The Fastest Nation It is very common for us to know that in Sprint Events some American sportsman wins a different world or Olympic title. It was the last time that the Americans clearly superior to others in the sprint fields in the Helsinki World Championships. They have gained more titles than all other nations. Naturally that's not always the case, but American athletes have a clear advantage because of their high standards. Whilst sportsmen from other countries come and go, Americans remain always in the sport elite. Moreover, the sprint elite without Americans cannot be imagined. They now dominate championships over the short distance. Since the first Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, they have dominated the history of modern athletics. I give the Olympic performance athletes of all nations, of whom the modern Olympic Games have taken a price. For every gold medal, a nation gets 3 points, silver 2 points and bronze 1 point. The Americans won every medal at men's 200 metres dash at the 2004 Olympics, for example. A Jamaican has gained gold, an American has silver, a Bahamian has bronze. So Americans get eight points, Jamaicans get two points, Bahamians get one point. We receive the following statistics for summing up points for all years: 100 Meters: Usa 120, Germany 22 , United Kingdom 20, Canada 14, Australia 13, Other countries 69 200 Meters: Jamaica 16, Australia 14 , USA 117, Germany 18, UK 12, Others – 63 Great Britain 400 Meters: USA 97, Germany 22, Great Britain 20, Jamaica 13, Australia 12, Other Countries 52 Americans are far ahead of others in all cases. Even though it may still be wrong to say that other countries' athletes are trained far worse, even if we take such a huge advantage into account. The stars of British, Canadian, Caribbean and other sprints during the twentieth century were part of sports history. Many of them are world champions and Olympics. It also includes world record holders. We are discussing now Asafa Powell, Campbell and Williams-Darling. Linford Christie and Donovan Bailey, Marita Koch and Marie-Jose Perec have been remembered from the past. The point is, however, that they are their nations' only representatives. They go to sports, have excellent performance, and are not followed by fellow countrymen that match their level. However, only US athletes are constantly showing high performance. It is difficult to find reasons because the level of training in many other countries is also high. It is not actually the training process itself which distinguishes States from others. It is more like organising a sports system, selecting, motivating and raising athletes. Prevailing athletics approach: Two models of the global organisation of sports systems exist. First of all, in most countries the state funding system is developed. The State Sports Department oversees Sports Federations, offering athletes good training conditions, medical care, preparation opportunities and so forth. At the start of his career, the State takes care of athletes and in these conditions they feel comfortable. Many come into sports and train for fun, taking this view into consideration: I have a chance to train. First, I'm going to train for fun and see if my running is good. I'll be more careful to take training if I'm good. If I don't, I'll only enjoy the level achieved. My country will look after me and give me the chance to give these pleasure courses. Sprint is a hobby for some of them. Some of them achieve good local results in a 100 m dash of 10.4-10.2 seconds and think it is good enough. Those highly motivated and at times awarded international prizes are making further progress. But most of these sprinters do not reach a 10-second barrier or even a 9.8-9.7 second time for major competitions. So in such a system, there is no good selection process and no highly competitive environment. The National Collegiate Athletic Association Another model is when business interferes with sport, and the government simply provides conditions for athletes. This model has been developed in the United States. In addition to sporting, there is a unique system that gives birth to an enormous number of the world-famous athletic stars. The Sports of the National College are fantastically popular and covered on TV and in the press. Even world-famous bookmakers offer NCAA league bet lines. There cannot be such a situation in any country in the world. Teams of universities receive huge money from their team sponsors and want to attract well-trained athletes to high results. That means that qualified athletes receive bursaries covering study and living expenses. This is the only opportunity for many of them to enter a university. Athletes who have competed for a university team are therefore highly motivated to achieve good results. They don't just train, they guarantee their lives' stability. Very often, college athletes at the NCAA championships achieve higher results than professionals from other countries. The USA model has another positive aspect. Various sporting events in the United States are extremely popular. These include football, baseball, hockey, track and field. Nearly all universities have their own teams for these sports. If a sportsman chooses an event at the start of his career, and some time later it turns out that he is much better in another event, he can just change an event at the same university. Among the Olympic champions at sprint events, there are many such examples. Marion Jones was later the fastest woman in the world and was part of her University basketball team. Ato Boldon started his career as a renowned sprinter in soccer. In his early years, Jim Hines was a baseball player. As a high school boy, Eddie Tolan won Michigan state soccer championships. There could be many more examples. Such conditions give them the chance to find out really talented athletes and to develop their skills very quickly with tough competition. Yesterday NCAA champions today are the world's leading athletes. It is John Capel, Shawn Crawford, Justin Gatlin, Wariner and Williams. Now it is John Capel. New stars will exist in the future, and the model of the National Association of Collegiates will never fail. It is worth mentioning that there are also good Caribbean athletes. But notice that many studied at universities in America. You might wonder why American athletes don't run as well at sprint events at long distances. They like action, the answer is simple. It is much more interesting to watch a race of 100 metres for 10 seconds than to expect a half hour to end a race of ten kilometres. You're insane about shows that catch your eyes. And what could be more attractive than running for short distances? This is not just part of the race or athletics, but also part of a sport, in which human performance is limited. This is why they just take the world and the Olympic titles and left the other events in sprint..