Does the use of technology make new world records less impressive than those of the past?
This post was written by a student. It has not been fact checked or edited.
This Standpoint won a Standpoint Award! Watch the video below to see what the expert judge said. Congratulations perceptive_banana!
Video not working? Follow this link: https://vimeo.com/teef/perceptive-banana
Talent or technology?
In October 2019 in Vienna, Eliud Kipchage became the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours (1:59:40) wearing a prototype Nike Alphafly sneaker. Only later were those sneakers banned in running sports because they contained three carbon plates and 50 mm thick layer of foam. So, does the technology actually make new world records less impressive than those of the past?
Breaking world records today is easier than it was in the past because of technology. Firstly, previous years technology was not so developed and people had something called talent. Talent is very important for world records because some athletes are born with special abilities like speed or strength, and that abilities can help them reach amazing results. Secondly, technology can improve athlete's performance because it can give them better equipment like sneakers which can make it easier for running or jumping higher. Finally, when we combine natural talent and technology, we can create better results. It is showing us that today's records are less impressive because they are not only from athlete's abilities.
For example, one time when we had PE in our Primary school, we had to run as fast as possible to achieve best time. One of my friends brought his sneakers which had a great ability to amortize, and he achieved the best time. It can show us how technology is playing a big role in today's sports.
Someone who disagrees might think that today's world records are as impressive as one in the past because today's athletes are still very talented and train hard. Also, they might think that technology is playing only a small role in today's sports. However, I think they are wrong because modern technology and equipment like advanced running sneakers really helps athletes perform better and makes it easier to break world records today.
To sum up, world records will always be hard to beat, but they will be easier to break for the people who are natural talented and who have abilities to do that. I think that technology will always be part of today's and future's world records. All in all, world records will always have something special that technology can't change.
Comments (1)
Personally, this is a very thoughtful Standpoint. There is a clear thesis and points are presented in an organized way, you even address a counterargument which is fantastic for this type of debate. However, I want to add some additional points. The Kipochoge example listed was not an official world record. It was a planned event with pacers, prototype shoes, etc. This is a perfect example of technology, a scenario to good to be true. However, what about the shoes he wore in a legal race? When he broke the official world record in 2018, he wore an earlier version of the Nike technology. Your personal example about primary school, while a nice touch, doesn't exactly prove that Olympic-level athletes are less impressive. So, this is a very nice Standpoint and I wish you the best of luck in the competition! These notes are just meant to be informative, not argumentative or aggressive.