The Real Science of Sport Podcast

Become a Supporter of The Science of Sport, and along with our undying gratitude you get a bonus Applied show every week, ad-free listening, and a seat in the best community in sport. It costs less than a coffee, or a gel.Show notesThe big story this week is another Tour de France anti-doping row, with race leaders Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard woken to give samples at 5am and 2am. But first, we discuss a forgettable World Cup final and a long overdue Mile world record(00:01:27) Spain beat Argentina to win the World Cup, in what Ross and Gareth reckon was the worst final in living memory. We discuss a game in which Argentina seemed intent on being regressive and aggressive, why the best player in the world was left stranded, the role fatigue and the extra day's rest may have played, and whether a solid tournament deserves better than a grudging seven out of ten.(00:16:14) Josh Kerr does exactly what he said he would and breaks Hicham El Guerrouj's 27 year old mile world record at the London Diamond League, running near-perfect 55 second laps on route to his 222. Point 66. We get into his near-perfect even pace, how wavelight technology has reduced the risk and unburdened the athlete to chase physiological limits, whether that cheapens anything, and why the 1500m record should surely be next.(00:35:23) The big story. Pogačar and Vingegaard were dope-tested at 5am and 2am on the morning of a mountain stage, and all hell broke loose. We explain why an 11pm to 6am block is normally sacrosanct and exempt from doping, but why allowances have to be made to test athletes within it on occasion. We the "serious and specific suspicion" exception that received judicial sign-off under French law, what that implies, and why we will probably never know. Vingegaard later crashed out with a broken collarbone, so we ask whether the two are linked, and the extent to which this is a wake-up call for cycling (and some of its fans), or just more of the same?(00:59:36) And finally, the Commonwealth Games open in Glasgow this weekend, pared back to ten sports and stuck behind a paywall. Did anyone notice? Has the world moved on? We say a fond, faintly baffled farewell.LinksSome stats from the one-sided World Cup FinalHow the Mile was won: Some analysis of Kerr's record, including the splits Gareth read out<a href="https://marathonhandbook.com/brooks-hyperion-222-record-spike/" rel="noopener noreferrer"

Become a Supporter of the Science of Sport and you'll get the Applied show every week, ad-free listening, and a seat in the best community in sports science, all for the price of a coffee a month (or a gel if you're a cyclist). Here are all the membership benefits, join now!Show notesThis week our headline topic is a "concussion sensor" being trialled by some teams at the Tour de France, and why it is a welcome innovation, but one that, for now, invites potentially dangerous false hope. We also take a spin through the rest of the week in sport, covering football, cycling, tennis and track and field. Oh, and hotdogs.(00:00:20) The World Cup nears its finale, and Spain utterly outplayed France to reach the final, making fools of our predictions after Gareth handed France to Ross. We get into why the France-Spain dynamic flipped so completely, the scarcity of penalty shootouts this tournament, the mooted expansion to 64 teams, hydration-break ad money paying for the broadcast rights, the ref cam, and the goal-line technology row over the England-Norway "wire" incident.(00:16:18) Following our David Bailey podcast, we ask whether the peloton is simply scared of Tadej Pogačar, whose dominance at the Tour has riders like Ben Healy and Florian Lipowitz shaking their heads in bewilderment. We also unpack why "marginal gains" and sports science only ever matter as a point of difference, borrowing points-of-parity and points-of-difference thinking from marketing.(00:24:16) Our headline piece. A "concussion" sensor sitting behind the helmet's BOA dial is being trialled by some teams the Tour, and we explain why the name is a dangerous misnomer. A helmet-mounted device measures helmet acceleration, not the brain, may be triggered off by cobbles, and can never be diagnostic. We explain that it could be used as a triage tool, not a diagnostic one that replaces road-side assessments. Drawing on rugby's mouthguard data, hundreds of thousands of head-acceleration events with poor sensitivity and predictive value, and the case of Torstein Traen, who passed a roadside check yet was later diagnosed with concussion, Ross explains that this is a genuine safety opportunity, but only if

Team NSN Cycling is one of the most exciting teams in the World Tour peloton, and Lausanne-based Briton David Bailey is its Head of Sport Science. Amid the pressures of being at the cutting edge of athletic performance, Bailey talks us through the current trends in pro cycling, including nutrition, training, health, tech, and even the role of AI and data management. Bailey has over 20 years of experience in elite sport as a coach, scientist, and performance director, I has supported world-class athletes, including multiple Olympic and World Champions. Bailey has also worked for the BMC and Bahrain Victorius pro cycling teams and comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience. SHOW NOTESTeam NSN website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Love the show? Becoming a Supporter unlocks a weekly bonus Applied episode, ad-free listening, and our Discourse forum where you can engage with us directly. All for the price of a coffee, once a month, so become a member now!Show notesMost of us watch football and follow the ball. Football journalist Michael Cox watches the spaces, the shapes and the patterns that few others understand. As we build towards the FIFA World Cup Quarter-finals, Ross and Gareth sit down with one of the sharpest tactical analysts in football writing, and perhaps the best at explaining it. Whatever your level of interest, you'll come away seeing the game completely differently.Cox runs the rule over all the major teams and players at this year's World Cup, dissecting and explaining their strengths, their weaknesses, and what will decide each tie. Along the way he unpacks the tactical questions casual fans never quite get answered: how France's individual brilliance differs from Spain's possession and shape, why Messi and Haaland barely run and how whole systems are built to let them save their bursts, the shift from man-marking to zonal defending, the risk-and-reward of a full-back charging forward the instant his team loses the ball, what "shape" even means, and why he's the most data-sceptical "data nerd" you'll meet.Then the harder ground. What's holding back the development of African, South American and Asian football, and is the European academy machine now so dominant that its cast-offs are better than the players other nations produce at home? As for VAR, he explains what he'd change, why he thinks it's stripped the joy from celebrating a goal, and how one fan-owned league in Europe refuses to touch it.Whether you live for football, or only watch the biggest games, this wide-ranging interview will change how you watch football.Today's Guest: Michael CoxMichael Cox founded the influential tactics site Zonal Marking in 2010 and is now a regular contributor to The Athletic. He's the author of two books — The Mixer, on the history of Premier League tactics, and Zonal Marking: The Making of Modern European Football.He is a keen supporter of @KingstonianFC. You can follow him on X: @Zonal_Marking and BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/zonal-marking.bsky.socialLinksMichael's bio page with The New York Times, containing links to all his articles (paywalled articles, unfortunately - selected articles to read <a

Not a Supporter yet? For the price of a coffee a month you get ad-free shows, a weekly Applied Science show, access to our Discourse and Discord communities, and participation in our listener research studies — join the Real Science of Sport here.Show notesIn this week's Spotlight, Ross and Gareth take on the news:(00:02:00) Football World Cup: England survived altitude and Mexico, and Ross's numbers explain how — less total running, fewer sprints, the game deliberately slowed down. It's a collective pacing strategy dictated by physiology, not just tactics. Plus VAR is amplifying the chaos rather than ending it (Argentina's late smash-and-grab over Egypt, a sensor in the ball denying Croatia), and six African teams knocked out in the dying minutes.(00:28:00) Tour de France: our first read on the opening stages, and why the new team time trial format, where the rider's individual time counted, added genuine tactical intrigue.(00:31:00) The story that troubled us most: riders starting stages very sick in 40°C heat. After De Lie and Uijtdebroeks pushed on while ill, we discuss the incentives in elite high performance sport that put team doctors is unenviable and often compromised positions, and whether, as with concussion in rugby, sports governing bodies should step in to alleviate the conflicts faced by medics?(00:39:00) The science of pre-cooling: why INEOS sat in a row with their forearms in cold water. Ross explains the AVAs, the skin's heat-dumping shortcut, and why the water mustn't be too cold or you shut the whole thing down.(00:53:00) Record watch: Josh Kerr's unusual race-free build-up and his 3:42 fixation, Keely Hodgkinson's choppy season, and Faith Kipyegon's first 1500m/mile defeat in five years.(00:58:00) A cracking paper spotted by listener Steve O'Hale: 870,000 Berlin finishers show men are twice as likely to hit the wall as women. And, counter-intuitively, the faster the men, the more likely they are to blow up, relative to women. Ego or physiology? We dig in.(01:08:00) And finally: a 10-year-old tennis prodigy, homeschooled and training seven days a week. A feel-good story, or early specialisation and survivorship bias dressed up as one? Plus Wimbledon heads for it's 9th straight first time winner on the women's side.LinksOur football World Cup thread, for Supporters Club members, containing all the Mexico-England analysis and more discussion on the tournament<a href="https://www.domestiquecycling.com/en/news/movistar-under-fire-after-uijtdebroeks-reveal

Love the show? Become a Member and get a weekly bonus episode, ad-free listening, our VIP community, and a real say in what we discuss!Show notesFormula 1 is one sport we've never properly tackled, so who better to guide us through it than a man who spent 25 years on the inside? Dom Riefstahl is a mechanical engineer who went straight from graduation into BMW's F1 programme, later moving to the Sauber F1 team and then to the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 outfit, where he worked with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Riefstahl now keeps his eye on the ball as an F1 pundit for Luxembourg public broadcaster RTL.In this interview, Riefstahl takes us inside the world's most sophisticated sport, and, in particular, the fascinating triangle among driver, engineer, and car. He explains how a driver's feel for the car is translated into action by engineers armed with 400 sensors and 40 000 channels of data, why the great drivers are the ones who can tell whether a problem comes from their own driving or from the car itself, and how a top driver sometimes feels things the technology can't yet measure. Along the way, we learn what it costs to develop a driver from karting to an F1 seat, why reaction time can quietly end a career, why the truly great champions are hypersensitive about everything from tyre temperatures to wafts of garlic, and why the driver you're most likely to have a pint with will probably never be world champion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Become a member of The Real Science of Sport Podcast, and join our community, get ad-free shows, exclusive episodes, and a world of discussion on topics just like this! Click here for all the Member Benefits.Show notesA bonus hype show ahead of Sunday's World Cup round of 16 between Mexico and England, where altitude has become the story everyone is talking about. Sparked by Thomas Tuchel's lament over a FIFA rule and the team's potential "smash and grab" altitude adaptation theory, Ross explains why the idea of sneaking in and out before altitude bites has no supporting evidence at all. You only ever get better from the moment you arrive, and so FIFA compelling England to travel earlier is quietly helping them!From there, Ross unpacks the physiology: lower air pressure, less oxygen reaching the muscles, a compromised VO2 max ceiling, and everything performed at a higher relative intensity. Drawing on repeated-sprint studies and FIFA match data from Mexico's altitude venues, he builds and tests a hypothesis, that visiting teams run less at high speed and make fewer sprints, with a dose-dependent decline as altitude rises. The small, admittedly limited study illustrates how Mexico's altitude adapted advantage might manifest in sprint and high speed running differences from the start, getting progressively larger. Ross closes on what England can realistically do tactically to respect the physiology.LinksThe Guardian article on England's foiled smash-and-grab paradigm, fortunately for them!This is the study I've seen cited in support of the late-arrival theory, even though its conclusion actually refutes the advantage!A study showing that you only get better, over 6h, 17h and then 48h, so get in as soon as you canAnother one, this time over longer time frames, looking at how we improve with more time at altitudeBrosnan study on repeat sprint interactions with altitude and rest period Hos

Become a member of the Real Science of Sport! You get ad-free shows, a member exclusive show every week, access to our communities and post-pod discussions, plus the chance to participate in our unique research studies. There's more too - click here to see all the benefits, and a small monthly pledge is all it takes!Oh, and play our Tour de France Fantasy League - we have one special rule - no Pogacar allowed! It's league number 90980, Science of Sport, and the password is ISMPJShow notesThis week's Spotlight checks in on our global durability study, takes another lap of the World Cup, visits the Diamond League in Paris, previews the Tour de France and its heat challenge, and ends with saltwater crocodiles.In this show:Our listener durability study is underway (members only!), and Ross and Gareth compare notes after completing the first session, a brutal five minute TT plus 20 minute FTP protocol. Ross explains why you have to drain the anaerobic battery before the 20 minute test, why pacing a time trial on your own is harder than you think, and why the biggest limitation in the study might not be physiologyThe World Cup is into the knockout rounds and listener Robert Ridley has done the maths on whether teams that go to extra time are at a disadvantage in the next game. The answer might be yes, about 1.5x more likely to lose if they play a team who hadn't had ET the game before, but we discover the confounding factor that complicates that findingA proposal resurfaced on Discourse and social media this week for a structural fix to extra time football, one that involves running the penalty shootout before the 30 minutes rather than after it. Ross explains where the idea came from, what the data says about goals in extra time, and why football fans on social media were not especially receptiveMoving onto athletics, Audrey Werro ran 1:53.80 in Paris, another personal best that edges her closer to the oldest WR in the sport, but we explain why the record attempt fell short, and what her split data tells you about the mindset that Werro and Hodgkinson need to bring to their races to really threaten the WR. Femke Bol is now in the picture too, and her progression curve is worth payin

From muscle growth to a treatment for Alzheimers, creatine has been touted as the 'King of Supplements'. But what does the science say about one of the most researched products in sport? Enter Dr Eric S. Rawson, Chair and Professor of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Science at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, who has spent two decades studying the effects of creatine on the brain and muscle. In this in-depth interview, Rawson breaks down the long history of creatine research, how it works, who it works best for, and the latest research into its cognitive benefits. Rawson has been an active member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) since 1996, has served on the ACSM Board of Trustees and is a Fellow of the ACSM (FACSM). Dr Rawson has delivered more than 180 professional presentations, is co-editor of the text Nutrition for Elite Athletes, co-author of Nutrition for Health Fitness and Sport, and has authored/co-authored numerous articles and book chapters. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and various foundations.SHOW NOTESRawson was involved in the IOC consensus papers on supplementation. Here is the latest of these, including a section on creatineA systematic review and meta-analysis on creatine use, combined with resistance trainingA review on safety concerns over creatineThe 13500 person review on the side effects of creatine use with long-term supplementationWidely hailed as the original creatine paper, by Harris et al, this showed that supplementation with creatine could increase muscle stores significantlyStudies showing that muscular performance was enhanced by creatine supplementationA recent scoping review explores the available evidence on the possible protective effect of creatine in concussion managementDisclosures from Dr Eric Rawson:• Been taking creatine since 1992• Have published/presented a fair bit about creatine and other supplements. You can see Eric’s research pro

British football journalist Ben Lyttleton literally wrote the book on football penalties. As the author of 'Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty' and 'Edge: What Business Can Learn From Football', Lyttleton is arguably the world's leading authority on the subject. His encyclopedia-like and passionate knowledge of both the game of football and the controversial penalty, make this one of the most entertaining podcasts we have done yet. This podcast was first published in August, 2022, but is sure to be relevant to the final weeks of this year's edition as we head into the knockout stages.SHOW NOTES: The Twitter handle of our guest Ben Lyttleton: @benlyt, or https://twitter.com/benlytBen’s website, Twelve Yards: https://twelveyards.substack.com/Article on where to aim, high or low: https://twelveyards.substack.com/p/high-or-low-where-to-aimFascinating article with video on Neymar’s now illegal stop-start method, and his adjustments: https://twelveyards.substack.com/p/what-neymar-did-nextThe curse of the superstar - why stars miss more penalties: https://twelveyards.substack.com/p/mbappe-culture-and-the-superstarThe study on English players’ failure in shootouts that kicked off this interview: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19058088/Emotional contagion paper, and how player celebrations affect shootout results: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20544488/The most famous penalty miss ever? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8WtxgFvvj0The original panenka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxXWIZULgyw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Become part of the Science of Sport Community, and take part in our global durability trial, plus get our free show, ad-free listening, and our world class forums! A small monthly donation is all it takes!This week's Spotlight focuses on the doping case of Marketa Vondrousova's four year ban for refusing to provide a sample during an out of competition test in 2025. We also return to the USA for some Football World Cup insights, cover some injury science with implications for Keely Hodgkinson's season, and issue a call to arms for members ahead of our durability experiment. Here's what's on the show today:A leg-breaking tackle in the Canada versus Qatar game sparked a debate among our listeners on Discourse that cuts to the heart of how sport punishes dangerous play. Should the sanction reflect what the player did, or what happened as a result? Ross draws on his rugby background to explain why outcome-based punishment is more common and more defensible than it first appears, and why intent is almost impossible to use as a standardTravel demands at the World Cup are discussed by a listener in this article - we ask whether this could be decisive to the outcome, which takes us on a journey into travel load and its implications for performanceThe momentum graphics appearing on screen during World Cup broadcasts continue to prompt discussion among our listeners. We explore how they actually work, why they might be interesting to fans but are almost certainly meaningless to coaches, and what question you would need to answer before you could trust them at all?Our main feature is former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, now banned for four years for refusing a doping test. We explain why the anti-doping system has to treat a refusal as the equivalent of a positive test, why her own social media post on the night made things worse for her, and why comparing her ban to the Sinner and Swiatek cases misses the point entirelyKeely Hodgkinson withdrew from the 400 metres at the UK Athletics Championships in tears after experiencing "hams

Become a Supporter, and get ad free podcasts, your exclusive Applied science show every week, and access to our listener community, with all its insights and opinionsShow notesThe Football World Cup is underway, and hydration breaks have been one of the early storylines. We discuss whether they are a genuine player welfare initiative, or a (very) thinly veiled advertising slot, whether there will ever be evidence they are changing the dynamics of matches, the concept of momentum (real or imagined?), and why a combination of heat and end of season fatigue might explain some lacklustre performances so far?Teenage phenoms had mixed fortunes in the Diamond League last week. Cooper Lutkenhaus flew (literally, across the line) to another win, this time over the Olympic champion in the 800m, while Gout Gout stuttered in his Diamond League 200m debut. Gout partly bounced back in Ostrava, but he highlights again the challenge of unrealistic expectations. Speaking of Ostrava, Werro was fast again, while Bol impressed in her debut, but is, for now, a generation and 3 seconds behind the big two. Can she improve enough to legitimately challenge them, and what will it take for Werro and Hodgkinson to get closer to that WR, from a pacing and race strategy perspective? We discuss.A genuinely wild NCAA Championships in Eugene produced what might be the best single meeting of sprint performances in history, headlined by a shock 110m hurdles world record from 20 year old Ja'Kobe Tharp. We work through the collegiate records that fell in the 400, 200 and 100, and ask when next these athletes will run as fast as they did last week?Adaejah Hodge was one outstanding performer, clocking the 5th fastest time ever over 100m, a 10.63s. Her backstory asks some uncomfortable questions about a secret doping ban, a case resolution agreement, and a high school coach who was the target of the investigation. We unpack the details and ask whether the sport is getting the trade-offs right?Letrozole, fertility treatment, and an unusually candid announcement from double world champion <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/articles/cpq39x3nn2xo" rel="noopene

Become a supporter of The Real Science of Sport, and get ad free shows, exclusive Applied Science shows, and access to our Forums and chat rooms. Plus, you can join our growing Zwift racing community and take on Gareth and Ross in a weekly TT! A monthly pledge is all it takes!In this show:Switzerland's Audrey Werro delivered a stunning plot twist in the women's 800m, running the third fastest time in history (1:53.98) in Stockholm to beat a personal best from Keely Hodgkinson. Suddenly the world record conversation has two names in it. We discuss Werro's emergence and potential, the tactical error that may have cost Hodgkinson slightly, and what this means for the possibilities that the oldest world record in the sport falls this yearWhere does Femke Bol fit into all this? The Dutch 400m hurdles star changed events in search of new challenges, but the event is evolving so fast that the challenge looks significantly greater and she's not even raced outdoors yet! We discuss whether her 400 meter speed is a genuine weapon or whether the 400-800 double is as rare as it is for good reasonCooper Lutkenhaus is the most exciting teenager in track and field, already a world indoor champion, and now a Diamond League winner. We talk about his pedigree and potential, with Gareth nothing a multi-sport background that augurs well for his longevity. Challenges and 'road bumps' await, but he has a ceiling that may lie beyond the current world recordKirsty Coventry said she doesn't believe in paying Olympic athletes, and it has not landed well. Global Athlete has responded with a proposal for interim payments and a breakdown of the IOC's finances that is staggering. The IOC is sitting on nearly five billion dollars in reserves, and Global Athlete are asking for eight percent of the Paris broadcasting revenue. We ponder why Coventry made that statement knowing it would invite significant blowback, and what it reveals about the pressure she is under from inside the IOC. We also speculate on whether there are any good reasons to avoid paying Olympic athletesAnna van der Breggen lost the women's Giro on the final day from the pink jersey, her second Grand Tour lead lost this year. We explore why smaller tea

Join The Real Science of Sport Supporters club for ad-free listening and our exclusive weekly Applied Science show! A monthly donation is all takes!This week's Spotlight opens in Paris, where Roland Garros has delivered one of the most chaotic and compelling Grand Slams in recent memory, and ends on a Las Vegas track with a promise of $10 million unlikely to be fulfilled. Along the way, we explore retirements and comebacks, bike weight scandals, regulatory issues and a surprising way to boost your red blood cells.In today's Show:For the first time in the Open era, not a single former Grand Slam champion reached the men's round of 16. Ross and Gareth try to make sense of a tournament turned on its head by epically long five-set matches, multiple two-set-up defeats, and the emergence of potential new stars to challenge the duopoly atop men's tennisSinner is gone, Djokovic is gone, and the heat played a starring role. We revisit our applied show on heat adaptation to explain exactly why Sinner's implosion was both predictable physiologically, but surprising in its speed and persistenceSerena Williams has accepted a wildcard to play doubles at Queen's at 44. We explore the motivations for her return, and discuss why elite athletes retire in the first place? A thread on Discourse sparked by James gets us exploring the psychology and physiology of retirement, and why the grind we don't see is often the causeIn cycling, Lorena Wiebes was disqualified from the women's Giro after her bike allegedly weighed in 20 grams under the UCI's 6.8kg minimum. Was the punishment proportionate? Is the UCI's measurement process up to the required standard? Are SD Worx guilty of playing it too close to the limit? We discuss.A Belgian court has ruled against the UCI's attempt to impose gear ratio limits on the sport, finding the regulation neither necessary nor proportionate. We explore the implications well beyond cycling, and ponder how the UCI's failure to present a clear justification for the regulation was ultimately its undoing<a href="

Get ad-free listening and exclusive shows by becoming a Supporter of The Real Science of Sport!In our Spotlight this week:The heat wave in Paris is making life very difficult at Roland Garros, with Casper Ruud describing himself as "walking around like a zombie" during his first round match. We explore the physiology of heat regulation in tennis, how safety policies are developed to protect players, explain why heat changes the tactical and technical nature of play, and what can be done to help players without handing out free passes to those less well preparedSean Ingle joined us recently to talk about the Enhanced Games. We share our thoughts as the dust settles, with more reflection on why the premise of trustworthiness was never really delivered, the money that is turning athlete's heads, and Gareth walks back a few things he said in the heat of the momentWe explain the deliberate logic behind World Athletics' new qualification standards, and what it means for athletes without a good agent or a seat at the Diamond League tableRugby and concussion are in the Spotlight again with two research developments. First, a group of researchers is promising a new evidence-backed head impact assessment protocol for women's players. Ross doesn't know exactly what that means, and we discuss what is already known about women's susceptibility to concussion. Then, a new study out of Ireland provides the first published evidence that lowering the legal tackle height in rugby has reduced concussion and overall injury rates at community level. Ross, who has been directly involved in the process, explains what we now know, what still needs work, and why a 20% drop, scaled across tens of thousands of players, is a genuinely meaningful public health win<a href="https://scienceofsportpodcast.discourse.group/t/which-pro-athlete-had-the-m

Become a member of our Enhanced Real Science of Sport community by becoming a member to get access to exclusive shows, ad-free content and our world class discussion forums. A monthly pledge is all it takes and you'll unlock all those benefitsShow notesThe Enhanced Games came and went in Las Vegas, amidst much hype, a host of personal bests but only a single world record. Was the event a success, and a taste of what is to come, or a spectacular flop? What do we make of allegedly clean athletes beating dopers, and dopers failing to challenge world records, often by large margins? As the sports world figures out what to make of it, Sean Ingle, chief sports reporter and columnist for The Guardian, joins us fresh from attending the event to share his experiences, thoughts and unfiltered verdicts.Sean went in expecting grifters, but discovered something a little more complicated. He spoke to true believers of the "human enhancement" movement, billionaire backers, and athletes who made business decisions that may become increasingly difficult for other sports to ignore. Sean relates those conversations and his impressions of what they imply for the future of sport.We ask the harder questions too. Will the Enhanced Games grow or stall? What are the risks if the business model that uses athletes to promote drugs for anti-aging purposes succeeds? And what lessons must traditional sport take from an event where athletes averaged $166,000 in a single night, and where the phone of at least one Olympic swim coach hasn't stopped ringing since?Sean has placed his own sportsman's bet with one of the funders, Christian Angermeyer, that the Enhanced Games won't survive past 2031. He explains why he believes this, despite factors that suggest that "enhancement" is here to stay, and why he'd still rather be wrong than just ignore it.LinksSome of Sean's articles on The Enhanced GamesWhy he believes The Enhanced Games will fail by 2031The questions Sean wrote will need answering prior to his visit to VegasInitial reactions from Vegas on the night of the GamesThe Enhanced Games

Become a Supporter of The Science of Sport, and as mentioned, get a bonus episode of Applied Science every week, access to our world class forums, and (we hope) ad-free listening soon!Show notesOn the decks today:A new paper raises "substantial concerns" about the tool that is regularly used to diagnose a progressive neurodegenerative disease in contact sport athletes. We discuss the paper, and how the discourse around brain health of retired contact sport athletes has created anxiety and fear to the detriment of the athletesThe Women's Six Nations concluded, England winning it again with victory over France. We discuss the tournament, with Ross raising concerns about one-sided contests through, and the total stratification of teams, while Gareth is more optimistic about some statistical trends that suggest progress, at least on the part of some teamsOn the subject of women's rugby, the trials for a smaller ball have received more criticism from international players. Ross explains how the process is run, why nobody is being ambushed, and how the smaller ball has been explored for six years and counting to get to this pointJanik Sinner won another Masters tournament last week, breaking the record for most wins (now at six tournaments, and 34 matches, with only three lost sets). Gareth wonders what can possibly deny the Italian a French Open and Wimbledon, now that Alcaraz is missing both those Slams? Ross reckons maybe muscle cramps can defeat him...A listener, Andrew, asked an intriguing, and unanswerable question in our Supporter community - which sport would it be best to be elite at? And which is worst? We offer our thoughts and criteria for what qualifies the sportAnd Finally, the Enhanced Games are on Sunday, and Sean Ingle is attending. We offer our thoughts on what we'd most like to see happen at the Vegas circus. One swimmer is taking some precaut

Become a Supporter and share your views - a monthly pledge gets you access to the Community, and our endless appreciation!Show notesIn the news this week:Operation Obsidian - A collaborative investigation between WADA and World Rugby produces a big doping bust in Georgian rugby, revealing collusion and corruption, but to what end? We explain how almost 40 years of bans were given out, and what remains unanswered and unknown(00:16:18) SA Prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been banned for 18 months, for drugs he says were prescribed by a specialist physician. We explore why this case may run for some time, and have some major implications(00:26:15) The women's Vuelta finished atop the Angliru, producing a new champion and some chat about gear ratios and torque. Plus, concussion in the Giro, with dramatic crashes and racing igniting the race in its first week(00:41:52) Who is the Greatest of all time? Sports scientists set out to take the subjectivity out of the question and produce their lists of the greatest track athletes ever. Do you agree?(00:54:25) A Times survey says a worryingly high proportion of young adults are using banned, harmful products. We wonder about the risk of doping and how the Enhanced Games will amplify it(01:09:20) Gout Gout gets his (latest) 60 minutes of fame. As his star continues to rise, good things are being said, now the performances will follow. We discuss the hype and unrealistic expectation that is steadily building on Australia's superstar(01:15:35) Who wins a half marathon between Luke Littler and Mo Farah, if they have to complete a 501 leg of darts every mile? A ridiculous question, perfect for Gareth to bring his pub darts experience to the fore! Who do you think wins? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Discourse - our Supporters club is awesome, and it's yours for the price of a coffee every month. Or a gel. Become a supporter and get twice the value after the show, and a chance to influence it too!Show notesIn today's Spotlight, a spin around the world of sports news, and some listener questions answered:A look back at the World Relay Championships from Botswana, featuring some of the greatest relay performances ever seen, including from some unheralded namesLondon Marathon statistics, courtesy a pair of analyses that shed light on how we pace marathons, and how few actually get it rightThe fine line between regulating and strangling innovation in sport, after Coe speaks about super shoes in runningSpeaking of innovation, do the Enhanced Games count? We look ahead to that event with some thoughts from Sean Ingle's latest articleWe tell you why we think Paul Seixas going to the Tour de France is the right decision and discuss the risks people had offered against itListener JRB asks a question about training with carbohydrates, and whether there's any merit in a 'train low, compete high' high approach when it comes to carbs?Still on the subject of carbs, what's the deal with fructose? Listener Phillip asks about its role in the carbohydrate model, and we explore some theory and practical adviceA smaller ball is being trialled in women's rugby - at least one player is very unhappy about it. We discussIn the AFL, teams will be mandated to employ psychologists full-time in response to an incident featuring a player. Is that the right call? In some ways, but Ross has some reservationsLinksLondon Marathon statistical analysisSebastian Coe speaks on Super Shoes and innovationSean Ingle's articles on the Enhanced Games - the questions he'd ask them if he could goSeixas to the Tour"The worst decision someone has ever made" - Harrison is not pleased about a smaller ball in women's rugbyThe <a href="h

How reliable is Artificial Intelligence (AI) when it comes to health, wellness and training advice? Writer, educator and Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Dr Nick Tiller, recently led a research study entitled "Generative artificial intelligence-driven chatbots and medical misinformation: an accuracy, referencing and readability audit." which focused on the feedback and information given by AI in this vital space. Tiller and his team looked at the technology behind AI, how information is delivered and then tracked the validity of the information based on sound, scientific evidence. The results were disturbing, but Tiller still has some advice on how best to use AI when it comes to our own health.Tiller is a research associate at the Lundquist Institute, Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre and is the author of two books: The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science (Taylor ' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com

Support The Real Science of Sport - if you love what we do, and if you want to be part of the community and share views that will add even more insight to sport, a small monthly pledge is all it takes!Show notesSebastian Sawe's astonishing 1:59:30 marathon world record is in the spotlight today, as Gareth and Ross go deep into the physiology, technology and history of running to explore every angle. How was the race actually run, and what do the splits tell us about Sawe and predict about the future? How did Sawe shatter a barrier that had seemed impossible for so long? What role did the latest super shoes play, and how did they make fools of historical predictions by many, including Ross? To what extent is this performance credible given Sawe's proactive AIU doping initiative? How did the protagonists fuel their efforts? And what next for Kejelcha and Kiplimo, whose extraordinary performances were diminished by Sawe's shadow, and for the marathon over the coming year? If you're looking for the full picture, our Spotlight will reveal all of it.Also: Carlos Alcaraz is injured again and will miss the defence of his Roland Garros title. Is this the shape of a future derailed by injury, and what does he need to change to build the durability of those before him? Plus, Allyson Felix is eyeing a comeback at LA 2028; we discuss her chances.LinksLetsrun article on their 2013 prediction and how it was disproven by the recalibration in the marathonSean Ingle's views in the aftermath of the breakthroughMichael Joyner on the perfect physioloyg for a sub-2 hour marathonRoss' own dismissal of the sub-2 as imminent, before the game was recalibrated by the shoesA look at Sawe's fuelling strategy from Marathon HandbookKejelcha's fuelling from Chris Chavez<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/apr/24/carlos-alcaraz-pul

English sports psychologist Dr Josie Perry delves into the mental challenges that often hold sportspeople back from success. From the role of our own mental threats to the traits that are present in successful athletes. Perry offers a fascinating insight into the psychology of performance. The team also delve into the prevalence of ADHD in top-performing sportspeople, why mental toughness may not be a good thing, how training can help us overcome mental blocks and the role of techniques like visualisation and mantras. Perry is a chartered psychologist working with top performers in sport, on stage, and in business. Perry has a background in communications and behaviour change, having worked for many years in journalism, marketing, public relations and crisis communications across private corporations and government. She has an MSc in Communications, an MSc in Psychology and an MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology. She also has a PhD in Political Communications.She is a Chartered member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and a member of the Association of Applied Sports Psychologists (AASP). She is registered with the Health Care Professions Council. She writes features for sports magazines and websites and is regularly quoted in the media on how athletes and other performers can use applied sports psychology to enhance their performance.Check out more on Dr Perry HERE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe has absolutely obliterated the two hour marathon barrier, winning the London Marathon in 1:59:30. In this emergency podcast, Mike and Ross talk about a truly historic day that saw two men go under two hours, We discuss a performance that is astonishing not only for the final time, but the matter in which it was constructed, with never seen before splits over 5km, 10km and half-marathon. We also talk about the credibility of the performances, given Sawe's documented funding of a more intensive anti-doping programme, and wonder whether this will open the door to many more sub-2 performances in the future?Show notesThe article on Sawe's more intensive anti-doping programmeSean Ingle's article on Sawe's performance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Become a Science of Sport Supporter and show your appreciation for the pod, while also having your say and correcting Gareth and Ross' errors! A small monthly donation is all it takes!Show NotesThe Spotlight today is heavily focused on an historically fast Boston Marathon, which saw an incredible 2:01:52 for defending champion John Korir. It obliterated the course record, with the podium all going under Geoffrey Mutai's 2:03:02 from 2011. It's been called one of the "truly great" marathon performances, but Ross isn't so sure. We try to put it into context, given Boston's occasional propensity to produce exceptional conditions, with a tailwind that not only cancels out the impact of its hills, but overcomes them to create freak times. We dive into both the men's and women's performances, discuss some of the remarkable stats of the day, and ponder exactly where Korir's performance lies?Also out of Boston, Tim Noakes watched the race, and because he didn't see Korir or Sharon Lokedi, the women's winner, take in any carbohydrates during the race, the obsession with carbs is misplaced, and elites don't use them the way we are told. We discuss that theory, offering a grain or two of truth, based on what we actually saw the elites do in the race, to point out that "science by TV watching" is a pretty bad idea, unless you want to show how little you care for facts.Also in the show, England's Red Roses Rugby team dominate the sport more than perhaps any other team in history. But this has become a potential issue for the growth of the women's game, and we wonder how any other nations will catch up given Englands enormous first-mover advantage in the professionalization of the women's game?There's a fascinating doping story emerging in women's tennis, where former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova revealed the she refused a doping test last year because of a combination of the Doping Control Officer failing to identify himself, and anxiety and an acute stress reaction. All is not necessarily as it seems, and we look back at that incident in the light of Vondrousova's own telling of it last year. On the subject of anxiety and mental health, AFL player Elijah Holland had a mental health episode leading up to, and during a game last week, and is now receiving treatment. We wonder how such cases occur in elite sports environments where the player's are so closely monitored, and what it means for duty of care of athletes?And finally, Gareth has some observations about robots that now run half-marathons faster than humans, and Ross has thoughts on tech use in sport, drawing from some great innovation in fencing.TimestampsBoston - 01:52Fuelling - 23:10Womens Rugby - 42:39Doping 52:25AFL Duty of C

Don't spend millions on a podcast, like AI did recently. Rather spend the price of a coffee and become a Supporter of The Real Science of Sport. Click the link, make a monthly pledge, and get access to the conversations that happen before and after the podcasts!Show notesThis week, we kick off in Roubaix, where Wout van Aert and Franziska Koch won the prestigious cobbled Monuments. For van Aert, in particular, it was the culmination of a "life's work", in a dramatic, very fast, and very eventful race that featured multiple technical issues for leading contenders. We look back on the races, and at the tech issues that befell the riders, and the tech that was disallowed from even being used. Staying on cycling, the UCI threatened podcaster Benji Naesen with the possibility of 'criminal action' for posts and comments they suggested were injurious to them, without specifying those posts. We discuss the letter, and why the UCI's actions have backfired so badly, with thoughts on how engagement with the community should and could look for constructive dialogue.We then shift gears, and chat briefly about Rory McIlroy's Masters defence, and some data on performance and physiology that lay behind his victory. Weather doping comes up because once again, Ramona produced record-breaking discus performances, and in Australia, Gout Gout (and six other men) used perfect conditions in the final of the Australian 200m championships to run PBs, Gout leading the way with an exceptional 19.67s. We talk about that time, and why everyone may need to calm down and manage expectations despite the expected breakthrough from sprintings teen phenom.We end on the roads, as Boston looms large and London follows on, to discuss the elite fields, and one athlete in particular - Sebastian Sawe - who has made it a personal mission to restore credibility to his performances by requesting and funding much more regular drug testing.And finally, an amateur turns elite to chase a swimming time set by his fathere in 1976. We discuss Adam Wilkie's campaign, and wonder what the chances of success are?LinksWhy did the UCI ban Visma's tyre inflation technology?Benji Naesen gets a letter from the UCI with a not-so-friendly warning to rein in the criticisms<a href="https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/mcilroy-erratic-driving-at-the-masters-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer"

Norway is one of the most advanced sporting nations in the world, thanks to a unique structure which allows athletes to access the latest science and coaching. The team speak to Oyvind Sandbakk, the Sports Director at the Norwegian School of Elite Sports and a Professor at the School of Sport Science at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway. A former World Cup cross-country skier himself, Oyvind has worked with many of Norway's top athletes in Nordic sports and talks in detail about the famed 'Norwegian Method', how the best minds combine to produce some of the best sportspeople in the world and what the future of sports training may look like.SHOW NOTESSTUDY: Training session models from Norwegian coachesSTUDY: Best Practice Training Characteristics Within Olympic Endurance Sports, As Described By Norwegian World-Class CoachesSTUDY: The Evolution of World-Class Endurance Training: The Scientist’s View on Current and Future TrendsSTUDY: Perspectives of World-Class Endurance Coaches on the Evolution of Athlete Training and PerformanceSTUDY: A paper Oyvind did on double-day training compared to single session Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Become a Science of Sport Supporter by making a small monthly pledge. You'll show your support, help us stay "athletic-greens-free", and get access to our world-class discussion forumsIn this Spotlight, we start on the cobbled roads of Belgium to explore why riding on cobbles is so hard, and how not so good vibrations compromise mechanical power, cost more energy and require more exertion to produce the same power output. It's Pogacar vs van der Poel, Round 3 this week on the cobbles of Roubaix, and we wonder whether smart tactics will be enough to overcome the Slovenian's firepower, and whether van der Poel's larger size may tilt the balance in his favour?We discuss Jimmy Gressier's return, in Decathlon's own version of a super-shoe, as he runs an exceptional 5k road time. Speaking of Decathlon, a good week for the brand with Paul Seixas continuing his rise, this time with dominance in the Tour of the Basque Country, and hope for a challenger to Pogacar.A new research paper suggests doping prevalence among University students of 13.7%, but it uses novel statistical methods to get there, after only 3.4% of the athletes admit to PED use. We discuss that study, and what it means for anti-doping knowledge. Less covert (but only a little) about doping are the athletes of the upcoming Enhanced Games, recently valued at $1.2 billion, but now being transparently spoken about as a 'product launch' for longevity and performance enhancement drugs. The recently disclosed peptide stack of one competitor, world's strongest man Mitchell Hooper, is the basis for a chat about the grift those Games.Finally, our teen phenom watch list has two more names, 14-year old girls who broke 23s last week. Ross and Gareth wonder if the gap between adults and children is narrowing, or whether we're just caught in a cycle of noticing more and more such performances.LinksStudy on the effect of vibrations on physiology during cyclingAnother study simulating vibrations, this time showing how much oxygen cost goes upArticle on Gressier, including his struggles with chocolate after his World title last yearWorld Athletics concept on the Marathon as a standalone eventThe <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13011

Support the Science of Sport - become a supporter, show your support, keep us ad free, and you get access to the best sports science community around!Show NotesIn this Spotlight, we kick off with cycling, and wonder whether we're seeing a tactical evolution in cycling in response to long-range attacks. We also talk about Group 2 syndrome, and why elite cyclists could be a behavioural economist's ideal cohort. Cycling safety is in the Spotlight, after the inquest into the death of Muriel Furrer concludes, and new devices over-promise on risk reduction and head impact measurement.In athletics, Josh Kerr is going for a mile world record, and it'll actually be legitimate, while teen phenom Gout Gout is in the news, though not for winning this time. We discuss how misplaced the general expectation of teenage progress is, and why we may be setting young talent up to fail, no matter how it succeeds. Speaking of failure, Albert Korir failed three drugs tests and confessed, and is now serving a ban. Do we even care?And finally, another teenage phenom is in the news, as Indian 15-year old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a 15-ball half century to go with a 35-ball century last year. He's now old enough to play for India. But should he? That's a different question...LinksArticle on the Muriel Furrer inquestA device claims to measure head impact to protect MTBersJosh Kerr going for the mile World RecordGout Gout beaten in what is described as an "upset", but that betrays unreasonable expectationsArticle on Albert Korir's positive tests and banWhy Sooryavanshi should not be fast-tracked into the Indian T20 squad Hosted on Acast. See

The Absa Cape Epic is a 700km, eight-stage, two-man team mountain bike race renowned as one of the toughest and most prestigious in the world. But what does it take to win this event against some of the world's best mountain bikers? We spoke to Mike Posthumus, the Head of Performance for the Specialised Factory Racing Off-road team, about the preparation, recovery, race tactics, and behind-the-scenes work that helped his team of Matt Beers and Tristan Nortje win the overall title. From practical tips on recovery to the amazing stats behind the performance, this is a rare insight for anyone taking on a multi-stage endurance event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THIS IS A REPUBLICATION OF THE SAME PODCAST AS THURSDAY 26 MARCH ON THE IOC FEMALE SPORT POLICYWith apologies for confusion, after we published our most recent podcast on the IOC's new policy for women's sport, we realized the original file had an issue with the syncing of the two audio streams. That was fixed on the day, but the glitch has continued to affect some listeners, and so we are just republishing it here, so that we can be sure that the issue is resolved for what we think is an important podcast, not one we want to be unlistenable because of that problem. Thanks for listening!Show notesThe International Olympic Committee, under its new President Kirsty Coventry, has announced new guidelines for eligibility in women's sport. The central decision is clear: the boundaries around women's sport will be protected, with no males — whether they identify as transgender or are athletes with specified differences of sex development (DSDs) — eligible to compete in the women's category. Women's sport is now female only.This is a strong, unified position. The policy mandates the eligibility requirement across all Member Federations, establishing a central global standard that should help bring an end to the fragmentation that has affected the sporting landscape in recent years. It also sets out a clear process for determining eligibility: screening for the presence of the SRY gene, followed by further testing where needed to confirm the specific diagnosis, and then a decision on inclusion or exclusion. specifies that eligibility for women's sport must be confirmed through a process involving screening for a gene (SRY), followed by testing to diagnose the specific question, and then inclusion or exclusion.This represents a significant moment for women's sport. It reverses generations of policies that allowed males into women's competition, often at the expense of fairness and safety. In this short podcast, we examine the finer details of the new policy, what remains unclear, how we arrived at this point, and what the changes may mean for sport and for female athletes going forward.LinksThe IOC policyThe IOC's statement accompanying the policy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The International Olympic Committee, under its new President Kirsty Coventry, has announced new guidelines for eligibility in women's sport. The central decision is clear: the boundaries around women's sport will be protected, with no males — whether they identify as transgender or are athletes with specified differences of sex development (DSDs) — eligible to compete in the women's category. Women's sport is now female only.This is a strong, unified position. The policy mandates the eligibility requirement across all Member Federations, establishing a central global standard that should help bring an end to the fragmentation that has affected the sporting landscape in recent years. It also sets out a clear process for determining eligibility: screening for the presence of the SRY gene, followed by further testing where needed to confirm the specific diagnosis, and then a decision on inclusion or exclusion. specifies that eligibility for women's sport must be confirmed through a process involving screening for a gene (SRY), followed by testing to diagnose the specific question, and then inclusion or exclusion.This represents a significant moment for women's sport. It reverses generations of policies that allowed males into women's competition, often at the expense of fairness and safety. In this short podcast, we examine the finer details of the new policy, what remains unclear, how we arrived at this point, and what the changes may mean for sport and for female athletes going forward.LinksThe IOC policyThe IOC's statement accompanying the policy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Become a member, keep us ad free! Plus, you get access to our world-class community chat, and live sport chat groups. Become a supporter for a small monthly pledge at Patreon.Show notesToday the Spotlight falls on Therapeutic Use Exemptions, or TUEs, that are given to athletes when they have a medical condition that requires the use of an otherwise banned substance. Last week, the International Testing Agency published the record of TUE applications for 56 sports, going back six years, and we cast our eye on some of the notable drugs, sports and cases. We explore why Growth Hormone TUEs are prevalent in gymnastics, why stimulants top the list of substances, and open up some philosophical conversations about whether TUEs should be allowed at all?Also in the show, a 'triathlon' of sports news, starting with cycling recaps of Milan San Remo where Pogacar produced an extraordinary display of dominance to win one of the two monuments missing from his resume, and from the Cape Epic, where women raced shorter distances than men this year, and we explore how the rationale for this is a little shaky. From the track, we look back at the World Indoor Championships from Poland, and in the pool, a World Record in the 50m warrants some musing on how records are fallen despite tech bans.And finally, Gareth notes with some pleasure that NFL superstars where humbled by flag football specialists, reminding us that getting to the top of any sport is not an automatic right!LinksThoughts on cycling and the need to question as read out by GarethCameron McEvoy's 50m freestyle world recordThe original ITA TUE DashboardPaper from the Olympics showing prevalence The study on methylphenidate's performance enhancing effectsDoes gymnastics training inhibit growth in young girls?<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC37

Join our Science of Sport Supporters Club, and get all the perks mentioned on the show, including access to our listener community and their great questions and insights, and also our Live Sport chat, which resume this weekend with the Milan San Remo races. Make a monthly pledge to become a member!In this Spotlight, we run our eye and offer our insights on the world of sport, covering a range of sporting events. We start with the Six Nations, which went beyond the wire in a spectacular tournament that shows the health of "the product". We discuss the ongoing Cape Epic, where the pairs format throws up some pacing and tactical challenges for unbalanced teams. And we preview the year's first Monument, where Tadej Pogacar will have to test and challenge Mathieu van der Poel's durability and 5-min power to win the elusive title. We discuss the requirement for Pogacar and UAE to extend the efforts above FTP and even VO2max to climbs even before the Cipressa, in order to make van der Poel vulnerable to a five minute effort on the decisive Poggio climb.Switching to running, we briefly discuss the remarkable 2:10 performance by Fotyen Tesfay in Barcelona, and why it's the de factor WR, but may be as questioned as the incumbent WR by Ruth Chep'ngetich. Another dramatic finish in Los Angeles, a marathon decided by 0.01s where the 'loser' went the wrong way, and didn't, apparently, take in a single gram of carbohydrates in the race.While on the subject of dramatic finishes, recent research shows that the odds of a cardiac arrest are significantly higher in the final kilometer of running races (20km and half marathon). We compare that to triathlons, where the odds of cardiac arrests are way higher in the first part of the race, in the swim. We discuss the physiology and emotional reasons for these risk increases.We then move into the resistance training space, to talk briefly about the American College of Sports Medicine's position stand on resistance training. It says what many people know, but challenges what a lot of people think, and the reaction has been enlightening!And finally, a few short results and discussion points from around the world of sport, including an unprecedented reversal of an entire tournament result, and a rare "defeat" (on a technicality) for Johannes Klaebo in cross-country skiingLinksRelevant to the discussion on recovery after high intensity efforts, here's an article on how our 'battery' is recharged, or reconstituted<a href="https://world-track.org/2026/03/results-2026-zurich-

The conversation continues for our Supporters! These Spotlights offer the first word, and then it's your turn. Become a Supporter of the Real Science of Sport by making a small monthly pledge, and get access to our world-famous, and very stimulating, Discourse community!Show notesThis week's show kicks off in London, where Ross recently attended World Rugby's Annual Shape of the Game meeting. he shares some insider insights on topics including law change in the sport, what fans want, and the tensions rugby bosses are facing to grow the game. Staying on rugby, we discuss head injury management, after a few stories popped up in the world of rugby. In the first, a player was allowed to continue playing by the team doctor, but the referee stepped in to have the player removed with a concussion. In the second, a player admitted to 'cheating' the Head Injury Assessment screen back in 2017 to keep playing with a concussion. We discuss whether Rugby's policies to manage head injuries are working?Shifting gears, we return to the snow of Milan Cortina, as Gareth noticed some interesting discussion about cross-country skiing, and whether 50km was too long because of the challenges it creates for athletes who run out of fuel. We talk about "hitting the wall", and the truth about how our bodies use carbohydrates versus fat during endurance exercise.Then we talk doping. First, the UCI have asked its Testing Agency to catch a big name doper, with a feeling that the absence of positive tests isn't necessarily indicative of a clean sport, and their desire to catch a higher level rider apparently reflecting that realization. Staying on doping, Tara Moore is suing the WTA for $20 million after a series of bans, appeals and eventual bans for doping that she believes was inadvertently caused by meat contamination.Our final doping conversation comes from Athletics, where a Member asks whether the records should be reset when they are suspected of being the result of doping. This would particularly affect the Women's record books. We discuss that, offering some insights into how they might justify the removal of some, but not all records, and whether it can feasibly be done.And finally, there was drama in the USA last weekend, where race leaders followed the lead car off course, and eventually lost podium spots and prize money. Calls to award those athletes the prize money and places at the World Champs have been growing in volume, and we discuss why the logical solution is not all that tricky, despite the letter of the law standing in the way.LinksAnthony Watson admits to cheating the Concussion protocols

As mentioned, if you want to be a supporter of the podcast, and enjoy the insight that Gareth and I share with listeners on our world-best sports science forum, you can become a member by clicking this link to make a small monthly donation.Show notesThe Milan Winter Olympics concluded last weekend, and in this wrap show, Gareth and Ross look back at the overachievers, the underachievers, and the big stories from Milan, offering insights on who won, lost and captivated our attention. We crown the King of the Games, the best and worst-performing countries, nominate our best performances across the range of sports, from endurance to figure skating (via "stoke"). We also share our biggest disappointments, reflections on what the Winter Games need most, and give our overall ratings to an excellent, thoroughly enjoyable Games.LinksAn article on the waxing woes of every team apart from Norway'sItalian article on Tommaso Giacomel's cardiac arrhythmia and ablazione cardiaca (google translate do your thing)Some Mikaela Shiffrin interviews - speaking about winning without her influential father and a more upbeat one on the US morning talk show sceneFederica Brignone on her injury and comeback to win Olympic goldGareth said not to watch this, but in case you wish to ignore his advice, here's Kirsty Coventry and Bugs BunnyThe highest paid female athletes in the world - Eileen Gu is 4, but look at the split on vs off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Become a Supporter - it's worth it!Enjoying the Real Science of Sport? Show your support with a monthly pledge, become a Member of our Supporters Club, and get way more value from the discussions after the shows, in our world class community chat rooms!Show notesThe Winter Olympics are a weekend from concluding, and so much has happened, it's been hard to keep up. But we try! In this show, we look at the Nutella doping defence of an Italian biathlete. We discuss the dramatic performance of favourite Ilia Malinin, who confessed to "traumatic thoughts" before his ill-fated free-skate performance in Milan.There was no scoring controversy in that men's figure skating programme, but there have been in other events - Ice Dance and Big Air were affected by allegations of nationalistic bias, and then in the moguls, there was tie for gold, leading Ross to wonder about the credibility of a scoring system that uses subjective scoring to produce a tie down to the 1/100th of a point. Just share the gold, we reckon!One athlete who has had no problems, either with pressure or opponents, is Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, now the most decorated Winter Olympian ever, and basically unbeatable in shorter races. Can he deliver the 50km too? Another who has delivered on the promise is Jordan Stolz, though he was denied the 1500m speed skating gold. Reports of his cycling process have led to speculation that he could have a great career in cycling, should he fancy it. We discuss the barriers to that transition, and wonder how he might go about it.Away from the Games, there's an indoor world record in the 800m, which augurs well for Keely Hodgkinson's longer term aspirations of the outdoor World Record, and which puts Femke Bol's aspirations into perspective. The head to head rivalry may be a season or two away - we explain why Bol needs more than a single season.And Finally, we return to the snow, where Ski Mountaineering made its debut at the Olympics and left us feeling considerably underwhelmed and disappointed in the structure of the event.LinksThe Nutella defense - report on Rebecca Passler's doping caseThe CAS 'non-decision' on Passler's case, but with a few details of what was being argued in her defenceA <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/us/ostarine-olympics-doping.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_

If you love the podcast, and want to show your support, a monthly pledge on Patreon is the way! We'd be absolutely stoked if you did! Show notesLesley McKenna is a pioneer in the world of action sports. A three-time Olympian (2002, 2006, 2010), she represented Great Britain on the snowboarding World Cup circuit, becoming the first GB snowboarder to win a World Cup event, and led the World Cup standings as the number 1 ranked snowboarder at the peak of her powers. Following her retirement, she transitioned into coaching and full time management, and was Team Manager of the GB Park and Pipe team from 2014 to 2022. As a veteran of six Olympic Games, she shares unique insights into the preparation, training and mindset of Winter Olympic athletes in the action sports.She further expanded her understanding by embarking on a PhD with Leeds-Beckett University, that studied and explained how snowboarders and other action sports athletes develop skills, manage risk, and perform in high-pressure competition environments while staying true to the culture and authenticity of their sport This led to the development of a framework she called "The Risk Aesthetic Framework", which explains how action sports maintain meaning, creativity, and community in the competitive cauldron of the Olympic Games.In this wide-ranging interview, Lesley draws from her experience and her research to share fascinating insights that ultimately reveal the science of "the stoke", and the hidden side of some of the most spectacular, jeopardy-filled sports in the world.LinksHere is Lesley's website with more detail on her frameworkThe documentary Lesley recommended is called Pipe Dream - you can watch it on NetflixFancy a "backside air" - here's Lesley teaching you the way!A documentary about Lesley with some footage of her in action Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The conversation continues on Discourse, for our Science of Sport Supporters. Join now with a small monthly pledge for access to the best sports science discussion community aroundIn the Spotlight this week, we revisit a recurring theme to explore whether a paper claiming no advantage for males who identify as women has any validity, and we cover some news from the world of sport and health.17:31 Our main focus is on a systematic review, published last week, claiming that evidence suggests no physical differences and thus no sporting advantages in trans identified males. We explain why the paper is misleading, and how the authors and journal ignored very obvious flaws in the research to arrive at their conclusion.1:31 We also discuss an interview given by Imane Khelif in which the Algerian boxer confirms what was already widely known about male advantage, as well as some surprising details about suppressing testosterone, and defiance and denial about male advantage.36:44 In sports action, Femke Bol made an 800m debut indoors - we discuss the performance and what it tells us of her ceiling.43:20 Serena Williams is making a return, but appeared in a Superbowl halftime advertisement to promote ozempic for weight loss, which triggered a wave of criticism and fear about the displacement of exercise, diet and responsibillty for weight loss. We consider the arguments.50:52 Continuous glucose monitors are in the spotlight, after a range were recalled for providing inaccurate data, which has lead to death and injury in people misled by dodgy data. We discuss the matter in the context of how wearables have to, at a minimum, provide accurate information when decision making will change on the basis of that information.And finally, a Lance Armstrong movie is imminent, and Hollie Davidson referees a Six Nations match at the weekend. We end with brief thoughts.LinksThe systematic review on transgender womenA previous systematic review, minus the meta-analysis, that reaches the opposite conclusion by focusing on non cross-sectional researchThe Imane Khelif interviewThe Serena Superbowl Advert<a href="https://the5krunner.com/2026/02/06/abbott-libre-reca

Become a Science of Sport Supporter, and get access to our Discourse chat community, and to our upcoming Real Science of Sport Live Chats. A small monthly pledge or donation on Patreon is all it takesThe opening five days of the Milan Cortina Winter Games have produced some spectacular performances and notable talking points. The Spotlight reveals some insights on those performances. We ask whether Lindsay Vonn's decision to race only 9 days after a ruptured ACL was a justifiable, correct one? Gareth has a new favourite sport - Cross-country skiing, dominated in spectacular fashion by Johannes Hofslot Klaebo and Sweden's women. Gareth is less enamoured with figure skating, but we discuss subjective sports and how coverage has improved to offer insights on scoring, and where it can continue to advance. We commend the coverage and footage from the Games, with revolutionary, spectacular drone footage. Speed skating is also in the Spotlight, and we share some insights that have been missing from the coverage, related to pacing. We also discover that some researchers suggest that the lane allocation offers significant advantages in some events.And finally, we end on 'penis-gate', the story (or is that a non-story) about the search for ski-jumping distance through the most literal application of 'marginal gains' you can imagine.That, and more, in the first of our Winter Olympic Spotlight shows.LinksThe story of ski jumpers injecting acid into their genitals for jumping gainsThe Guardian's coverage of Lindsay Vonn's dramatic downhillOur supporters weigh in on Vonn's decision to race, with some insightful comments and questions (supporters only - pledge above for access!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Florentina 'Fleur' Hettinga loves speed skating. Not only has she competed as an athlete in the discipline, but she has also researched many elements of the sport, from the physiology of the top athletes to the technical expertise and equipment needed to be among the best. Based in Amsterdam, Hettinga is at the centre of Dutch speed skating excellence, serving as Head of Department of Human Movement Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit and as a professor at the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences. Hettinga talks Mike and Ross through the fascinating equipment used in modern speed skating, the technical skills that need to be honed to be competitive, and the unique, non-event-specific training that many of the top speed skaters employ. If you're watching the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games, start here.SHOW NOTES:Fleur Hettinga’s research profile  The training insights of Nils van der Poel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show NotesOn the Spotlight this week, we wrap up the Australian Open where dramatic semi finals saw Alcaraz overcome cramp (to Zverev's dismay), Djokovic overcome Sinner (to Ross' prediction dismay), and then Alcaraz overpower Djokovic to win a career Grand Slam. Elana Rybakina won the women's title, powered by a dominant serve and a few harsh, but helpful words from her coach.Then it's a concussion and head injury discussion, with a Spotlight on football and rugby. Should young children be tackling and heading a football? We explore those debates and discover that bans and delays don't play out quite the same way in the two sports, but that many unanswered questions remain. A recent paper by Ross and some colleagues finds that rugby players wearing headgear are more likely to suffer injuries than those not wearing headgear. An odd finding, but confounded by history and bias, as a lesson for how research limitations play out.And finally, does Karsten Blummenfelt really have a VO2max of 101 ml/kg/min? The Norwegian triathlete published that number earlier in the week, and it was met with skepticism bordering on ridicule. We discuss why the number isn't physiologically believable, what it means, and how errors in measurement might occur.Finally finally, if you enjoy the show and want to show your support, then become a Supporter with a small monthly donation, and you'll also get access to our Community Chat, and, as discussed in this show, upcoming Live Event Coverage.LinksThe Contact Conundrum: Are We Introducing Contact at the Correct Time in Youth Sports?Wearing Regulation Soft-Padded Headgear Does Not Reduce the Risk of Head Injuries in Professional Men's Rugby Players: An Observational Cohort StudyThe Spennymoor Heading Trial ArticleArticle on Blummenfelts 101 VO2max Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Norwegian Oyvind Sandbakk is a specialist in the brutally tough world of cross-country skiing and biathlon. He is Sports Director at the Norwegian School of Elite Sports and a Professor II at the School of Sport Science at the UiT The Artic University of Norway. A former World Cup cross-country skier himself, Oyvind has worked with many of Norway's top athletes in Nordic sports. We delve into the technical details of both disciplines (including the dark art of waxing!), the gear involved in both sports, the physiology required to be one of the best in the world and what to watch for at the 2026 Winter Olympics.Show notesThe article referred to in the show about the importance of waxing, and the number of skis the athletes haveHere is Oyvind's research profile page with his university Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Figure skating is one of the most popular sports at the Winter Olympics as it combines world-class athleticism with dance, choreography and music. Jackie Wong is one of the world's leading experts on figure skating and takes us behind the scenes of what it takes to be among the best in the world. From blade sharpening to music choice (the Back Street Boys will be the most popular band in Milan 2026!), figure skaters are defined by their ability to pull off daring manoeuvres with grace against the backdrop of judges watching for the smallest mistake. Wong shares some of his favourite stories from the ice, the routines and stars that have defined the sport and who, and what, to watch for in 2026. Wong is a figure skating analyst and blogs and tweets as Rocker Skating on both his website and podcast. He was a novice skater but has worked as both a judge and coach before covering the sport as an analyst and blogger from 2009.SHOW NOTESJackie's website Jackie's Podcast with co-hosts Michelle Ellis and Tara Nichols Jackie Wong (born April 11, 1982) is a figure skating analyst.[1][2] He blogs, tweets and sells merchandise as Rocker Skating as well as hosting the Ice Talk podcast at Ice Network.[3] He is based in New York.[4]Wong has worked for architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and is currently an associate consultant at McKinsey & Company.[5] A former novice skater who has passed the U.S. Figure Skating juvenile tests and worked as a coach and a judge, he began covering figure skating for Examiner.com in 2009.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Wong#cite_note-Hersh

On the show, we mention our Supporters Club a lot, and reference discussions of various sports science subjects that inspire and inform our own conversations. You can be part of that, by making a monthly pledge here, which gives you access to the best sports science discussions on the interwebs! This week’s Spotlight opens in Melbourne, where brutal heat nearly derailed Jannik Sinner’s title defence. The Italian was hobbled by cramps and looked down and out before the heat index policy triggered a delay, a roof closure, and some much-needed air con. That leads us into a deep dive on cramping: why it happens, what Sinner could be doing to address this weakness, and some of the less than credible methods tennis players are using to prevent them. We also unpack another Australian Open storyline — the request for players to remove Whoop devices — exploring both credible and dubious motives for such a ban.Carbohydrates are in the news again, though this time, it's not about how much athletes are consuming, but rather how little they actually need - 10g per hour. That, according to a review headed by Prof Tim Noakes, is all that is required to prevent fatigue during exercise. We break down the paper, question its scientific robustness, explore some of the gaping holes, and explain why it diverges so sharply from real-world practice, and even from Noakes' own previous work on fatigue and performance.A rapid-fire round sweeps through listener feedback on whether ChatGPT could ever replace a coach, the retesting of decade-old samples that’s led to bans for seven athletes, more eye-catching performances from teenage phenoms, a pair of world records, and a winter Olympic controversy.And finally, we turn to Alex Honnold’s jaw-dropping, rope-free ascent of Taipei 101 — a climb that lit up the internet. Where does it sit in the history of the sport, and what made it so utterly unmissable?LinksArticle on heat issues in MelbourneReaction to the Whoop ban Down UnderNoakes et al's review article on carbohydrate requirements during exerciseOne of many articles that suggest that muscle glycogen is also important for performance, this time not as part of failure, but rather regulation. Noakes was himself an author on this oneAnother arti

Journalist, author, and speaker Alex Hutchinson is passionate in his search for truth. As the author of three books ('Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?, 2011; 'Endure', 2021 and 'The Explorers Gene', 2025) and writer of the popular Sweat Science blog, the former Physics graduate is at the forefront of modern science journalism. Hutchinson, a former Canadian national team miler, explains his journey to becoming one of the most respected voices in his field, how he balances credibility and relevance in a cluttered social media landscape, and how he conducts research for his books and columns. Together with Ross and Mike, Hutchinson also delves into his favourite topics, including a discussion on how endurance is defined by perceived versus actual limits.For the discussion that continues long after the podcast, become a member of the Real Science of Sport Supporters club by making a small monthly or annual donation and get access to our Discourse community.SHOW NOTESAlex's Sweat Science WebsiteAlex's website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Become a Supporter of the Real Science of Sport podcast - a small monthly donation via Patreon is how you do it, and then you'll get access to our listener community who share insights, advice, and opinions of their own, all of which make up shows like this one!In this Spotlight, Gareth and Ross get philosophical as they cast their eyes over a few topics, starting with Gareth's thoughts on 2026 and our recent podcast where Sean Ingle joined us to look ahead at the sporting year. It's a sporting year that won't include Ross finishing the mountain bike race he planned to, and we talk briefly about goals, burn-out and knowing when to cut your losses!Then we indulge a passion of the pod - talent ID. This after New Zealand's teen sensation Sam Ruthe broke another national record, this time in the 800m. But how often do these world class middle distance teens kick on and improve? The answer may be surprising, but it does reveal how fraught the talent prediction is, and we discuss whether talent is easier to spot in some sports than others?Staying on the philosophical theme, Gareth's recent forays into the principles of fitness and his attempts to simplify fitness, have led to fascinating conversations with our Science of Sport Supporters about the potential role of Artificial Intelligence in coaching and performance. Will AI take over from coaches? Can you plan and execute an effective training programme using nothing but AI prompts? Do we need human coaches when the knowledge of the whole world is at our disposal? Who has successfully capitalized on the AI hype, and who has contributed to the growing pile of "AI slop" in the world of sport and sports science? We discuss.And finally, one of our listeners and a three time guest, Dr Jamie Whitfield, is looking for participants in his latest research trial - if you're in and around Melbourne, here's your chance, details in the pod, links in the show notes!01:50 Who Tires first? Attack or Defence11:00 Ross makes his predictions - I will remember15:34 Sam Ruthe & Talent ID35:00 Ross & the MTB Race that never was plus heat and fatigue54:20 AI and can it replace coaching?01:11:20 Jamie Whitfield invites you to a study - If you live near MelbourneLinksThe Sam Ruthe Youtube video that got Gareth excitedDCRainmakers video on the awful Strava Workout featureThe 5KRunner article on the "Digital God of Fitness"<a href="https://www.rugbypass.com/news/sale-sharks-

Join Mike, Ross and the chief sportswriter at The Guardian, Sean Ingle, as we look ahead to the biggest events in 2026. From the Winter Olympics to the World Cup in football, 2026 will be packed with plenty of drama and, no doubt, controversy. The team discusses the inclusion of new events at the Winter Games, how the three-country host format at the World Cup may affect results, whether the Commonwealth Games have a future beyond this year, and whether the Enhanced Games will live up to the hype. Plus, we talk about the biggest stories in track and field, cycling, swimming and golf and offer some predictions. It's the perfect way to start your sporting year.For the discussion that continues long after the podcast, become a member of the Real Science of Sport Supporters club by making a small monthly or annual donation and get access to our Discourse community Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a lot to catch up on today's Spotlight. Four weeks of Festive season sport means a range of topics from technology failures in the Ashes to the "Battle of the Sexes" debacle, thoughts on cyclo-cross dominance and excitement, Biathlon's appeal, Luke Littler's darts revolution, and some Enhanced Games ruminations as more athletes are announced. We also tease a few 2026 sports events, and hope you'll join us throughout the year for sports science insights and discussions.For the discussion that continues long after the podcast, become a member of the Real Science of Sport Supporters club by making a small monthly or annual donation and get access to our Discourse communityLinksArticle on the Kyrgios-Sabalenka reactionsLuke Littler's moment and the growth of dartsTechnology fails England at the AshesGareth's fascinating exploration of the not-so-simple guide to fitness (Supporters Club Members access)Stuart Phillips' paper on resistance training - just do it, and don't get stuck on the detailsMichael Ashenden on the Enhanced Games - the source of our philosophical discussion on doping in the showThe sad death of Sivert Guttorm Bakken of NorwayUSA-Canada relations are not looking good - this time thanks to a skeleton controversy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i

As 2025 winds down, Gareth, Mike and Ross reunite to look back on a packed and fascinating year in sport and sports science in a bumper Year-end show!We pick through the highs and lows, heroes and villains, innovations and failures, revisiting the moments and stories that stood out — and those we’d rather forget. Along the way, we debate the best athletes, the greatest achievements, the biggest let-downs, and our own favourite podcasts and sports science stories of the year.We rarely agree on our picks, but through lively discussion, our definitive, decisive, utterly unmissable and questionably authoritative show brings insight, perspective and (occasionally) clarity to the world of sport in 2025!If you have enjoyed 2025 along with us, and want to show your support, you can become a Member of our Science of Sport Supporters Club by making a small monthly pledge at Patreon - think of it as buying us a cup of coffee once a month. You also get access to Discourse where you can read, or engage, with fellow listeners and point out all the great sporting achievements we missed this year! Happy holidays, and see you all in 2026! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is the body established to oversee drug testing and other integrity issues within the sport of athletics and road running around the world.. Established in 2017 in response to the deepening credibility crises within International Amateur Athletic Federation (now World Athletics) doping processes, the AIU is an independent body designed to oversee drug testing among the top tier in the sport. Brett Clothier is the current head of the AIU and, in this wide-ranging interview, explains the mandate and jurisdiction of the AIU, how doping cases are investigated, how testing is done and why the recent increase in Kenyan positives is a good thing.Become a Supporter of The Real Science of Sport by making a small monthly pledge, and you also get access to our world-class community of experts and enthusiasts. Plus you get to explain sports like F1 and Squash to Gareth and Ross! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.