World-renowned sports scientist Professor Ross Tucker and veteran sports journalist Mike Finch break down the myths, practices and controversies from the world ...
Elite Sport's Race to the Bottom, and Anti-Doping's Scramble for Higher Ground
In this Spotlight edition, Gareth Davies and Ross Tucker dive ever deeper into the abyss of sport's Talent Identification and Development inefficiencies. With a nod to our most recent podcast on Gout Gout's meteoric rise and anticipated trajectory to sprint dominance, we discuss how elite sport 'farms' talent in a 'race to the bottom' that characterises the ruthless pursuit of champions. We discuss the costs this creates, both financial and human, using talent pathway practices in cycling, football, rugby and tennis to illustrate why lost young athletes and inefficiencies are features of the system, rather than 'bugs'. We also discuss the latest developments in the world of anti-doping, where WADA have announced changes to contamination cases and accidental doping, and where the UCI have moved to ban carbon monoxide use for performance enhancement, but not measurement.SHOW NOTES:Join DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.The article discussing the retirement of junior cyclists and the ruthless efficiency with which they are replacedA research article exploring how U23 performances predict elite cycling performance, perhaps not surprisingly, as discussed in the showMy 2019 article on the curse of the precocious athleteThe Gout Gout podcast referenced in our Talent discussionsThe very interesting Discourse topic in which Gareth and others talk about the changes in professional cycling (Discourse members only)A news article on WADA's announcement about intended changes to the Anti-Doping Code, including the discussed changes to contaminated product and accidental doping rulesThe UCI "bans" carbon monoxide use for performance enhancement, but not for measurement. Quite how is anyone's guess. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Exclusive: Is Australia's New Sprint Sensation the Next Usain Bolt?
Gout Gout is a sprint phenom. At only 16, he recently broke the Australian men's 200m record with a stunning 20.04s, second on the all-time list for under-18 sprinters. That followed 10.04 (wind-aided) and 10.17 100m clockings, as the Australian teen continued his meteoric rise to elite adult performances. The manner of his performances, with astonishing finishing speed, has created huge excitement, with anticipation of Bolt-like times and achievements in his future. But, teen prodigies come and go, many falling short of fully delivering on their exceptional promise. In this exclusive interview, his manager and agent James Templeton opens up about Gout's past, present and future, and shares the vision and specific plans he and Gout's coach have for one of the most exciting talents ever seen in the sport. Along the way, we discuss talent identification concepts,and learn lessons from David Rudisha's career about the dangers and traps that can ambush a young athlete, and how they plan to navigate those for Gout. We also discover how Gout Gout is handling new-found fame and being prepared for the hype, with the ultimate goal of taking on the world of sprinting in 2025 and beyond.SHOW NOTES:Join DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.Video of Gout Gout's 200m Australian record of 20.04sThe wind assisted 10.04s that Gout ran, with special emphasis on the final 50mThe paper that shows the relatively low conversion of top 100 ranked U18 and U20 athletes into the top 100 adults, and vice-versa Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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What Tennis' Latest Scandal Teaches Us About Doping
World Number Two tennis player Iga Swiatek's positive test for a little-known product called Trimetazidine raises the issue of whether drug testing is going too far. Should there not be a threshold for the level of prohibited substances found in the body? Is there a performance advantage? What fault lies with the athlete? No matter the final outcome, an athlete remains tainted no matter their potential innocence, which could affect performance and sponsorship agreements. In this Spotlight episode, the team discuss the case, its similarities and differences compared to tennis' other high profile doping case, Janik Sinner, and what it means for anti-doping.SHOW NOTES:Join DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.The ITA decision statementBBC story on Swiatek's one-month banSwiatek's statement on InstagramThe timeline of Swiatek's doping caseResponse from the manufacturer of the drugArticle on Jack Burke's KOMsWhen Burke broke the Alp d'Huez KOMJack Burke's Strava account Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Science of Sport Spotlight 9: To Torque or Not to Torque, energy demands from the Women's Tour, and topical doping debates
In this spotlight episode, Ross and Gareth put some of the interesting discussions from our Discourse community in the spotlight. Gareth, master (and moderator) of Discourse, learned all about high cadence training from the coaches in the Discourse community when he tackled a Zwift cycling programme that had him spinning his legs. We discuss whether high cadence training has merit, or whether we should actually be looking at the other extreme - Torque training, with very low cadence, to develop cycling ability? A fascinating recent paper is the basis for that discussion. We also talk about a paper that documents the remarkable energy costs of cycling in the Tour de France Femmes - an incredible 7500 kCal per day, not met by energy intake in the case study. Finally, we tackle two doping stories. The first is a call by the UCI for WADA to "take a position" on alleged Carbon Monoxide misuse by elite cyclists, and the second is the latest step taken by the Enhanced Games, who, among other things, wish to classify aging as a disease. And they'll pay a cool million to a human who runs a sub-9.58s 100m, powered by any means necessary.Show notesJoin DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.The research study that finds that low cadence training enhances performance more than self-selected (high) cadence training during an 8-week polarized training blockThe case study of energy demands in an elite woman in the Tour de FranceThe UCI calls on WADA to take a position on Carbon Monoxide useThe Enhanced Games message to Robert F Kennedy to declare war on aging Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How Far Can You Push the Human Body? Lessons from a Royal Marine Doctor
Pushing the body to its limits can be the difference between life and death for a Royal Marine. So how far can you push recruits and what lessons can sport learn from the training they endure? In this interview with Dr Ross Hemingway, a Sports & Exercise Medicine Doctor at the Commando Training Centre for Royal Marines in the UK, we take a fascinating look at everything from heat illnesses to fatigue and injuries experienced by some of the fittest men and women on the planet. Hemingway explains how Marines are assessed and tells stories of recruits who overcome extreme hardship in their quest to be among the military elite. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
World-renowned sports scientist Professor Ross Tucker and veteran sports journalist Mike Finch break down the myths, practices and controversies from the world of sport. From athletics to rugby, soccer, cycling and more, the two delve into the most recent research, unearth lessons from the pros and host exclusive interviews with some of the world's leading sporting experts. For those who love sport. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland