Browsing by Author "Wilhelm, Matthias"
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- Freestyle master’s swimming: Nationality, sex, and performance trends in World Aquatics competitions (1986–2024)Publication . Ahmad, Wais; Wilhelm, Matthias; Moreitz, Sascha; Andrade, Marilia Santos; Forte, Pedro; Stanula, Arkadiusz; Nikolaidis, Pantelis Theo; Cuk, Ivan; Thuany, Mabliny; Weiss, Katja; Rosemann, Thomas; Hill, Lee; Seffrin, Aldo; Knechtle, BeatIn sports science, freestyle swimming has been thoroughly studied for particular performance-related factors. Nonetheless, it is unknown what countries the top freestyle swimmers are from, especially not for age group swimmers. In addition, the existing research on the performance of master freestyle swimmers has yet to confirm that male swimmers achieve faster times than their female counterparts across all age groups and distances. The current study looked into the nationalities and sexes of the top freestyle swimmers in each age group in World Aquatics competitions for the 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m events from 1986 to 2024. Methods The data (derived from (www.worldaquatics.com/masters/archives/masters-archives) were presented using mean, standard deviation, maximum and minimum values, and/or confidence intervals. The year of competition, age, age group, stroke, distance, and first and last names of each swimmer were noted. The nations were then divided into six groups: one group comprising all other countries and the top five nations with the greatest number of appearances in the top 10 fastest freestyle swimming times by distance each year. Results In freestyle swimming, most swimmers (30.6%) competed in the 50m event (n = 25,094, 10,909 female and 14,185 male), followed by the 100m event (25.6%, n = 20,961, 8,796 female and 12,165 male), the 200m event (17.4%, n = 14,309, 6,729 female and 7,580 male), the 400m event (13.4%, n = 10,956, 5,363 female and 5,593 male), and the 800m event (12.6%, n = 10,317, 5,179 female and 5,138 male). The results from the generalized linear models indicate that sex, age group, and the interaction between sex and age group all had significant effects on the 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m races. Specifically, for the 50m races, the effect of sex was significant (x(2) (1) = 3451.941, p < 0.001), as was the effect of age group (chi(2) (13) = 19,295.169, p < 0.001), and the interaction between sex and age group (chi (2) (13) = 654.671, p < 0.001). Conclusion The USA demonstrates quantitative dominance by contributing the greatest number of top 10 performers. Additionally, the study highlights significant sex-based performance differences, with males generally outperforming females in all age categories. This study comprehensively analyzes the performance trends observed in freestyle master swimming for nearly four decades.
- Women in the triathlon—the differences between female and male triathletes: a narrative reviewPublication . Loosli, Michèle; Nikolaidis, Pantelis Theo; Scheer, Volker; Wilhelm, Matthias; Forte, Pedro; Andrade, Marilia Santos; Rosemann, Thomas; Duric, Sasa; Cuk, Ivan; Knechtle, BeatTriathlon events have gained popularity in recent years. With the increasing participation of women, aspects that influence performance and physiology, as well as differences between women and men, are of interest to athletes and coaches. A review of the existing literature concerning differences between women and men in triathlon is lacking. Therefore, this narrative review aimed to compare female and male triathletes in terms of participation, performance, and the different influences on performance (e.g., physiology, age, pacing, motivation). A literature search was conducted in PubMed and Scopus using the search terms "female triathletes", "women in triathlon", "triathlon AND gender difference", and "triathlon AND sex difference". 662 articles were found using this search strategy, of which 147 were relevant for this review. All distances from sprint to ultra-triathlon (e.g., x-times IRONMAN (R) distance) were analyzed. Results: The results showed that the participation of female triathletes, especially female master triathletes increased over time. An improvement in the performance of female and older triathletes was observed at the different distances in the last decades. Sex differences in performance varied across distances and in the three disciplines. Female triathletes showed a significantly lower VO2max and higher lactate thresholds compared to men. They also had a higher body fat percentage and lower body mass. The age for peak performance in the IRONMAN (R) triathlons is achieved between 25 and 39 years for both women and men. Strong predictors of IRONMAN (R) race performance in both female and male triathletes include achieving a personal best time in a marathon and a previous best time in triathlon races. Further studies need to balance the representation of female and male athletes in study cohorts to ensure that findings are relevant to both sexes. Another research gap that should be addressed by future studies is the effect of menstruation and female hormones, the presence of premenstrual syndrome, and the impact of pregnancy and childbirth on the triathlon performance to better understand the differences with men and to account for hormonal fluctuations in training.