The Science of Sport has a podcast! In case you missed, we have four episodes already, and the plan is a fortnightly discussion on some sports science issue that journalist Mike Finch and I deem to be engaging and of interest. This post summarizes what we’ve done so far!
Sports Science
On DSDs, the theory of testosterone, performance the CAS ruling on Caster Semenya
The Caster Semenya controversy, or more accurately, the issue of DSDs in women’s sport, is the most complex issue ever faced by sport. I share here my views, start to finish, in what I hope is a comprehensive overview of the concepts, the evidence, and the weighting of the factors that led to CAS’ decision to support the IAAF regulation.
A short thought on sport: Evaluating Eliud. Is Kipchoge a next-gen 2:02 marathoner, or a mid-2:04 runner in a technologically superior shoe? Who knows?
Eliud Kipchoge is a physiological marvel. The Nike Vaporfly is a technological marvel. Both improve marathon performance. Except these statements can’t both be true, and the implications for the integrity of running and how we evaluate performances, can’t be ignored. This is an article on why that is.
We need to talk about East African runners and general trust vs skepticism in performances
The London Marathon on Sunday will almost certainly be won by an East African. This group may be one of the most fascinating in all of sports science, such has their distance dominance been. But in a time when doping stories tarnish their success, what are we to make of their performances, and how should they be trusted or doubted? This article explores skepticism and trust in performances
Asbel Kiprop banned for four years: The Final Decision and anti-doping insights
Asbel Kiprop, former Olympic and three-time World 1500m champion, has been banned for four years for doping. Here are my insights on the Final Decision and some concepts it raises about anti-doping.