SINGAPORE: Humans have proven that they can achieve the impossible, many times over. Ever since British athlete Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile (1.6km) in under four minutes on May 6, 1954, others have repeatedly lowered the mark, with Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj holding the current world record at 3:43.13 minutes.
Some sport scientists insist that human endurance plateaus at around Ethiopian running legend Haile Gebrselassie’s 2008 marathon record of 2:03:59. In 2019, Eliud Kipchoge went under two hours - 1:59:40.2 to be exact - to redefine what is humanly possible. And this is just running - there’s no end to the number of ways humans push their limits, from mountaineering to BMX racing, to sky diving.
It seems, when you claim that something is impossible, someone, somewhere will eventually prove you wrong. Never underestimate the human spirit.
While it is inspiring to see a world’s first or a personal best, there have been fatal attempts. The 1950 to 1951 Winter of Terror in the Alps claimed 265 lives, and last spring was the deadliest for Everest climbers, with 17 dead or missing.
Given the dangers, are there out-of-bound markers when it comes to testing the human boundaries? In particular, how young is too young when it comes to extreme challenges?
Six-year-old Om Madan Garg at the Everest Base Camp after 10 days of trekking. (Photo: Mayur Garg)
In 2019, eight-year-old Darrshan Raj Thurairajasingam fulfilled his dream of reaching the Everest Base Camp. He was the youngest Singaporean then to do so. In 2022, six-year-old Om Madan Garg displaced Darrshan to be the youngest Singaporean record holder.
This year, five-year-old Abyan Imtiaz Irkiz intends to beat that record. His father said he and the boy, who has been rock climbing since he was one, plan to set off on their 12-day expedition in April. The family takes care to mitigate the risks, train progressively, and ensure that Abyan enjoys the whole process.
When Abyan’s parents spoke to the media of their plans, the story garnered much attention, with some applauding the parents for fostering a spirit of exploration and resilience from an early age, and others expressing concern about the potential risks to the boy.
Five-year-old Abyan Imtiaz Irkiz trekking happily while chatting with his dad at Windsor Nature Park. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
Should it suffice to simply achieve a feat? Or is it that critical to achieve that feat at as young an age as possible?
Distance swimmer Diana Nyad first attempted to swim 166km from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, in 1978. She was 28 years old, had set open water records, and was in peak form. After covering 122km in 42 hours, in shark and jellyfish-infested waters, she had to pull out due to the strong winds and rough seas. Her next attempt was 33 years later, just shy of her 62nd birthday. She failed again in this and the next two attempts. Nyad finally succeeded in 2013, on her fifth attempt, at the age of 64.
Children who achieve remarkable feats in extreme and risky activities often grab headlines, and their achievements can influence other parents and children to want to do the same, or even go one better.
The question then is - if a child succeeds in a risky extreme sport, should the feat be recognised and publicised? If it is, would it encourage a progression towards recklessness?
Adults take up extreme challenges at their own risk. With children, it gets complicated. Firstly, they are not at legal age to make key decisions, and their parents undertake the responsibility instead.
Secondly, their physiology is different from adults. In some respects, they are superior to adults. Their ligaments and tendons are stronger, they have good anaerobic capacity, are lighter, more agile and have a lower centre of gravity.
Of course, they have disadvantages too. Their aerobic capacity has not peaked yet, they have fragile growth plates, their temperature regulation is not as precise as adults (making them more prone to hypothermia), and they are less experienced when it comes to assessing risk. On the whole, adults have the upper hand in the mountains.
The key concern in any discussion about children in extreme challenges or sports should be about safety. While we encourage children to explore their potential, we must also question whether they are physically and emotionally ready for the challenges they are undertaking.
Certain sports bodies take a paternalistic approach and impose a minimum age for competition, to protect the child athlete from injury. For example, one needs to be at least 18 years old to race in an Ironman Triathlon.
In artistic gymnastics, where the rigorous training involves repeated impact, young gymnasts are susceptible to injuries like distal radial epiphysitis. Also called gymnast’s wrist, this is where a major growth plate in the wrist is damaged from the repeated impact from tumbling and vaulting.
If ignored, the growth plate closes prematurely and the radial bone stops growing, ending up relatively shorter than the neighbouring ulna bone. The resultant asymmetrical growth is not only visible, it also alters the biomechanics of the wrist, leading to premature wear and tear (osteoarthritis) and long-term pain. It is therefore not surprising that the minimum age for competing in senior gymnastics events is 16 years old.
The growth plates are not the only susceptible body part in the young. In baseball pitching, the traction stress on the inside of the elbow can damage a developing bone (apophysis), leading to the Little League Elbow. With the same pitching action, the compression forces on the outside of the elbow damages another bone (osteochondrosis of the capitellum), leading to Panner disease in five- to 10-year-olds.
Non-impact, non-weight-bearing sports like swimming, on the other hand are kinder to the growing skeletal system, allowing safe participation, even at a very young age.
Indeed, Japanese swimmer Kyoko Iwasaki won the 200m breaststroke Olympic gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic when she was just 14 years old. Also at age 14, American Amanda Beard clinched a gold and two silvers at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and enjoyed a long swimming career, going on to compete at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics.
The extreme challenge and the regimented training before that stretch not only one’s physical resilience, but they also take a toll on one’s mental health, especially in children. Mental resilience comes with experience and maturity, and young children have the benefit of neither.
Indian runner Budhia Singh became a national celebrity in 2006 when he was just four years old, after running 65km without rest in a little over seven hours. His story, however, did not have a happy ending, with allegations of abuse and exploitation. By 13, he had stopped distance running. In an interview with Hindustan Times in 2021, he refused to talk about his past. “I have had enough,” he said.
Isolation is mental torture, let alone being isolated on the endless ocean, at the mercy of the elements. This is what 13-year-old Laura Dekker would have had to endure when she aspired to be the youngest person to sail solo around the world in 2009.
Child protection authorities objected and questioned whether it was reckless to even think of it. A Dutch court intervened, barring Dekker from departing and placed her under state supervision. The supervision order was lifted in July 2010 and Dekker set off on her solo voyage on Aug 21, 2010. She completed the circumnavigation 518 days later, at age 16.
Some governing bodies, usually the well-established and mature ones, set age limits. Some do not. Of those that don’t, is it because the activity is safe for the young, or is it because the governing bodies are unable to come to a consensus, or that there is no governing body to make an informed decision?
In the latter two scenarios, the decision whether or not to attempt to be the youngest at a chosen challenge is left to the individual, and it is very difficult to be adequately informed to make such decisions.
Dr Ben Tan is an Olympian, Asian Games gold medallist, and four-time SEA Games gold medallist in sailing. He is a former Nominated Member of Parliament and the current head of sport and exercise medicine at SingHealth. The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not represent the views of any entities he is affiliated with.
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Some sport scientists insist that human endurance plateaus at around Ethiopian running legend Haile Gebrselassie’s 2008 marathon record of 2:03:59. In 2019, Eliud Kipchoge went under two hours - 1:59:40.2 to be exact - to redefine what is humanly possible. And this is just running - there’s no end to the number of ways humans push their limits, from mountaineering to BMX racing, to sky diving.
It seems, when you claim that something is impossible, someone, somewhere will eventually prove you wrong. Never underestimate the human spirit.
While it is inspiring to see a world’s first or a personal best, there have been fatal attempts. The 1950 to 1951 Winter of Terror in the Alps claimed 265 lives, and last spring was the deadliest for Everest climbers, with 17 dead or missing.
Given the dangers, are there out-of-bound markers when it comes to testing the human boundaries? In particular, how young is too young when it comes to extreme challenges?
Six-year-old Om Madan Garg at the Everest Base Camp after 10 days of trekking. (Photo: Mayur Garg)
In 2019, eight-year-old Darrshan Raj Thurairajasingam fulfilled his dream of reaching the Everest Base Camp. He was the youngest Singaporean then to do so. In 2022, six-year-old Om Madan Garg displaced Darrshan to be the youngest Singaporean record holder.
This year, five-year-old Abyan Imtiaz Irkiz intends to beat that record. His father said he and the boy, who has been rock climbing since he was one, plan to set off on their 12-day expedition in April. The family takes care to mitigate the risks, train progressively, and ensure that Abyan enjoys the whole process.
When Abyan’s parents spoke to the media of their plans, the story garnered much attention, with some applauding the parents for fostering a spirit of exploration and resilience from an early age, and others expressing concern about the potential risks to the boy.
Five-year-old Abyan Imtiaz Irkiz trekking happily while chatting with his dad at Windsor Nature Park. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
Should it suffice to simply achieve a feat? Or is it that critical to achieve that feat at as young an age as possible?
Distance swimmer Diana Nyad first attempted to swim 166km from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, in 1978. She was 28 years old, had set open water records, and was in peak form. After covering 122km in 42 hours, in shark and jellyfish-infested waters, she had to pull out due to the strong winds and rough seas. Her next attempt was 33 years later, just shy of her 62nd birthday. She failed again in this and the next two attempts. Nyad finally succeeded in 2013, on her fifth attempt, at the age of 64.
NO CHILD’S PLAY
Children who achieve remarkable feats in extreme and risky activities often grab headlines, and their achievements can influence other parents and children to want to do the same, or even go one better.
The question then is - if a child succeeds in a risky extreme sport, should the feat be recognised and publicised? If it is, would it encourage a progression towards recklessness?
Related:
Adults take up extreme challenges at their own risk. With children, it gets complicated. Firstly, they are not at legal age to make key decisions, and their parents undertake the responsibility instead.
Secondly, their physiology is different from adults. In some respects, they are superior to adults. Their ligaments and tendons are stronger, they have good anaerobic capacity, are lighter, more agile and have a lower centre of gravity.
Of course, they have disadvantages too. Their aerobic capacity has not peaked yet, they have fragile growth plates, their temperature regulation is not as precise as adults (making them more prone to hypothermia), and they are less experienced when it comes to assessing risk. On the whole, adults have the upper hand in the mountains.
The key concern in any discussion about children in extreme challenges or sports should be about safety. While we encourage children to explore their potential, we must also question whether they are physically and emotionally ready for the challenges they are undertaking.
Certain sports bodies take a paternalistic approach and impose a minimum age for competition, to protect the child athlete from injury. For example, one needs to be at least 18 years old to race in an Ironman Triathlon.
In artistic gymnastics, where the rigorous training involves repeated impact, young gymnasts are susceptible to injuries like distal radial epiphysitis. Also called gymnast’s wrist, this is where a major growth plate in the wrist is damaged from the repeated impact from tumbling and vaulting.
If ignored, the growth plate closes prematurely and the radial bone stops growing, ending up relatively shorter than the neighbouring ulna bone. The resultant asymmetrical growth is not only visible, it also alters the biomechanics of the wrist, leading to premature wear and tear (osteoarthritis) and long-term pain. It is therefore not surprising that the minimum age for competing in senior gymnastics events is 16 years old.
The growth plates are not the only susceptible body part in the young. In baseball pitching, the traction stress on the inside of the elbow can damage a developing bone (apophysis), leading to the Little League Elbow. With the same pitching action, the compression forces on the outside of the elbow damages another bone (osteochondrosis of the capitellum), leading to Panner disease in five- to 10-year-olds.
Non-impact, non-weight-bearing sports like swimming, on the other hand are kinder to the growing skeletal system, allowing safe participation, even at a very young age.
Indeed, Japanese swimmer Kyoko Iwasaki won the 200m breaststroke Olympic gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic when she was just 14 years old. Also at age 14, American Amanda Beard clinched a gold and two silvers at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and enjoyed a long swimming career, going on to compete at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics.
Related:
IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH
The extreme challenge and the regimented training before that stretch not only one’s physical resilience, but they also take a toll on one’s mental health, especially in children. Mental resilience comes with experience and maturity, and young children have the benefit of neither.
Indian runner Budhia Singh became a national celebrity in 2006 when he was just four years old, after running 65km without rest in a little over seven hours. His story, however, did not have a happy ending, with allegations of abuse and exploitation. By 13, he had stopped distance running. In an interview with Hindustan Times in 2021, he refused to talk about his past. “I have had enough,” he said.
Isolation is mental torture, let alone being isolated on the endless ocean, at the mercy of the elements. This is what 13-year-old Laura Dekker would have had to endure when she aspired to be the youngest person to sail solo around the world in 2009.
Child protection authorities objected and questioned whether it was reckless to even think of it. A Dutch court intervened, barring Dekker from departing and placed her under state supervision. The supervision order was lifted in July 2010 and Dekker set off on her solo voyage on Aug 21, 2010. She completed the circumnavigation 518 days later, at age 16.
Some governing bodies, usually the well-established and mature ones, set age limits. Some do not. Of those that don’t, is it because the activity is safe for the young, or is it because the governing bodies are unable to come to a consensus, or that there is no governing body to make an informed decision?
In the latter two scenarios, the decision whether or not to attempt to be the youngest at a chosen challenge is left to the individual, and it is very difficult to be adequately informed to make such decisions.
Dr Ben Tan is an Olympian, Asian Games gold medallist, and four-time SEA Games gold medallist in sailing. He is a former Nominated Member of Parliament and the current head of sport and exercise medicine at SingHealth. The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not represent the views of any entities he is affiliated with.
Continue reading...