More or Less: Behind the Stats How good were the performances at the Tokyo Olympics?
Aug 16, 2021
Dr. Joel Mason, a sports scientist and founder of the blog Trackademic, joins the discussion to analyze the standout performances from the Tokyo Olympics. He dives into the astonishing number of records broken, including national achievements soaring past those in Rio. They address the impact of technological advancements and unique training adaptations due to the pandemic. The conversation also touches on an inspiring moment of sportsmanship when two high jumpers chose to share gold instead of competing, highlighting the spirit of the Games.
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Record-Breaking Performances
- The Tokyo Olympics saw standout performances, particularly in the 400m hurdles where records were broken.
- However, the overall number of world records was similar to previous games, with the real difference being the depth of performance and national records broken.
Factors Influencing Performance
- Several factors contributed to the increased depth of performance in Tokyo, such as athletes' training regimens, new track spike technology, and the track itself.
- It is thought that the pandemic allowed athletes to recalibrate and refocus their training.
Impact of New Spikes
- The impact of new track spikes is hard to measure directly, but an indirect comparison can be made with throwing events.
- Throwers don't benefit from new spikes or the track, and their improvement was lower compared to sprinters.