The paradox of the athletic star whose muscles break his own bones

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, 37-year-old runner and TV show star Gladiators (nicknamed Nitro), had to open up about the rare medical condition that he carried with him throughout his life. Late last year, a serious knee injury caused Harry to miss the show’s second season. This accident once again brought up the cruel paradox that his body possessed extraordinary strength thanks to genes, but the skeletal and tendon system was not capable of withstanding that enormous explosive force.

England team doctors were amazed at Harry’s speedy recovery when he was a promising sprinter. His muscles almost did not atrophy even after a long break from competition. Blood test results later showed that the cause was a lack of myostatin in Harry’s body – a protein circulating in the blood that acts as a natural “blocker” that helps inhibit muscle growth. Harry describes this genetic trait as “both a blessing and a curse”.

The real tragedy began in 2007, when Harry was full of hope to attend the 2012 London Olympics. His muscles grew too fast and strong compared to the stiffness of his skeleton, causing him to fracture his spine, forcing him to wear a back brace for nearly a year. When the bones are fully developed, the tendon system becomes a victim. The athlete who won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games repeatedly tore his patellar tendon, hamstring and biceps tendon. He bitterly admitted that his muscles were so strong that the only thing that could be destroyed were his tendons.

The coach always has to solve the mental problem when planning lessons for Harry. They strictly ban upper body exercises because they fear that extra muscle mass will reduce speed and flexibility. Even performing the choreography in the show Strictly Come Dancing also becomes a dangerous challenge, because an uncontrolled movement can cause the body to injure itself.

Harry’s explosive power appeared very early. At the age of 14, he set a European junior record in the 100 m distance. Two years later, he became the first person to win both the 100 m and 200 m events at the 2005 World Youth Championship. However, this phenomenon of muscle hypertrophy (double muscling) is extremely rare in humans, with the first case recorded in the medical literature being a boy in Germany in 2004. In nature, scientists have found a similar mechanism in Belgian Blue cows or laboratory mice with the GDF-8 gene removed in 2004. 1997.

Although many people desire Harry’s “superhuman” body, the medical community warns that interfering with myostatin with drugs could cause health disasters. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has put myostatin inhibitors on the banned list since 2008 to prevent cheating and protect fairness in sports.

Harry is gradually moving into the entertainment field but still maintains iron discipline on the training field. He has just completed 10 100 m runs, each separated by 90 seconds of rest at a steady pace of 13.5 seconds. The 37-year-old star affirms that genes only provide the material, but it is hard work and determination that are the deciding factors in creating a true champion.