Olympic Rowing – Maximum Capacity over 2000 Meters

Olympic rowing in its current form is a high-intensity boat race covering a distance of 2000 m with fastest race times ranging ~5.5-7.5 min, depending on boat class, sex, and environmental factors. To realize such race times, rowers need strength and endurance, which is physiologically evident in an oxidative Adaption of the skeletal muscles, a high aerobic capacity, and the ability to contribute and sustain a relatively high percentage of anaerobic energy for several minutes. Anthropometrically, male and female rowers are characterized by relatively large body measurements. Biomechanics & Physiology: The sitting position of the rower, the involvement of a large muscle mass and the structure of the rowing cycle, consisting of drive and recovery phase where the rower slides back and forth on a sliding seat, affect the cardiovascular and the respiratory system in a unique manner. In Addition to these physiological and anthropometric characteristics, this brief review outlines the extreme metabolic implications of the sport during racing and training and mentions rarely-discussed topics such as established testing procedures, summarizes data on training intensity distribution in elite rowing and includes a short section on heat stress during training and racing in hot and humid conditions expected for the Olympic Games 2021 in Tokyo.

Injuries and Illness in Elite Equestrian Athletes: A Two-Season Prospective Study

Problem/Intro: Epidemiological data of injuries and illnesses in equestrian athletes are limited. The objective of this study was to describe the incidence, prevalence, and severity of health Problems among a cohort of elite riders. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study with 38 elite equestrian athletes over a two-year follow-up period. Health Problems were recorded weekly with the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on health problems and subsequently categorized into illnesses and injuries according to the recently published International Olympic Committee guidelines. Based on the athlete’s weekly responses, we calculated health Problem prevalence, incidence and severity. Results: A total of 93 health problems were reported including 30 illnesses and 63 injuries resulting in a weekly prevalence of 12.1% (95% CI: 10.5-13.7) for all health problems. For acute injuries, the chest, lumbosacral region, and neck were the most commonly reported body locations. The lumbosacral Region was the most commonly reported repetitive injury mechanism body region. Illnesses most often affected the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal body systems. Conclusion: There was a low prevalence of injuries among this cohort of elite athletes. Future efforts that further improve athlete safety should focus on repetitive mechanism injuries and implementation and scale-up of preventive equipment to the broader equestrian population.