About Usain Bolt’s talent for sprint – it’s in his fingers!

Usain Bolt has the long ring finger, a marker for sprint talent! The 2008 olympics in Beijing pointed out that Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is the fastest man on sprint ever! And last sunday he set another new world record at the Athletics World Championships 2009 Berlin. How come that Jamaican sprinters run so fast? Earlier this year British researchers studied 241 boys aged 10 to 17 who took part in a sports talent-spotting competition in Qatar. Professor John T. Manning (a.k.a. ‘the finger professor’) said about the finger research: “We found finger ratios of the right and left hand were positively linked with sprinting times in boys. The advantage they had was soon apparent after the start of the sprint and remained steady thereafter.” Previous studies have shown long-distance runners have the same hand characteristics (low 2D:4D digit ratio). But in this perspective one should not forget that longer ring fingers have also been linked with everything from a lower risk of heart disease and exam success to male aggression and higher earnings in the workplace. So the predictive value of a long ring finger is not very specific, nor reliable in individuals. Nevertheless, according John T. Manning it’s a hand fact that Jamaicans are known for having the long ring finger – and it’s confirmed by various hand photos of the most successful sprinters from Jamaica. MORE DETAILS AVAILABLE AT: • The hands Usain Bolt – olympic world record holder sprint! • Usain Bolt has the long ring finger – measure for sprint talent • Finger length explains the success of Jamaican sprinters! • About finger length & athletic succes • Why Jamaican sprinters run so fast! • Jamaican samples show low 2D:4D ratio