Ireland and backwards sports science (but going in right direction)

Interesting words:

One of Ireland’s top sports physical therapists, Anthony ‘Star’ Geoghegan, has said this country is backward in terms of adopting new techniques which could help track and field athletes...

....Geoghegan went on: "I believe Ireland is backward, and I have to be blunt saying it like that, we’re backward on the science going forward.

“And people will say that we’re not, but I look at statistics and the athletes in Ireland, we can’t blame them, they train really, really well. They’re great athletes and they train really hard but they are not using the science."

From RTE.ie

Personally, I think that's almost too negative (and I'm sure that the full interview highlights positive aspects also - nothing like media articles to pick up on one aspect!). I'm sure there's lots of various aspects that are improving steadily as times progressively improve. It's no different in my own sport, climbing. But the frustration comes for those who feel that it's smarter to just learn from the best as we're not re-inventing the wheel and can make much quicker progress! Getting the general consensus on this is tricky however and this is the challenge - selling and committing to this mindset and attitude. 

If you want to read an amazing book on Jamaican running and, in particular, Usain Bolt, check out the book "The Bolt Supremacy". I've just finished it and it's a fascinating insight into the attitude and perspectives of the top runners in the world. Eye-opening......

In this it expands on how Jamaican running is now the powerhouse it is, essentially came down to the vision and drive of a few people, as well as inviting top coaches in the field to visit and share their knowledge. Over a period of time, this has become the accepted practise and mindset - imagine that 35,000 people attend high school running events! Can you imagine that at a climbing competition......