The chapter explores the difficulty in accurately measuring sprint start times in elite racing and the various factors that can affect reaction times. It highlights the importance of determining an exact limit for start times, as victories in sprinting can be decided by fractions of a second. The chapter proposes bringing elite athletes into the lab to collect data and suggests a shift in focus from measuring feet movement to analyzing the hands' initial push-off.
At last year’s World Athletics Championships, sprinter TyNia Gaither was disqualified for false starting... after the gun went off. Officials said she started faster than humanly possible. How can that be?
This episode originally ran on June 15, 2022.
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