World and European Rowing Medallists Pace With Smaller Variation Than Their Competitors.

Fredrik Mentzoni,Thomas Losnegard

doi:10.3389/fspor.2021.790198

Fredrik Mentzoni, Thomas Losnegard

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.790198

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Abstract

Purpose: To establish the relation between pacing pattern and performance, within sex, and number of crew members, at the very highest performance level in World class rowing.Methods: Pacing profiles based on official 500 m split times in 106 A-finals with six contesting boat crews (n = 636 crews), in recent World (2017–2019) and European (2017–2021) championships, were analyzed. The coefficient of variation (CV) and sum of relative differences (SRD) of the split times, and normalized velocities in the four segments of the race, were compared between performance levels, that is, placement (1st–6th), and subgroups based on sex (female or male) and number of crew members (one, two, or four). Statistical tests and resulting p-values and effect sizes (Cohen's d) were used to assess differences between groups.Results: The pacing profiles of the medallists had smaller variation than those of the non-podium finishers (CV = 1.72% vs. CV = 2.00%; p = 4 × 10−7, d = 0.41). Compared to the non-podium finishers, the medallists had lower normalized velocities in the first and second segments of the race, slightly higher in the third segment and higher in the fourth segment. Female crews paced somewhat more evenly than male crews. No significant differences were found in the evenness of pacing profiles between singles, doubles/pairs and quads/fours. Analyses of SRD were overall consistent with analyses of CV.Conclusion: Medal winners in major rowing championships use a more even pacing strategy than their final competitors, which could imply that such a strategy is advantageous in rowing.

Highlights

An athlete’s pacing pattern is widely recognized to have a substantial influence on the performance in endurance sports (Abbiss and Laursen, 2008; Tucker, 2009; Roelands et al, 2015; Casado et al, 2021)
The coefficient of variation (CV) of the segment times is presented in Figure 1 as a function of the relative race time, i.e., the race time of a crew compared to the mean race time in that final, cf
Consistent results are found between CV and sum of the relative differences (SRD); linear regression yielded r = 0.98 based on the n = 636 crews

Summary

Introduction

An athlete’s pacing pattern is widely recognized to have a substantial influence on the performance in endurance sports (Abbiss and Laursen, 2008; Tucker, 2009; Roelands et al, 2015; Casado et al, 2021). It has been suggested that for events lasting longer than 2 min, an even pacing strategy may be optimal to achieve the best time or highest mean power output (Abbiss and Laursen, 2008). This seems evident at least for relatively long durations ( 10 min), e.g., ≥5,000 m running (Tucker et al, 2006; Diaz et al, 2018). As stated by Casado et al (2021), pacing profiles within sports differ as well as the type of competition (championship; finals vs. qualifications, goal to set best times) implying the need for study of pacing profiles in the sport specific content

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Discussion

Conclusion