Is The Gender Gap In Running Performance Still Narrowing?

Abstract

Purpose Recently, a crude analysis of men's and women's winning Olympic 100m times was used to predict that gender differences in running performance were currently decreasing (Tatem et al, Nature September 2004). In the present study a more rigorous analysis was performed on 100m and 200m finalists in all Olympics and World Championships held since 1952 to determine whether in fact the gender difference in sprinting performance has continued to narrow. Methods Official results for 23 events (14 Olympic, 9 WC) were collected from public sources. Confounding variables such as hand held timing, wind velocity, altitude, and political boycotts were controlled using archival film analysis, time correction for wind velocity and altitude effects, and data point deletion (1980, 100m men's final). Each data point represents the average time for the top 6 finalists in each race. Results The figure below presents the regression for the 200 m sprint. Results for the 100m were very similar. While men have improved linearly (0.010 s.yr−1,100m and 0.019 s.yr−1, 200m), top female performances have actually deteriorated over the last 15 years. The male-female performance gap in the 100m and 200m finals has increased from 8.3 and 9.6% in the 80s to 9.1 and 10.7% in the 90s and now 10.4 and 11.5% between 2000 and 2004.FigureConclusion One reasonable explanation for the marked decline in female performances is that improved drug testing has normalized inherent physiological differences. However, it is not yet clear whether male performances are also being impacted by these changes.