Explores the roles of both genetics and training in athletic success, arguing that both are equally necessary components of athletic achievement while considering such topics as race, gender, and genetic testing.

Introduction: in search of sports genes -- Beat by an underhand girl: the gene-free model of expertise -- A tale of two high jumpers (or: 10,000 hours plus or minus 10,000 hours) -- Major league vision and the greatest child athlete sample ever: the hardware and software paradigm -- Why men have nipples -- The talent of trainability -- Superbaby, bully whippets, and the trainability of muscle -- The big bang of body types -- The vitruvian NBA player -- We are all black (sort of): race and genetic diversity -- The warrior-slave theory of Jamaican sprinting -- Malaria and muscle fibers -- Can every Kalenjin run? -- The world's greatest accidental (altitudinous) talent sieve -- Sled dogs, ultrarunners, and couch potato genes -- The heartbreak gene: death, injury, and pain on the field -- The gold medal mutation -- Epilogue: the perfect athlete.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-328) and index.