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!
African running
Running shoe tech: The Emperor’s clothes, and the issues for the integrity of running
2020-02-06: It’s been so long since I wrote anything here, I fear I’ve forgotten how. All I’ve written in the last few months is academic analysis…
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On DSDs, the theory of testosterone, performance the CAS ruling on Caster Semenya
2019-05-02: 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…
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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?
2019-05-01: 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…
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We need to talk about East African runners and general trust vs skepticism in performances
2019-04-25: 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…
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Asbel Kiprop banned for four years: The Final Decision and anti-doping insights
2019-04-23: 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…
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Short Thought on Sport: Asbel Kiprop’s “positive test” and a chance for the biological passport to shine (or not)
2019-04-11: I’m back with a short thought on sport! Turns out these haven’t always been short enough to allow me to do them as often as…
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The aging of elite performance: “Geriatric champions” and have the rules for getting older changed?
2019-02-06: Yesterday, I was sent this link. It says that Dwain Chambers, he of THG and a doping ban in 2004 (!), is making a comeback,…
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Letter to BJSM reinforcing call for retraction of IAAF research on testosterone in women
2018-08-02: Along with two prominent scientists, we have recently called for the research study on testosterone's effects in women athletes to be retracted. This research…
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The pursuit of the sub-2 marathon: Where to next?
2017-05-08: Where do we go next? Now that Eliud Kipchoge has taken us to the brink of a sub-2 hour marathon, have the boundaries of…
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