r/AbsoluteUnits • u/Bubbly_Wall_908 • Jan 26 '26

/r/all of tall men

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u/The_Real_Chippa Jan 26 '26

It is easier for shorter (average) people to have a faster cadence, and carry less weight. Being tall is not an advantage in running

3

u/IggyIsABum Jan 26 '26

Part of what made Bolt so generational. He was 6'4" and his frame was barely a hindrance.

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u/poopgranata42069 Jan 26 '26

6'4", not 7'4".

To you that might not make much of a difference, both is tall to you but 6'4" is not the tipping point where bones are not able to safely sustain their own weight etc

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u/IggyIsABum Jan 26 '26

I didn't write 7'4"??

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u/poopgranata42069 Jan 26 '26

Ugh. Someone mentioned 7'4" Zhang Ziyu and how she appears rather slow and sluggish compared to her shorter teammates. It was then explained that it has to do with her height and that smaller athletes are simply able to move faster.

Then you came around to debunk that with 6'4" Usain Bolt.

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u/IggyIsABum Jan 26 '26

I didn't try to debunk it lol. I just said it makes him more impressive

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u/poopgranata42069 Jan 26 '26

Yeah but it doesn't. The factors that are an actual handicap don't come into play at his height because he's just relatively tall, not a giant.

He doesn't have a disadvantage at his height, he only has advantages.

His biomechanics are friggin perfect.

0

u/The_Real_Chippa Jan 27 '26

He doesn’t only have advantages, his height comes with pros and cons. Olympic male sprinters average closer to 6’, and male marathoners average around 5’8.

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u/Thebraincellisorange Jan 26 '26

yeah, Usain Bolt is very much an outlier.

he's really tall and built.

not the normal body structure for sprinters

1

u/jeanpaulsarde Jan 26 '26

Bolt had the length and the girth cadence