[programminggeek]

Competitive sports(or anything else) at a high enough level is more about genetic selection than training. The training reveals and reinforces potential and is obviously necessary, but at some point anything that is competitive enough it really just showing you who found the right sport and the right training for their genetic capabilities.

In high school football there were guys who with the same amount of training could squat/bench/deadlift considerably more than everyone else. They were stronger/faster and when applied to the right sports they were on another level.

Sure, those less gifted in those areas could train hard to make up some of the difference, but not as much as you'd imagine. If you are short, no matter how hard you train you will be at a disadvantage playing basketball. If you are tall and bigger/overweight, you aren't going to win at cross country distance running.

Humans tend to overvalue magical training and undervalue the existing potential that training reveals.

[z3t4]

You can be naturally strong, but if you don't train, those who do train will beat you anyway. So you need to both train and have good genetics. Sports is not fair, but training usually pays off.