Analysing short-track speed skating performance factors

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Human Movement Analysis

Background:

• Short-track speed skating demands high precision, where minor adjustments critically affect performance.
• Understanding performance determinants is crucial for athlete success in this sport.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key factors influencing short-track speed skating performance.
• To quantify the impact of these factors on athletes' lap times.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Movella IMU Link suits and Python scripts for kinematic data collection.
• Analyzed lower body kinematics during one high-speed on-ice trial per athlete.
• Employed correlation and regression analyses to identify significant performance factors from an initial pool of 535.

Main Results:

• Seven kinematic factors were significantly associated with lap time, with variations noted between sexes and skill levels.
• Inter-foot spacing and pelvic height improvements of 10 cm could yield up to 0.51 seconds per lap gain.
• This translates to a potential 5.2% time improvement on average 500m race laps.

Conclusions:

• Identified actionable kinematic factors, specifically inter-foot spacing and pelvic height, for enhancing short-track speed skating performance.
• Provides data-driven insights for refining coaching strategies and athlete training programs.
• Contributes to a deeper scientific understanding of performance optimization in short-track speed skating.