Olympics Special: the genetic blueprint of athletic potential

What sets us apart from Olympic athletes? Is it true that genetic differences contribute to the results? Partially, yes.

Genetics significantly influence many aspects of life—from our height and eye color to our weight and even whether we develop certain health conditions. Yet, achieving physical success involves more than just our genetic makeup.

Yuki Kawamura, Japan's 5'8" point guard, delivered a historic performance against France's 7'4" Victor Wembanyama during the 2024 Men's Olympic Basketball game, nearly stunning the host nation. How much does genetics contribute to such remarkable feats? The facts might surprise you.

Genes have a greater impact on people who have no training foundation. Researchers from Cambridge University conducted a meta-analysis and identified 13 genes linked to fitness outcomes in untrained individuals. For cardiorespiratory fitness, the ACE gene significantly enhanced the body's oxygen intake, followed by other aerobic genes like COX4I1, CS, HADH, PFKM, and PGC-1α. Genes like ACTN3, AMPK/PRKAA2, and APOE also contributed but to a lesser extent. In terms of muscle strength (1RM), genes such as ACE, AKT1, COX4I1, mTOR, and VEGF-A were found to influence lower body strength variability significantly.

A review study has shown that our genetic makeup influences how our bodies respond to different physical activities. This concept, known as "adaptation," refers to our body's ability to make subtle improvements to handle new exercises or challenges better.

Adaptation can manifest in various ways, such as increased muscle mass from consistent strength training. These changes make us more prepared and efficient at performing the same activity in the future. However, it's important to note that while everyone experiences adaptation, the rate and extent of improvement can vary significantly from person to person, even when following identical workout routines.

On average, most people could significantly improve their training ability when they exercised 12 weeks with three times a week frequency—regardless of their genetics. However, the improvement is not always equal. For aerobic training, genes explained 44% of the differences in scores that we saw. For strength training, genes explained around 72%. But for anaerobic power, genes only explained around 10% of the difference. The rest of these differences can be explained by other variables—such as diet, sleep, recovery time, and lifestyle.

Another study discovered 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), genomic variants at a single base position in the DNA, directly associated with endurance improvements. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 45 participants from the UK. The results showed that people were able to run longer distances when they had more of these 18 favorable SNPs.

Those who participated in an endurance training program but made little or no progress, in some cases, did not have these SNPs. However, traits such as aerobic capacity can be influenced by multiple genes and their interactions, which is extremely complex. This also explains why having one or two favorable SNPs does not equate to better endurance training performance.

The appearance of an Olympic star is no accident. It’s a combination of many factors, and genetic heredity can be a starting point for people to show their shining sports ability at an early age. Overall, it’s a combination of genetics, systematic training, personal learning ability, the luck of meeting a good coach, a strong mind, and more.

“You can’t put a limit on anything,” just like what Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian ever with a total of 28 medals, said, “The more you dream, the farther you get.” Your genetic blueprint might set the stage, but it's your hard work, mindset and support system that will help you truly shine.

About Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)

BGI Genomics’ whole genome sequencing (WGS) service detects the complete genome sequence at one time and provides a high-resolution, base-by-base view of the genome. This enables researchers to see both large and small variants and identify potential causative variants for further follow-on gene expression or regulation mechanism studies.

About BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine. Its services cover more than 100 countries and regions, involving more than 2,300 medical institutions and 10,000 employees worldwide. In July 2017, as a subsidiary of BGI Group, BGI Genomics (300676.SZ) officially began trading on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.