The article stated staying active produces more proteins that power mitochondria over sedentary people.
I was team mates with arguably the best extreme skier ever, Shane McConkey. I was there when he decided to give up ski racing. I’ll never forget the day. Point is he was given every opportunity to excel as a ski racer from a very young age. He was trained year around for years to ski really fast. Yet he was at best a mediocre racer. But, when he turned his sights on free skiing something in that nut clicked. Genetics? Mentality? History?
One thing is for sure, every top athlete I’ve known started in their sport from single digit age. Their mentality is slightly different. Not sure I can put my finger on it. Anyways, I think most humans can take any sport to a the top given the right support. Whether or not they become a Merckx or not is probably attributable to genetics. I wrap the mental aspect of sport in genetics as well. They are one and the same.