- Sep 25, 2009
- 7,527
- 1
- 0
while in general, it is logical to assume that elite athletes (xc skiers of course belong here too), if they are still competitive, should improve their technique. sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. there are tonnes of examples including the very best...skjoldur said:
let's start with sundby, the wc leader. his skating progress is visible, few would argue. then, we have legkov, the last season's distance cup winner, his classic style was atrocious when he was a teenager and is still hurtful to watch when he's 30. again, few will argue and even himself, a humble enough guy, admits it. then we have justyna kov., the quinn of lady's classic style, who despite pushing her 30's is still rarely competitive against the best norwegian skaters. This was not always the case. check her younger performances - she even used to medal in the olympics in skating)...and there are many more examples zero progress or real improvements. it is never a straight line proportional to their age as some naively believe. as i said, some stand still, some improve, some go backwards. There are many reasons but my post is not about sorting the reasons out.
i stress the variability and uncertainty because some take convenient positions (on both sides) and see or ignore doping behind the 'changes in technique' or the particularly popular 'explanations' by some being ahead in ski prep while others were stuck behind...
do we really need to revisit the beaten to death subjects of how norwegians were superior in this and that....and that's why they did not need to dope in the 90s.
that said, the sport of xc skiing is one of the least efficient among the endurance sports form the mechanical standpoint. whatever scant studies i saw, refer to about 10-15% gross mechanical efficiency. compare that to the cycling's 20-25%. clearly, any efficiency improvements due to a better skiing technique should results in sizable time savings, both in sprints and distances races. And it does, generally as a young talent moves thru junior, regional, national, and on to the world cup level. For example, iirc one of my own earlier posts, it was found that the Norwegian national-level sprinters are 7% less efficient than their world class. once they are on the top, they more or less settle and adopt the style and the efficiency that fits their current competitive specialty choice (sprint/distance/universal), their physiology or the immediate demands of their racing environment.
again, am NOT saying elites don’t improve their technique, but all to often the complexity of the issue it is used to hide or white wash doping.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram