Image taken from Eurosport
Noah Lyles wins the Olympic 100-meter dash final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Runner-up Kishane Thompson comes in 0.5 thousandths of a second later. A gap imperceptible to the human eye. Thompson had been ahead for much of the race. Lyles only led for the last 6-10 meters, and that earned him Olympic gold.
Aside from the fabulous flexibility and power of this athletic event, one of Eurosport’s experts, Ángel David, known as “El Pájaro” Rodríguez, offered some very interesting insights, from someone who knows what he’s talking about. The Eurosport commentator, a former international sprinter with Spain who has participated in the Olympics, European Championships, and World Championships, observed, watching replays of the event, how the runner-up, Kishane Thompson, “runs hard,” stiff, especially in the last 15-20 meters. Noah Lyles runs more freely, more “running his race,” not as hard. And this is evident in the image.
“No one can think clearly if their fists are clenched.” This quote by George Jean Nathan is also reflected in the Olympic final. Excessive tension and muscle stiffness impede optimal functioning and a fine response from our body (body and mind). And if this tension and muscle stiffness are a permanent part of our body and vital posture, we will neither move with the appropriate and possible ease, nor will we think clearly.
We will fall short of our potential, whatever it may be. That is the difference that can exist between gold and silver. Between being physically capable or not of doing something, whether or not to lift a weight, whether or not to have a clear mind to express the right thing. Between doing something with pain or doing it gently. Between withdrawing from an event and finishing.
It’s within everyone’s reach to prevent injuries and improve body use. You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete. You too can learn to move with more ease, less muscle tension, and less joint pain. Even if you don’t participate in an Olympics, you surely have to use your body and mind every day. This is no trivial matter. It can make the difference between undergoing irreversible surgery or improving mobility and a healthier use of the body in a conscious and noninvasive way. If you learn to let go of your tense habits, without clenching your fists, literally and metaphorically, your movements and the functioning of your body and mind will be more agile, more serene, and above all, more respectful of your body.
Advanced Postural Health based on the principles of the Alexander Technique. Greater awareness = Better body use = Better body functioning = Better practical results = Better health and quality of life.
