parë ndonjëherë në një film kur dikush merr

an electrical shock

një goditje elektrike

and they're thrown across a room?

dhe ata hidhen nëpër dhomë?

There's no explosion there.

Nuk ka shpërthim atje.

What's happening when that happens is that

Çfarë ndodh është se

the electrical impulse is causing

impulsi elektrik është duke shkaktuar

all their muscle fibers to twitch at once,

qe të gjitha fibrat e muskujve të tyre te dridhen në një herë,

and they're throwing themselves across the room.

dhe ata janë duke hedhur veten nëpër dhomë.

They're essentially jumping.

Ata ne te verete jane duke kercyer.

That's the power

Kjo është fuqia

that's contained in the human body.

që përfshihet në trupin e njeriut.

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

Por normalisht ne nuk mund te kemi akses ne të gjithë atë.

Our brain acts as a limiter,

Truri ynë vepron si një limitues,

preventing us from accessing all of our physical resources,

duke na penguar ne qasje në të gjitha burimet tona fizike,

because we might hurt ourselves,

sepse ne mund ta lendojme veten tone,

tearing tendons or ligaments.

duke shkeputur ndonje pjesez ose ligament.

But the more we learn about how that limiter functions,

Por sa me shume qe mesojme se si funksionon ai limitues,

the more we learn how we can push it back

aq me shume mesojme se si mund ta shtyjme

just a bit,

pak me tutje,

in some cases by convincing the brain

ne disa raste duke bindur trurin

that the body won't be in mortal danger

se trupi nuk do te jete ne rrezik per vdekje

by pushing harder.

duke shtyre me shume.

Endurance and ultra-endurance sports

Durim dhe ultra-durim sportive

serve as a great example.

shërben si një shembull shume i mire.

Ultra-endurance was once thought to be harmful

Ultra-durimi dikur ishte menduar i dëmshem

to human health,

për shëndetin e njeriut

but now we realize

por tani e kuptojmë

that we have all these traits

se ne kemi të gjitha këto tipare

that are perfect for ultra-endurance:

që janë perfekte për ultra-durim:

no body fur and a glut of sweat glands

nuk ka qime trupi dhe një tepri te gjëndrave te djerses

that keep us cool while running;

qe na mban me te freskte teksa vrapojme:

narrow waists and long legs compared to our frames;

bel te ngushte dhe kembe te gjate krahasuar me kornizat tona;

large surface area of joints for shock absorption.

siperfaqe te madhe te nyjeve per absorbimin e goditjes.

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

Ne kemi nje hark ne kembet tona qe vepron si suste,

short toes that are better for pushing off

gishta te shkurte qe jane me mire per shtyerje

than for grasping tree limbs,

pastaj per te shtrenguar gjymtyret

and when we run,

dhe kur vrapojme,

we can turn our torso and our shoulders

ne mund te kthejme bustin dhe supet tona

like this while keeping our heads straight.

keshtu perderisa mbajme kokat tona drejte.

Our primate cousins can't do that.

Kushërinjtë tanë primati nuk mund ta bëjë këtë.

They have to run like this.

Ata duhet te vrapojne keshtu.

And we have big old butt muscles

Dhe ne kemi muskuj te medhenj te ndenjurash

that keep us upright while running.

qe na mbajne ne kembe teksa vrapojme.

Have you ever looked at an ape's butt?

A keni pare ndonjehere prapanice te majmunit?

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

Ata nuk kane kane kocka sepse nuk vrapojne ne kembe.

And as athletes have realized

Dhe perderisa atletet kane kuptuar

that we're perfectly suited for ultra-endurance,

se ne jemi te bere per ultra-durim,

they've taken on feats

ata kane marre persiper vepra

that would have been unthinkable before,

te cilat kane qene te pa imagjinushme me pare,

athletes like Spanish endurance racer Kílian Jornet.

atletet si vrapuesi Spanjoll Kilian Jornet.

Here's Kílian running up the Matterhorn.

Ky eshte vrapuesi Kilian ne Matterhorn.

(Laughter)

(Te qeshura)

With a sweatshirt there tied around his waist.

Me një xhup te lidhur rreth belit të tij.

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

Eshte aq e rrepire saqe ai nuk mund te vrapoj ketu.

He's pulling up on a rope.

Ai eshte duk u terhqur nga nje litar.

This is a vertical ascent

Kjo eshte nje ngjitje vertikale

of more than 8,000 feet,

e me shume se 8.000 feet,

and Kílian went up and down

dhe Kilian shkoj lart e poshte

in under three hours.

ne me pak se tre ore.

Amazing.

E mrekullushme.

And talented though he is,

Aq i talentuar sa eshte ai,

Kílian is not a physiological freak.

Kilian nuk eshte fanatik fiziologjik.

Now that he has done this,

Tani qe ai e ka bere kete,

other athletes will follow,

atlet te tjere do te ndjekin,

just as other athletes followed

ashtu si atlet te tjere kane ndjekur

after Sir Roger Bannister

pasi Sir Roger Bannister

ran under four minutes in the mile.

vrapoi per kater minuta ne milje.

Changing technology, changing genes,

Ndryshimi i teknologjise, ndryshimi i gjenve,

and a changing mindset.

dhe ndryshimi i mendimit.

Innovation in sports,

Risite ne sport,

whether that's new track surfaces

nese ka pista te reja

or new swimming techniques,

ose teknika te reja te notimit,

the democratization of sport,

demokratizimi i sportit,

the spread to new bodies

perhapja e organve te reja

and to new populations around the world,

dhe popullsia e re rreth botes,

and imagination in sport,

dhe imagjinata ne sport,

an understanding of what the human body

nje kuptim se per cka eshte ne gjendje

is truly capable of,

te beje trupi i njeriut,

have conspired to make athletes stronger,

kane vendosur te bejne atletet me te forte,

faster, bolder,

te shpejte, me guximtar,

and better than ever.

dhe me te mire se kurre me pare.

Thank you very much.

Faleminderit shume.

(Applause)

Duartokitje