Speed Trends of Major Cycling Races: Does Slower Mean Cleaner?

Figure skating: Increasing numbers of revolutions in jumps at the European and World Championships

Figure skating is associated with a high prevalence of sport-specific injuries and overuse symptoms. Impacts are of greater magnitude in jumps with more revolutions that are thus connected to a greater risk of injury. While figure skating programs seem to have recently increased in difficulty, performance trends have not yet been reported in the literature. We hypothesized increasing performance and decreasing age trends of the best athletes who competed at international level in recent years. Furthermore, we aimed to identify and analyse objective performance parameters and to assess a potential link between age and the risk of injury. The development of the number of double, triple and quadruple jumps in the singles figure skating events at the World and European Championships since the introduction of the new ISU Judging System in the 2004/2005 season was analysed using regression statistics and Student's T-Tests. In all groups, the numbers of jumps with fewer rotations significantly decreased in the favour of jumps with more rotations. Women only started to perform jumps with four rotations in 2019. In the men, the number of quadruple jumps increased from an average of less than one to more than three in recent years (European and World Championships, both p < 0.001). In the European, but not in the World Championships, the average age increased in the men and decreased in the women (European Championships, men and women p = 0.006). Our study was the first to assess performance trends in elite figure skating. The incidence of injuries and overuse syndromes in figure skating needs to be monitored cautiously, as increases can be expected following recent gains in performance and jump complexity.

Association Between Implementation of the Athlete Biological Passport and Female Elite Runners' Performance

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the performances of female middle- and long-distance runners before and after the implementation of a new antidoping strategy (the Athlete Biological Passport [ABP]) in a country accused of systematic doping. A retrospective analysis of the results of Russian National Championships from 2008 to 2017 was performed. The 8 best female performances for the 800-m, 1500-m, 3000-m steeplechase, 5000-m, and 10,000-m events from the semifinals and finals were analyzed. The yearly number of athletes fulfilling standard qualifications for international competitions was also evaluated. Overall, numbers of athletes banned for doping in 2008-2017 were calculated. As a result, 4 events (800, 1500, 5000 [all P < .001], and 10,000 m [P < .01]) out of 5 showed statistically significant deterioration in the performances when comparing before and after the introduction of the ABP. The 3000-m steeplechase was the only event that did not show statistically significant change. The highest relative decrease in the number of runners who met standard qualification for international competition was for the 5000-m event (46%), followed by 1500-m (42%), 800-m (38%), 10,000-m (17%), and 3000-m steeplechase (1%). In conclusion, implementation of the ABP was followed by a significant reduction in the performance of female runners in a country accused of systematic doping. It can be reasonably speculated that more stringent antidoping testing, more specifically the introduction of the ABP, is a key reason for this reduction.

Determinants of Cycling Performance: a Review of the Dimensions and Features Regulating Performance in Elite Cycling Competitions

BACKGROUND

A key tenet of sports performance research is to provide coaches and athletes with information to inform better practice, yet the determinants of athletic performance in actual competition remain an under-examined and under-theorised field. In cycling, the effects of contextual factors, presence of and interaction with opponents, environmental conditions, competition structure and socio-cultural, economic and authoritarian mechanisms on the performance of cyclists are not well understood.

OBJECTIVES

To synthesise published findings on the determinants of cyclists' behaviours and chances of success in elite competition.

METHODS

Four academic databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles. A total of 44 original research articles and 12 reviews met the inclusion criteria. Key findings were grouped and used to shape a conceptual framework of the determinants of performance.

RESULTS

The determinants of cycling performance were grouped into four dimensions: features related to the individual cyclist, tactical features emerging from the inter-personal dynamics between cyclists, strategic features related to competition format and the race environment and global features related to societal and organisational constraints. Interactions between these features were also found to shape cyclists' behaviours and chances of success.

CONCLUSION

Team managers, coaches, and athletes seeking to improve performance should give attention to features related not only to the individual performer, but also to features of the interpersonal, strategic, global dimensions and their interactions.

The Critical Power Model as a Potential Tool for Anti-doping

Existing doping detection strategies rely on direct and indirect biochemical measurement methods focused on detecting banned substances, their metabolites, or biomarkers related to their use. However, the goal of doping is to improve performance, and yet evidence from performance data is not considered by these strategies. The emergence of portable sensors for measuring exercise intensities and of player tracking technologies may enable the widespread collection of performance data. How these data should be used for doping detection is an open question. Herein, we review the basis by which performance models could be used for doping detection, followed by critically reviewing the potential of the critical power (CP) model as a prototypical performance model that could be used in this regard. Performance models are mathematical representations of performance data specific to the athlete. Some models feature parameters with physiological interpretations, changes to which may provide clues regarding the specific doping method. The CP model is a simple model of the power-duration curve and features two physiologically interpretable parameters, CP and W′. We argue that the CP model could be useful for doping detection mainly based on the predictable sensitivities of its parameters to ergogenic aids and other performance-enhancing interventions. However, our argument is counterbalanced by the existence of important limitations and unresolved questions that need to be addressed before the model is used for doping detection. We conclude by providing a simple worked example showing how it could be used and propose recommendations for its implementation.

Speed trends in male distance running

The major cycling "Grand Tours" have shown an attenuation of performance over the last decade. This has been interpreted as circumstantial evidence that newer anti-doping strategies have reduced the use of performance-enhancing drugs. To examine this idea under more controlled conditions, speed trends for world class 5000 m, 10000 m, and marathon performances by men from 1980 to 2013 were analyzed. We obtained comprehensive records from the International Association of Athletics Federations, Association of Road Racing Statisticians, and the Track and Field All-time Performances database webpages. The top 40 performances for each event and year were selected for regression analysis. For the three distances, we noted cumulative performance improvements in the 1990s thru the mid-2000s. After the peak speed years of the mid 2000 s, there has been limited improvement in the 5000 m and 10,000 m and world records set during that time remain in place today, marking the longest period of time between new records since the early 1940s. By contrast marathon speed continues to increase and the world record has been lowered four times since 2007, including in 2013. While the speed trends for 5000 m and 10000 m track results parallel those seen in elite cycling, the marathon trends do not. We discuss a number of explanations other than improved anti-doping strategies that might account for these divergent findings.

The Doping Myth: 100 m sprint results are not improved by 'doping'

BACKGROUND

Doping is a very serious issue bedevilling the sporting arena. It has consequences for athletes' careers, perception of sports in the society and funding of sports events and sporting organisations. There is a widespread perception that doping unfairly improves results of athletes.

METHODS

A statistical study of information on best lifetime results of top 100 m sprinters (males better than 9.98 s, females 11.00 s), over the period of 1980-2011 was conducted. Athletes were divided into categories of 'doped' (N = 17 males and 14 females), based on self admission, the confirmed detection of known doping agents in their bodies or doping conviction, and 'non-doped' (N = 46 males and 55 females).

RESULTS

No significant differences (unpaired t-test) between dopers and non-dopers were found in their average results: male 'dopers' 9.89 s identical with 'non-dopers' 9.89 s, females 10.84 s and 10.88 s respectively. Slopes of regressions of best results on dates for both 'dopers' and 'non dopers' were not significantly different from zero. This indicates that no general improvement as a group in 100 m sprint results over a quarter of a century occurred irrespective of doping being or not being used.

CONCLUSION

Since there are no statistical differences between athletes found "doping" and the others, one of the following must be true: (1) "doping" as used by athletes so detected does not improve results, or (2) "doping" is widespread and only sometimes detected. Since there was no improvement in overall results during the last quarter of the century, the first conclusion is more likely. Objectively, various "doping" agents have obvious physiological or anatomical effects. These may not translate into better results due to the clandestine use of doping that prevents its scientific structuring. Perception of the effectiveness of doping should be reconsidered. Policy changes may be required to ensure the continued fairness and equity in testing, legislation and sports in general.