Olympic Champion Research Articles

Global injustice in sport: The Caster Semenya ordeal - prejudice, discrimination and racial bias.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) requires the blood testosterone level of female athletes with differences of sex development to be reduced to below 5 nmol/L for a continuous period of at least 6 months, and thereafter to be maintained to below 5 nmol/L continuously for as long as the athlete wishes to remain eligible. Its ruling is based on questionable research findings. Medical decisions and interventions should be based on evidencefrom well-designed and well-conductedresearch and confirmatory studies. Caster Semenya, the reigning 800-meter Olympic champion since 2015, has challenged this ruling. Gender verification was instituted with women's participation in the Olympics in 1900, and female athletes were subjected to invasive, embarrassing and humiliating procedures. In its many decades of harsh scrutiny of successful female athletes, especially those from backgrounds similar to Semenya's, the IAAF has disrespected human rights and medical ethics and allowed prejudice, discrimination and injustice to infringe on their dignity and relentlessly obstruct their international sporting careers.

Loss of Balance: Destructive Legal Mechanisms Within USA Gymnastics Policy and their Contributions to a Toxic and Abusive Environment

Since the 1980’s, USA Gymnastics has emerged as a producer of Olympic champions, international success, and athletic excellence. However, with that growing dominance came a network of sexual abuse perpetuated among individuals at all levels of the organization. This paper seeks to examine the way in which USA Gymnastics allowed such abuse to continue and thrive by creating a system in which athletes were discriminated against in their inability to come forward without fear of retribution. I analyzed the rules and legal mechanisms in place within the organization and how they might prevent athletes and/or their coaches from wishing to come forward. I also sought out instances in which these rules were put into practice or warped for the benefit of abusers and enablers. Ultimately, my research showed that the hierarchy of the organization and the rules it enforced were structured in a way that any athlete wishing to report abuse had to risk being ostracized or not taken seriously. In addition, there were many discreet elements embedded in the culture of the organization, and the sport as a whole, that contributed to a toxic atmosphere that was wholly not conducive to safety and fairness in the practice of reporting abuse.

Recent Kinematic and Kinetic Advances in Olympic Alpine Skiing: Pyeongchang and Beyond.

Alpine skiing has been an Olympic event since the first Winter Games in 1936. Nowadays, skiers compete in four main events: slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill. Here, we present an update on the biomechanics of alpine ski racers and their equipment. The technical and tactical ability of today’s world-class skiers have adapted substantially to changes in equipment, snow conditions and courses. The wide variety of terrain, slopes, gate setups and snow conditions involved in alpine skiing requires skiers to continuously adapt, alternating between the carving and skidding turning techniques. The technical complexity places a premium on minimizing energy dissipation, employing strategies and ski equipment that minimize ski-snow friction and aerodynamic drag. Access to multiple split times along the racing course, in combination with analysis of the trajectory and speed provide information that can be utilized to enhance performance. Peak ground reaction forces, which can be as high as five times body weight, serve as a measure of the external load on the skier and equipment. Although the biomechanics of alpine skiing have significantly improved, several questions concerning optimization of skiers’ performance remain to be investigated. Recent advances in sensor technology that allow kinematics and kinetics to be monitored can provide detailed information about the biomechanical factors related to success in competitions. Moreover, collection of data during training and actual competitions will enhance the quality of guidelines for training future Olympic champions. At the same time, the need to individualize training and skiing equipment for each unique skier will motivate innovative scientific research for years to come.

Catch the Feeling of Flying: Guided Walks Through a Trampoline Olympic Development Environment

Olympic-medal performances represent peak accomplishments in athlete development. Seanor, Schinke, Stambulova, Ross, and Kpazai identified environmental factors in a high-performance Canadian trampoline sport environment that developed decorated Olympic medalists. The current intrinsic case study was authored to further highlight the idiosyncrasies of a high-performance trampoline environment (re)presenting stories garnered from this localized Canadian sport environment. Through guided walks, a mobile method of conversational interviews, three contextual experts who are engaged in the development of Olympic athletes provided tours of their sport environment. Each contextual expert’s guided walk played out uniquely in relation to his or her ascribed role (i.e., Olympic coach, assistant coach, and Olympic champion). Three main themes were identified through interpretive thematic analysis: creating lift (subthemes: facility design, sport-culture paragons), providing a tailwind (subthemes: establishing athlete–coach partnerships, team interactions), and soaring onto the Olympic podium (subthemes: preparing athletes to be untethered, competitive collaboration). Each theme is presented through three portrait vignettes, with discrete vantages derived from each contextual expert to illuminate the context from idiosyncratic ascribed roles within the environment. These stories create a rich (re)presentation of a high-performance sport environment through the interplay of the contextual experts’ narratives, their surrounding context, and their Olympic-podium accomplishments.

Przyczynek barona Pierre’a de Coubertina do organizacji olimpijskich konkursów sztuki

Pierre de Coubertin’s name is recognized with the modern Olympic Games he founded. Most people know little about his artistic abilities. He inherited the talents of the artistic de Coubertin family and he had the wish to integrate art and culture into the Olympic movement. Born the son of painter, he must have been deeply interested in fine arts, which explain his concept of introducing art competitions in the Olympic Games. Brought up on patterns of ancient culture believed that sport and art had common origins. That’s why art had improve spiritually and esthetically olympic games. He begins with the Advisory Conference held in 1906, called by Coubertin in order to examine the extent to wich art. would enrich the Olympic Games. From 1912 to 1948, artists like sportsmen were able to participate in the Olympic Games in the categories of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music and Literature. Just like the athletes, the first three places were awarded Olympic medals. The gold medalists are recorded in the Olympic winner lists as official Olympic champions to this day.

Olympic education and sports role models

Olympism occupies an important place in our society through the Olympic Games (OJ) and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). This neologism created by Pierre de Coubertin may appear as the preferred path for an education based on the harmonious development of body and mind. For all that, is the Olympism that Coubertin wanted to remain, at the dawn of the 21st century, an educational model? Can we imagine proposing and providing an Olympic education in the school system, university or sports? Can Olympic champions and should they serve as role models for the new generation?

“Macro-structure” of developmental participation histories and “micro-structure” of practice of German female world-class and national-class football players

ABSTRACTThe study examined the “micro-structure” of football practice and the “macro-structure” of participation history of female professional football players. Participants were 29 German 1st league (Bundesliga) players, 14 of whom played on the senior national team (Olympic Champion in 2016). A questionnaire recorded the players’ positions, proportions of physical conditioning, drill-type skill exercises and playing forms within coach-led football practice, and the volume of coach-led practice and peer-led play, in both football and other sports, from childhood to adulthood. Analyses revealed that most athletes played various attacker and defender positions during development. National team players differed from their Bundesliga peers by less physical conditioning and greater proportions of playing forms within football practice. National team players also accumulated less total football practice until age 18 years, but more peer-led football and coach-led practice in other sports compared to their Bundesliga counterparts. Based on these variables, a binary logistic regression classified 93% of the national team and Bundesliga players correctly. Conclusion: A combination of long-term coach-led football practice involving a relatively large proportion of playing forms with considerable childhood/adolescent peer-led football play and coach-led practice in other sports may have facilitated adult performance among German female world-class football players.

Lifestyles and mindsets of Olympic, Paralympic and world champions: is an integrated approach the key to elite performance?

ObjectivesThe holy grail of any nation in the global sporting race is to better understand, replicate and sustain podium winning performances on the world stage. International sporting bodies advocate a...

Evaluation of Physical and Physiological Characteristics of the Olympic Champion Turkish Deaf Men’s National Handball Team

The aim of this study is to evaluate physical and physiological characteristics of the Olympic Champion Turkish Deaf Men’s National Handball Team. A total of 20 athletes participated in the study with age average of 27 ± 6.26 years, sports age average of 11.45±5.35 years, average height of 180.3±6.70 cm and an average body weight of 82.49±10.38 kg. In the evaluation of the data SPSS 19.0 program was used, frequency and distribution is observed, average standard deviation, maximum, and minimum values were taken. The average Body Mass Index (BMI) of the athletes were determined as 25.01±1.48 kg/m2, average Baseline Metabolic Rate (BMD) were 8643±924.06 (kJ), average Body Fat Percentage (%) were 12.86± .79%, average Fat Free Weight (FFM) were 71.59±7.37 kg, Visceral Fat Rating was 2.75±1.39, average right-left handgrip strength were 47.5±7.38-46.6±7.14 kg, average double foot jump with fixed-free hand values were 30.1±3.62 - 36.5±4.45 cm, average right-left hand visual reaction rate were 258.9±17.77 - 261.8±23.04 msec, average pro-agility agility test were 5.22±0.18 sec, and the average flexibility were 11.9±5.22 cm. As a result, physical and physiological characteristics of the Olympic Champion Turkish Deaf Men’s National Handball Team is compared to the evaluated literature; While the height, body weight, BMI, reaction speed, agility and body fat ratio values is parallel to other handball players, the flexibility and jumping values were found to be lower than other hearing-impaired athletes and handball players. In particular, grip strength values are higher than other hearing-impaired athletes, and parallel to the values of handball players.

The American Dream in Postsocialist Hungary: Melodrama, Reflexivity, and Transference in Elite Swimming

Hungarian-born, 3-time Olympic champion Katinka Hosszú and her American coach-husband Shane Tusup revolutionized elite swimming through a training methodology that produced one of the most spectacular comebacks in sport history and turned Hosszú into the financially most successful swimmer. In Hungary, they were considered the “American Dream” due to their Hollywoodish love story, can-do attitude, and professional success. The Hosszú–Tusup collaboration became a site of intercultural encounter that brought into relief the discrepancies between the so-called American mentality of democratic, capitalist professionalism, and the socialist-style paternalism of Hungarian sport. Through their May 2018 split, the public and the media deployed melodramatic conventions of meaning making to narrativize, and thus understand, a diverse set of issues such as marriage, adultery, feminism, gender relations, masculinity, coach–athlete relationships, postsocialist transformations, corruption, state paternalism, capitalism, and professionalism.

INDIVIDUAL APPARATUS RESULTS OF FEMALE ALL AROUND OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS

The changes of Code of Points stimulate the rise in exercise difficulty and a drive towards increased specialization of gymnasts. We inspected the performance of all-around medalists at individual apparatus finals to analyze the trends in their efficiency to reach the podium. Data from Olympic games 1952-2016 was included in this retrospective study. In the period form 1952-1984 there were 5 occasions when all-round winners reached 75 to 100% efficiency in reaching the podium at all individual apparatus finals. However overall, there is a clear trend of diminished efficiency of all-around winners to reach the podium at individual finals in the observed period (1952-2016) from the average of 7.7 medals in the first three observed events to 4.3 medals at the last three observed events. Olympic all-around champion efficiency was calculated from sum of all medals won by all-around champions on apparatuses divided by 4. This efficiency has decreased from 91.7% in the first three events to 41.7% in the last three events. In recent events all-around champions still managed to win at least one medal on single apparatuses as there was only one exception to this rule at 2012. It is very much probable that in the future all-around champions will excel further at single apparatus finals; however a huge predominance of all-around champions at apparatus finals cannot be expected any more.

Consuming missionary legacies in contemporary China: Eric Liddell and evolving interpretations of Chinese Christian history

As a significant theme running through China’s modern history, Christianity’s inglorious role has helped redefine the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) self-proclaimed role as the liberator of the long-suffering nation from imperialist forces. The association between missionaries and Western imperialism has predominated the Chinese communist historiography. Nevertheless, recent years have witnessed a burgeoning movement to reinvent China’s Christian past and reconstruct historical memories of stigmatized missionaries. This article suggests that local governments in China are increasingly recognizing value in the history of Chinese–missionary encounters. This is evident in how local authorities have organized and promoted commemorative activities for Scottish missionary and Olympic champion Eric Liddell (1902–45). In presenting the case of Liddell, this article reveals how the Chinese government takes the initiative in consuming historical memories of Western missionaries, and finds instrumental value in the legacy of such figures despite their religious connections.

Life Expectancy of Olympic Wrestling Champions in Comparison to the General Population.

Although it was presumed that moderate exercise is a healthy practice but long term high intensity exercise is not, studies observed a life expectancy benefit for both high-intensity endurance and fast power sports athlets, but the data for contact sports are conflicting. Therefore, the author aimed to investigate the life expectancy of Olympic wrestling champions in comparison to the general population. Characteristics, vital status and life-span of the male Olympic wrestling champions was collected (1896-2016). The life expectancy of Olympic champions was compared with matched individuals of the general population (by country, age, and year of birth) obtained from the human mortality database ( http://www.mortality.org ). Overall, 341 male Olympic wrestling champions with median age of 25 (IQR 24-28) years at their Olympic victory were included in this analysis. In total, 142 (41.6%) came of rich countries. The survival was not affected by weight class and country of origin. A significant life expectancy benefit for Olympic champions in comparison to the general population was observed. Male Olympic wrestling champions lived in mean 19.1 ± 19.1years longer than the matched individuals of the general population (respectively of their country of origin). A substantially lower mortality in male Olympic wrestling champions, compared with the general male population was observed. However, the results do not allow us to draw conclusions about the causes of this survival benefit.

The Long-Term Development of Training, Technical, and Physiological Characteristics of an Olympic Champion in Nordic Combined.

Nordic combined requires high technical skills and vertical impulse for the ski-jumping event and aerobic endurance, ski efficiency and finish-sprint abilities to succeed in the subsequent cross-country race. The main aim of this study was to investigate the development of training, technical, and physiological characteristics during the last four seasons preceding the Olympic Games in a Nordic Combined Champion [∼74 kg (63 kg lean-mass)]. During the first season of the 4-year cycle, the development of lower-body muscle-mass and vertical jump velocity was prioritized, after which the emphasis on developing the technical abilities were increased over the following three seasons. While maintaining his vertical velocity in countermovement jump at ∼3 m⋅s−1, despite an increase of 7 kg overall body-mass, the participant improved his vertical velocity in sport-specific ski jump imitation with 0.31 m⋅s−1 coincidentally with high technical focus, including use of systematic mental training to enhance skill acquisition, and an almost twofold increase of annual imitation jumps in the four-season cycle. Endurance training increased from 462 h⋅season−1 in season one to 635 h⋅season−1 in season three, which was mainly due to more low-intensity training. Thereafter, endurance training in the Olympic season was reduced by 12% and more focus was placed on quality of each session and sufficient recovery. The highest O2peak (5.36 L⋅min−1 and 72.0 ml⋅kg−1⋅min−1) was measured in the third season and thereafter maintained, although competition results were further improved toward the Olympics. The amount of moderate- (31.9 ± 2.8 h⋅season−1, 43.0 ± 3.9 sessions⋅season−1) and high-intensity (28.3 ± 3.1 h⋅season−1, 52.3 ± 2.7 sessions⋅season−1) endurance training was stable throughout the four-season period, with >65% being performed as skiing or roller ski skating. Development of finish-sprint ability was an important strategy throughout the entire period, and both Olympic gold medals were won in a finish-sprint. Altogether, this study provides unique data from the four-season cycle of a two-time Olympic gold medal winner in Nordic Combined, where high amounts of strength/power and endurance training is successfully combined toward a peak in the Olympic season. This knowledge shows how the combination of long-term endurance and strength/power may be optimized, and generates new hypotheses to be tested in future research.

Withdrawal: Plews and Laursen (2017).

We, the Editors and Publishers of the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, have withdrawn the following article in whole: Plews, DJ, Laursen, PB. Training intensity distribution over a four-year cycle in Olympic champion rowers: different roads lead to Rio [version of record published online ahead of print September 27, 2017]. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2017-0343 . The Editorial Office was contacted with the request to withdraw this article informing the Editor-in-Chief that the data in this article were not permissible to use due to undisclosed contractual obligations.

Understanding olympic champions and their achievement goal orientation, dominance and pursuit and motivational regulations: A case study.

The goal was to compare the achievement goal profile and the motivational regulations of one world-class and two high-level athletes during their preparation for the Rio Olympic Games. Three kayakers from the Spanish Olympic team participated. One (P1) and two (P2) were high-level athletes: finalists at the World and European championships, and several national championships. Participant three (P3) was a world-class athlete: 2 Olympic medals, 7 World championship medals, 4 European championship medals, and several national championships. Before and after three training sessions and 4 international competitions (including World and European championships) all participants completed a questionnaire to assess their achievement goal orientation, dominance and pursuit, as well as their motivational regulation. Generalized estimated equations (GEE) analysis was used to assess significant differences between subjects. P3 had lower performance-approach goal orientation, stronger mastery-approach goal dominance, lower performance-approach and performance-avoidance goal pursuit, higher mastery-avoidance goal pursuit and lower controlled motivation than the other two participants. Our world-class athlete has a strong mastery-approach achievement goal dominant profile, and a low performance-oriented profile (both approach and avoidance) and controlled motivation. This profile should be confirmed in similar athletes to help coaches and their young athletes make appropriate decisions.

Immune and hematological characteristics of 2016 olympic champion shooting athlete: a case study investigation in transition period training

Immune and hematological characteristics of 2016 olympic champion shooting athlete: a case study investigation in transition period training

Humor, Irony, and Indigenous Peoples: A Re-Reading of the Historical Record of the 1904 St. Louis Olympic Championship

This paper serves as a re-reading of the historical record concerning the participation of a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) team in the lacrosse championship of the 1904 St. Louis Olympic Games. Indigenous and deconstructionist methodological frameworks provide historians with strategies for reopening archival texts to ironic interpretation in the hope that we may better recognize the efforts of Indigenous peoples to confront and challenge colonial hegemony. Accordingly, this paper first evaluates the uncritical acceptance of a Kanien’kehá:ka lacrosse player roster comprising unconventional names into the official Olympic record. Second, a re-reading of archival texts allows us to reopen history to ironic interpretation, exposing the possibility that Kanien’kehá:ka players used humor and laughter to resist, subvert, and, ultimately, deny colonial hegemony. We may begin to support the larger missions of Indigenous resurgence and decolonization by revisiting our histories, and thus giving testimony to the past.

Training Intensity Distribution Over a Four-Year Cycle in Olympic Champion Rowers: Different Roads Lead to Rio

The purpose of this study was to compare the training intensity distribution (TID) of the undefeated world champion male rowing New Zealand (kiwi) pair over a four-year Olympic cycle, across training phases, training years, and between individuals. Training data, including heart rate and boat speed, were recorded in the athletes rowing in the same boat between March 2013 and August 2016, ending with the Rio Olympics final. Progressive exercise tests assessed first (LT1) and second (LT2) lactate thresholds and associated heart rates, to determine the percentage of training performed below, between and above these demarcation points. Training an average of only 12-15 h/wk throughout the Olympic cycle, the mean percent distribution of time (±SD) at each training intensity was 80.4 ± 5.5% <LT1, 17.9 ± 5.3% LT1-LT2 and 1.8 ± 0.8% >LT2 for Rower A and 67.3 ± 9.0% <LT1, 30.2 ± 9.4% LT1 - LT2, and 2.4 ± 1.4% >LT2 for Rower B. Across the years 2014-2016, Rower A performed most likely more training <LT1, while Rower B performed mostly likely more training between LT1-LT2. Training appeared to become more polarised, with greater amounts of time spent <LT1, with increased training duration (R=0.38-0.43). Two of the world's best rowers, rowing together in the same boat with an undefeated record across an Olympic cycle, travelled markedly different "roads to Rio" within the context of their TID, with one rower displaying a polarised model of TID, and the other pyramidal. However, TID trended towards becoming more polarised in both rowers with increased training duration.

Local de nascimento e data de nascimento de medalhistas olímpicos brasileiros

The aim of the present study was to analyze the association between birthplace and relative age with winning Olympic medals in Brazilian athletes. he sample consisted of 186 Olympic medalist athletes born in Brazil. Data analysis was performed through descriptive (incidence and percentage) and inferential statistics (Chi-Square to binary logistic regression). he association between population contingents and Olympic champions presented a signiicant result (p <0.05); however, no signiicant associations were found with relative age. It was concluded that most Olympic medalists were born in places that present better living conditions, with intermediate MHDI, which appears only in cities with more than 100 thousand habitants, and relative age is not an important criterion in winning medals among athletes investigated.