Sir, – In a warm and timely article, Ian O'Riordan acknowledges the contribution his mother's lineage made to his own athletic pedigree and prowess ("My mother knew I was more than just the son of a runner", Sport, March 26th).
The historical details he provides are interesting indeed, encapsulating an era where amateur status and political reality rendered elite sport an even more unforgiving vocation. He could have simply argued his case scientifically, however, and the same recognition of their mother’s contribution should be made by essentially all sports competitors. It isn’t even debatable.
The intense metabolic activity of exercise, in short, converts oxygen to carbon dioxide. Active people do this better than their sedentary counterparts and elite athletes do it astonishingly efficiently. Physiologically, this is the most obvious distinction between the various levels of performer, usually referred to as their VO2 max. The process takes place in tiny structures in our cells called mitochondria, which will be familiar to many from Leaving Certificate biology. Curiously, our mitochondrial genetics are inherited in a purely maternal manner. Thus, while Ian O’Riordan is correct that to achieve excellence in any pursuit you should “choose your parents wisely”, in sport your mother’s genetic contribution to your performance is likely to be far greater. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN O’BRIEN,
Kinsale,
Co Cork.