That's a possibility - but the pubmed piece I linked also includes this quote:
> Athletes with asthma/AHR have consistently outperformed their peers, which research suggests is not due to their treatment enhancing sports performance.
Anecdotally, when I lived in Chicago and rode outside in cold air I had asthma like symptoms (and I didn't ride nearly as frequently as olympians do) - which lines up with this quote, also from my original link:
> Inspiring polluted or cold air is considered a significant aetiological factor in some but not all sports.
