[DominikR]

Yes, the material got better, but my opinion is that these are not the main factor for these kinds of improvements in the last century.

Athletes competing today at that level basically have a staff of trainers, physicians and nutritionists that help them train better, perfect their movement and eat better. They also in most cases pursue this as a full time career which wasn't so in the old days.

As a result the physique of athletes today is very different than those of athletes a 100 years ago.

There are also disciplines where material improvements are too insignificant to explain the kind of improved performances we saw in the last decades. Take for example weight lifting. It's hard to argue that better shoes could have been the main contributor to the massive improvements in the last decades.

[goatlover]

Drugs, then.