Comment by virtuscience
1 month ago
Yes this is like saying a Formula 1 car doesn't need a pit crew because it's faster than a Honda Civic. The opposite is true: high performance requires operating at the absolute limit of mechanical failure.
Novice athletes operate at 50% of their capacity and have high safety margins. Elite athletes redline at 99%. They need constant medical and PT leverage not because they are "sick," but to manage the structural debt accrued from that volume. The better the athlete, the tighter the feedback loop with their support staff needs to be to prevent system collapse.
Most athletes have (and need!) regular access to shared or personal sports therapists.
These days it's arguable that F1 needs pit crews because pit stops are the only source of entropy during a race but I (bitterly) digress.