In the first part of this two-part podcast, Dr Ross Tucker, one of the authors of the hugely popular blog - The Science of Sport (http://www.sportsscientists.com/) - talks about what makes an Olympic champion. Dr Tucker assesses the role of genetics, training and the validity of the ‘10,000 hour’ concept. He rationally, and with evidence, discusses the eligibility of Oscar Pistorius and Caster Semenya in the Olympics.

Dr Tucker is an exercise physiologist, conditioning coach, and team coach. He is based at the University of Cape Town in the Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Department and the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.

Related links:

Ross Tucker’s Blog: http://www.sportsscientists.com/

Ross Tucker’s Twitter account: @ScienceofSport

Ross Tucker and Malcolm Collins: BJSM paper ‘What makes champion?’ http://bit.ly/11ygMXx

Part 2 of this podcast:Understanding performance http://bit.ly/17fzGVe