Great sprinters are born, not made—or so it seems, according to a recent study by SFU and Pennsylvania State University. The study, titled Built for Speed: Musculoskeletal Structure and Sprinting Ability, discovered that longer toes and shorter Achilles tendon lever arms give sprinters the advantage, reported The Canadian Press.

The study examined 12 university sprinters and 12 non-athletes of similar height, and found that on average sprinters’ toes are about a centimetre longer. People with longer toes have an advantage because in order to speed up at the start of the race, one must make contact with the ground, and those with longer toes have contact with the ground longer than the average person.
An ultrasound was used to examine ankle motion and the study revealed that on average, the distance between the achilles tendon and centre of rotation of the ankle is about 25 per cent shorter in sprinters. Since the distance is shorter, the muscles compact slower, producing greater force.

Co-author of the study, Stephen Piazza of Pennsylvania State, told The Canadian Press that there hasn’t been many studies on human foot shapes and sprinting, but research on animals suggests that biological structure has a relationship with speed.

—Tara Martellaro