Your Naval Tells If You’re A Runner Or A Swimmer

Scientist uncover the mystery as to why blacks are better at runner whilst whites are better at swimming…

Scientists think they may have discovered why blacks dominate on the race track while whites usually win in the swimming pool.

As strange as it might sound, it’s all down to their belly buttons. Not whether it’s an innie or an outtie, but where it is positioned on the body.

According to a study conducted by Prof. Andre Bejan, Duke University; Prof. Edward Jones, Howard University in Washington, and Duke graduate Jordan Charles, it is not the total height of the athlete that makes the difference, it is in fact the position of the belly button, which translates as the body’s center of gravity.

To gather their findings, the team analyzed almost 100 years of world records in men’s and women’s sprinting and 100m freestyle swimming for the study.

They found that when comparing athletes of the same height, those of a West African-origin typically had longer legs than Europeans, which put their belly buttons, on average, 3cm higher than Europeans.

This effectively translates into a 3cm hidden height advantage which gives those of West African-origin the edge on the race track.

Bejan explained that locomotion is the process of falling forward, and things falling from a higher altitude fall faster, therefore people with a higher center of gravity have the advantage when it comes to running.

On the other hand, those of European-origin have the advantage in the water because they have longer torsos and a lower belly button, or lower center of gravity.

Bejan explained:

‘Swimming is the art of surfing the wave created by a swimmer. The swimmer who creates the biggest wave moves the fastest, and a longer torso makes a bigger wave.’ [The Age]

Asians also have the same long torsos as Europeans, but often lose in the water because whites are generally taller.

Most scientists had been afraid to study such a topic over fears that the research might be seen as racist. However, Bejan a white Romanian, and Jones who is black and from South Carolina, both say that their study did not concentrate on the athlete race, but more their biology and geographic origins.

The study was published in the International Journal of Design and Nature and Ecodynamics.

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