Declining track and field performance trends in recent years in the Austrian best results 1897-2019

Objectives:Plateauing of world records in sports has been suggested to reflect the limits of human physiology. Possible explanations include reduced doping or declining popularity that may even lead to a decrease in human performance. Such a decrease, however, has not yet been observed. We hypothesized that rather than a performance plateau, performance has recently declined.Methods:Fifteen athletic disciplines of the Austrian annual rankings were analyzed by regression statistics and the average best performance of the last 20 years compared to earlier periods.Results:The best performances occurred between 1980–1999 and were on average 2.56% (men) and 1.67% (women) better than between 2000–2019. This attenuation was significant in men in 200 m, 800 m, 1500 m, 10 km, long jump, javelin throw (p<0.05), high jump, pole vault, discus throw, shot put and hammer throw (p<0.001); and in women in 400 m, long jump, discus throw (p<0.05) and high jump (p<0.001). The greatest performance declines were observed in the men’s shot put (9.11%) and hammer throw (11.44%).Conclusions:The Austrian track and field annual best results show a performance decline following a peak, instead of a plateau. Future studies should address the causes and whether this also applies to other sports and countries.     

Most marathon runners at the 2017 IAAF World Championships were rearfoot strikers,and most did not change footstrike pattern

The aim of this study was to analyze footstrike patterns in elite marathon runners at the 2017 IAAF World Championships. Seventy-one men and 78 women were analyzed in their respective races. Athletes’ footstrike patterns were recorded (120 Hz) at approximately 8.5, 19, 29.5 and 40 km (“Laps 1 – 4”) and categorized as either rearfoot (RFS), midfoot or forefoot striking; the latter two were classified together as non-rearfoot striking (NRFS). The most common footstrike pattern was RFS, with proportions never less than 54% of men or 67% of women at any distance. There were no sex-based differences for proportion of footstrike patterns, and there were no differences between footstrike proportions when comparing the top and bottom 50% of men finishers, or between women during Laps 1 and 2. A greater proportion of the top 50% of women maintained NRFS than amongst the bottom 50%. The proportion of RFS increased with distance run in the men’s race, although more than 75% of athletes across both marathons had consistent footstrike patterns between laps (79 RFS and 36 NRFS). As most athletes were RFS (including the top four finishing men), there appears to be no clear advantage to NRFS in marathon running. Coaches should note that it is normal for elite marathon runners to be either RFS or NRFS; however, forefoot striking was rare. The high proportion of athletes who maintained their footstrike pattern reflected individualized preferences for a given footstrike pattern.     

A mathematical model for the force and energetics in competitive running

A simple mathematical model for competitive running is developed. This model contains the force and energy reserves as key variables and it describes their relationship and dynamics. It is made up of three submodels for the biomechanics of running, the energetics and the optimization. The model for the energetics is an extension of the hydraulic model of Margaria and Morton. The key geometric parameters of this piecewise linear, three compartment model are determined on the basis of well known physiological facts and data.     

Estimation and validation of spatio-temporal parameters for sprint running using a radio-based tracking system

Spatio-temporal parameters like step length, step frequency and ground contact time are directly related to sprinting performance. There is still a lack of knowledge, however, on how these parameters interact.Recently, various algorithms for the automatic detection of step parameters during sprint running have been presented which have been based on data from motion capture systems, video cameras, opto-electronic systems or Inertial measurement units. However, all of these methods suffer from at least one of the following shortcomings: they are (a) not applicable for more than one sprinter simultaneously, (b) only capable of capturing a small volume or (c) do not provide accurate spatial parameters. To circumvent these issues, the radio-based local position measurement system RedFIR could be used to obtain spatio-temporal information during sprinting based on lightweight transmitters attached to the athletes. To assess and optimize the accuracy of these parameters 19 100 m sprints of twelve young elite athletes (age: 16.5 ± 2.3 years) were recorded by a radio-based tracking system and a opto-electronic reference instrument. Optimal filter parameters for the step detection algorithm were obtained based on RMSE differences between estimates and reference values on an unseen test set. Attaching a transmitter above the ankle showed the best results.Bland-Altman analysis yielded 95% limits of agreement of [−14.65 cm, 15.05 cm] for step length [−0.016 s, 0.016 s] for step time and [−0.020 s, 0.028 s] for ground contact time, respectively. RMS errors smaller than 2% for step length and step time show the applicability of radio-based tracking systems to provide spatio-temporal parameters. This creates new opportunities for performance analysis that can be applied for any running discipline taking place within a stadium. Since analysis for multiple athletes is available in real-time this allows immediate feedback to coaches, athletes and media.     

Neuroimaging coordination dynamics in the sport sciences

Key methodological issues for designing, analyzing, and interpreting neuroimaging experiments are presented from the perspective of the framework of Coordination Dynamics. To this end, a brief overview of Coordination Dynamics is introduced, including the main concepts of control parameters and collective variables, theoretical modeling, novel experimental paradigms, and cardinal empirical findings. Basic conceptual and methodological issues for the design and implementation of coordination experiments in the context of neuroimaging are discussed. The paper concludes with a presentation of neuroimaging findings central to understanding the neural basis of coordination and addresses their relevance for the sport sciences. The latter include but are not restricted to learning and practice-related issues, the role of mental imagery, and the recovery of function following brain injury.     

Gait variability and symmetry remain consistent during high-intensity 10,000 m treadmill running

The aim of this study was to analyze changes in gait variability and symmetry in distance runners. Fourteen competitive athletes ran on an instrumented treadmill for 10,000 m at speeds equivalent to 103% of their season’s best time. Spatiotemporal and ground reaction force data were recorded at 1500, 3000, 5000, 7500 and 9500 m. Gait variability and inter-leg symmetry were measured using median absolute deviation (MAD) and the symmetry angle, respectively. There were no overall changes during the running bout for absolute values, symmetry angles or variability, and there were only moderate changes in variability between successive testing distances for three variables. Even with these few changes, variability was low (<4%) at all distances for all variables measured and, on average, the athletes were symmetrical for five of the seven gait variables measured. There were greater mean asymmetry values for flight time (1.1–1.4%) and for impact force (2.0–2.9%), which might have occurred because of muscle latency as the lower limb responded passively to impact during initial contact. Although most athletes were asymmetrical (>1.2%) for at least one variable, no one was asymmetrical for more than four of the seven variables measured. Being asymmetrical in a few variables is therefore not abnormal and not indicative of asymmetrical gait and given many practitioners analyze symmetry (and variability) on an individual, case-study basis, caution should be taken when assessing the need for corrective interventions.