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Gold, silver or bronze: circadian variation strongly affects performance in Olympic athletes.

ABSTRACT: The circadian system affects physiological, psychological, and molecular mechanisms in the body, resulting in varying physical performance over the day. The timing and relative size of these effects are important for optimizing sport performance. In this study, Olympic swim times (from 2004 to 2016) were used to determine time-of-day and circadian effects under maximal motivational conditions. Data of athletes who made it to the finals (N?=?144, 72 female) were included and normalized on individual levels based on the average swim times over race types (heat, semifinal, and final) per individual for each stroke, distance and Olympic venue. Normalized swim times were analyzed with a linear mixed model and a sine fitted model. Swim performance was better during finals as compared to semi-finals and heats. Performance was strongly affected by time-of-day, showing fastest swim times in the late afternoon around 17:12 h, indicating 0.32% improved performance relative to 08:00 h. This study reveals clear effects of time-of-day on physical performance in Olympic athletes. The time-of-day effect is large, and exceeds the time difference between gold and silver medal in 40%, silver and bronze medal in 64%, and bronze or no medal in 61% of the finals.

SUBMITTER: Lok R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7544825 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Gold, silver or bronze: circadian variation strongly affects performance in Olympic athletes.

Lok R R Zerbini G G Gordijn M C M MCM Beersma D G M DGM Hut R A RA

Scientific reports 20201008 1

The circadian system affects physiological, psychological, and molecular mechanisms in the body, resulting in varying physical performance over the day. The timing and relative size of these effects are important for optimizing sport performance. In this study, Olympic swim times (from 2004 to 2016) were used to determine time-of-day and circadian effects under maximal motivational conditions. Data of athletes who made it to the finals (N = 144, 72 female) were included and normalized on individ ...[more]

PMID: 33033271

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Project description:IntroductionElite and Olympian athletes are often stretching the upper limits of normal physiology and biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system in their efforts to excel in their sport. For them to get back to their sport at the same level after injury, the management, repair techniques, and rehabilitation protocols should be robust to permit healing of tissues to allow supra-normal loading and performance. The knee and the meniscus are commonly injured in these sports. Yet, the incidence, mechanisms, types of injuries to the meniscus, and their management are not known across different sports in the Olympics.MethodsWe set out to look into the incidence and the trends of publications on meniscal injuries of the knee in Olympic games. A search of the PubMed and Scopus for these injuries using a search strategy gave 79 and 116 articles, respectively.ResultsThere were very few publications giving the incidence of meniscal injuries in the Olympics. Football is the sport with the highest rate of meniscal injuries. Different sports are popular in different countries, and depending on the popularity and the country reporting these injuries, incidences differed. There was data available from India and Brazil for Elite athlete from diverse sports, whereas most data from other countries were for football and soccer. Knee was found to be the second most commonly injured part of the body in both Winter and Summer Olympics as well as the Youth Winter Olympics. Data were not available from the Youth Summer Olympics to make any conclusions. The number of publications on this topic is low. We presented the timeline of publications and citations of articles on this topic. The top country, language, journal, university, and author were USA, English, American Journal of Sports Medicine, Hospital of Special Surgery in New York and Brophy RH, respectively. The data on the risk factors for meniscal injuries were analyzed, discussed, and presented for football, as this was the most extensively studied sport.ConclusionsEven though the knee is one of the commonly injured anatomical locations in elite athletes, there is a lack of literature on meniscal injuries in this subset of population. We looked at possible reasons and made recommendations to improve data collection on these injuries.

Project description:The aims of the study were to (1) quantify the performance development of race times and key performance indicators of European swimmers across the last Olympic cycle (from 2016 to 2021) and (2) provide reference values for long-course swimming pool events for both sexes from 50 m to 1,500 m including butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley. Individual events from the 2016 and 2021 European swimming championships were included. Specifically, 246 men (age: 24.2 ± 3.4 years, FINA points: 890 ± 40) and 256 women races (age: 24.2 ± 4, FINA points: 879 ± 38) of the finalists were recorded and key performance indicators and split times analyzed. Performance differences in finalists of the 2016 and 2021 European championships were determined by an independent t-test and Cohen's d effect size. Reference values were retrieved from 2021 European championship finalists and are provided for all key performance indicators. Race times improved significantly (P < 0.05) or showed moderate (d = 0.5-1) to large effect sizes (d > 1) in 14 (men) and 6 (women) out of 16 events. Improvements were primarily evident in 100 m and 200 m events for males, as well as BR and sprint events for female swimmers. While start times improved in 15 (men) and 14 (women) events, turn times remained inconclusive in both sexes. Generally, breakout distances increased. Clean swimming velocities were faster in 12 (men) and 5 (women) events. In particular, for alternating swimming strokes, i.e., backstroke and freestyle, effect sizes indicated improved swimming efficiency with an inverse relationship between reduced stroke rate and increased distance per stroke. Coaches and performance analysts may use the present reference values as comparative data for race analyses and to specifically prepare swimmers for the various race sections. Data on the performance development should be used to analyze swimmers' potential and set goals for the various events and the next Olympic cycle.

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Gold, silver or bronze: circadian variation strongly affects performance in Olympic athletes.

Publications

Gold, silver or bronze: circadian variation strongly affects performance in Olympic athletes.

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