The Best : How Elite Athletes Are Made

"Insightful, thoughtful, and altogether wonderful." DANIEL COYLE, New York Times bestselling author of THE TALENT CODE

"This book is a must read." EDDIE JONES, Head Coach, England Rugby

"An engrossing guidebook for youth athletes, parents, coaches and perhaps even fantasy-league fans looking for a little insight." The Washington Post

THE SECRETS OF SUPERHUMAN PERFORMANCE

THE BEST reveals how the most incredible sportspeople in the world get to the top and stay there. It is a unique look at the path to sporting greatness; a story of origins, serendipity, practice, genetics and the psychology of excellence, as well as of sports science and cutting edge technology.

Packed with gripping personal stories and exclusive interviews with top athletes including Siya Kolisi, Marcus Rashford, Pete Sampras, Steph Curry, Jamie Carragher, Ian Poulter, Helen Glover, Ada Hegerberg, Elena Delle Donne, Joey Votto and Mike Hussey, it explains how the best athletes develop the extraordinary skills that allow them to perform remarkable feats under extreme pressure.

Get inside the minds of champions and understand first-hand what makes them perform during high-octane competition, what they think about in the heat of the moment and what drives them to do what they do.

By combining examples from numerous original interviews with top athletes and leading sports science research, THE BEST deconstructs superhuman performance and answers the question on every sports fan's mind: "How did they do that?"

"Fascinating and insightful... The Best isn't a one size fits all, it's a highly thought out, well-researched and accessible book that gives recommendations based on context and sport." JOANNE O'RIORDAN, The Irish Times

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A. Mark Williams is an academic and one of the world's leading authorities on expertise and its acquisition in sport. He has published 18 books and written over 500 scientific articles on how people become skilled and achieve success in sport and across other professional domains. He has worked across the globe as a consultant with numerous Olympic and professional sports and has vast experience as a scientist, author and educator, and as an applied sports scientist.

Tim Wigmore is the author of Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution, the winner of the Wisden Book of the Year award for 2020. He is a sports writer for The Daily Telegraph, and has also written regularly for The New York Times, The Economist, the New Statesman and ESPNCricinfo. He is a former winner of the Young Cricket Journalist of the Year award and has been shortlisted for the Cricket Writer of the Year award.

Matthew Syed is one of the UK's most influential thinkers on mindset, performance, and culture. A former Olympic table tennis player turned award-winning journalist and bestselling author, his seven books - including Black Box Thinking, Rebel Ideas, and the groundbreaking You Are Awesome series for children - have sold over two million copies worldwide, been translated into more than 30 languages, and earned widespread acclaim for their accessible insight and compelling storytelling.


A sought-after speaker and founder of Matthew Syed Consulting, he advises leading organisations - from global businesses to national sports teams - on building high-performance cultures. He also presents BBC Radio 4's Sideways, which has been downloaded over 15 million times, and writes for The Times and The Sunday Times. He has featured on top podcasts including The Diary of a CEO and High Performance. With a unique blend of sporting excellence, psychological insight, and sharp journalistic storytelling, Syed continues to challenge conventional thinking and inspire change across sectors.

Matthew Syed is one of the UK's most influential thinkers on mindset, performance, and culture. A former Olympic table tennis player turned award-winning journalist and bestselling author, his seven books - including Black Box Thinking, Rebel Ideas, and the groundbreaking You Are Awesome series for children - have sold over two million copies worldwide, been translated into more than 30 languages, and earned widespread acclaim for their accessible insight and compelling storytelling.

A sought-after speaker and founder of Matthew Syed Consulting, he advises leading organisations - from global businesses to national sports teams - on building high-performance cultures. He also presents BBC Radio 4's Sideways, which has been downloaded over 15 million times, and writes for The Times and The Sunday Times. He has featured on top podcasts including The Diary of a CEO and High Performance. With a unique blend of sporting excellence, psychological insight, and sharp journalistic storytelling, Syed continues to challenge conventional thinking and inspire change across sectors.