Book excerpt: Are Olympic athletes born stronger and faster than the rest of us? Why do tennis rackets have strings? How do gymnasts balance on their hands? Why do hurdlers do the splits when they jump? Glenn Murphy, author of Why is Snot Green?, answers these and lots of other brilliant questions in Olympic Sport: The Whole Muscle-Flexing Story, a fascinating book about the science of sport. From running a marathon to beating your friends at basketball or being the bendiest gymnast around, find out everything you ever wanted to know about sports and games and what it is that makes athletes the best at what they do. Discover more funny science with Does Farting Make You Faster?.