Welcome to the Science of Sport where we bring you the second, third, and fourth level of analysis you will not find anywhere else.
Be it doping in sport, hot topics like Caster Semenya or Oscar Pistorius, or the dehydration myth, we try to translate the science behind sports and sports performance. Consider a donation if you like what you see here!
2015 // Posts published in 2015
The Talent Series: Strategy, tactics and then science
Talent ID and Development - the science, strategy and tactics (not in that order) of developing future champions. This is the first in a series of posts (videos, we'll see how that goes) on this topic. Today, the entire presentation
Eight quick thoughts on the Froome data
Chris Froome's data, or the first part thereof, was published in Esquire yesterday evening. Some thoughts on what it says, means, and what may yet be added
Froome’s scenarios: The data, dilemmas and dark side of the moon
Chris Froome's data is due to be released tomorrow. Here are my thoughts on what it shows, what it can't show, the testers, the process, and some predictive scenarios for you to play with when those numbers do come out
Interview with Renee Anne Shirley
Renee Anne Shirley is one of the world's leading anti-doping experts. Also a whistleblower who shed light on lax anti-doping practices in Jamaica, she shares her thoughts on the IAAF, WADA and IOC in an unedited interview. She offers fascinating insights on the origins of the problem, and the way forward.
IAAF to-do list: Invite in, step aside & break the orbit
The IAAF response to the doping scandal has hardly been reassuring. Nor was its position when the allegations first emerged. What is the solution, though? Maximum transparency, and a leading role in creating unparalleled transparency might finally break this orbit. Here's a few thoughts on how
Denial plus shock, divided by the tip of the iceberg. A recipe for mistrust
The WADA report into the IAAF’s alleged doping cover-ups came out yesterday, and Twitter was rocking. So many journalists and commenters wrote excellent summaries and opinion pieces (there’s a list of some of them at the end of this post), but I thought I’d share with you two brief articles I wrote on the issue. […]
Paula Radcliffe, off-scores and transparency
Another week, another doping story, and this one is a big one. You surely haven’t missed it, and by now you know that in response to a British parliamentary hearing, Paula Radcliffe issued a statement which acknowledged what pretty much everyone following the sport knew – hers were among the samples deemed suspicious in the […]
Bolt vs Gatlin: Two stories, two trajectories. Beijing prediction
The media have hyped the Bolt vs Gatlin 100m clash as "good vs evil". Hype aside, it should be a fascinating race, a clash of performance trajectories, with Gatlin trying to hold off an improving Bolt. Analysis and prediction of the race (doping set aside for now)
Great power, great responsibility. Less power, greater speeds
"With great power comes great responsibility", quoted Sky as they released Froome's power data from the Pyrenees. Only problem is that with less power than some rivals, he achieved greater speeds. Physics reared its head, and created impossible scenarios.