When pioneering coach David Brailsford led British Cycling through an unprecedented golden era at the Beijing and London Olympics, he famously credited Team GB’s success to a concept he called “marginal gains”.
He outlined this process as striving to improve every element of riding a bike by one per cent. These tiny advancements would, when accumulated together, result in a noticeable increase in performance that could—and often did—prove the difference between silver and gold.
Crucially, Brailsford believed that nothing should be off limits to the marginal gains treatment. That meant that as well as focusing on fitness, strength, and aerodynamics, Brailsford had a view on everything from the pillows his athletes should sleep on to how they should wash their hands.
What may sound a little intrusive to the rest of us was widely seen within sport as an act of genius. It has since become a blueprint for other elite athletes to follow. But doing so needs more than a visionary coach. It requires an entourage of specialists in every field. Here, we wander into sport’s shadows to speak to the unsung heroes of the one per cent club.
The Nutritionist
As well as being a sports nutritionist at Crystal Palace Football Club, Kate Shilland’s client list reads like day one of an Olympics programme. Among her regulars are swimmers, triathletes, ultra-runners, rugby players, and boxers. In 2021, Kate was also part of tennis star Emma Raducanu’s team ahead of the teenager’s incredible breakthrough US Open success.
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