The Real Science of Sport Podcast

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 "hamstring tightness" before the race. We explore why, even if this turns out to be nothing, the pattern of recurring hamstring tightness is worth paying close attention to, and shares the sobering statistics on hamstring re-injury rates and risk factors that make this more than just a precautionary withdrawalWorld Rugby has permanently approved a lower tackle height for community rugby, but with a catch: different unions can choose between the waist and the sternum as their legal limit. We discuss why that flexibility exists, what it means in practice, and what would have to be agreed before any change could come to the elite gameA cyclist suffered a concussion during the Tour de Suisse and continued racing for several more stages. Gareth's initial reaction is that it's another policy failure by the UCI, but we discuss it and discover a number of scenarios that would explain how it happened without any fault from the UCIAnd finally, a call to action for members. Our Applied show this Friday will cover durability, and we are turning it into a live global experiment. Over the coming weeks we will be asking supporters to complete a set of time trials on the bike, and we will use that data to build your power duration curve, work out your W prime, and calculate your durability index. All the details will be on Discourse and Discord for membersOh, and why is Messi so comparatively poor at penalties? Our previous guest Ben Lyttleton shares a piece he wrote on why the best ever is average from the spot! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 reconstitutedArticle on Fotyen's 2:10:51 marathonGood insights on Fotyen from Letsrun.comThe research out of Paris showing the higher risk of cardiac events in the final kilometer of racesA similar study on cardiac arrests in triathlonThe LA Marathon finish and race are discussed in this articleThe ACSM Position Stand on Resistance TrainingStuart Phillips' posts on the ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.