Researchers have studied GPS data from Jakob Ingebrigtsen's gold rush – and now the answers are clear

research results It appears from the study Which was published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living magazine on Tuesday.

The research is based on studies of performance data from a number of track and field stars, including Jakob Ingebrigtsen. 400m runners Femke Paul and Matthew Hudson-Smith, from the Netherlands and Great Britain respectively, also contributed.

GPS data from the three aforementioned athletes' competitions was used during the European Championships in Munich in 2022, according to the British and French researchers behind it. Among other things, it is linked to the French National Research Center CNRS.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the gold medal in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters races during the championships held in Germany two years ago.

First time

The researchers write that the mathematical model they developed with great precision explains “the influence of physiological and psychological parameters on running performance.” It also provides tips for optimal training.

“We wanted to understand what happened to the athlete at the physiological level during the 400 meters, which is a sprint exercise, and during the 1,500 meters, which is the first endurance distance in athletics,” says one of the study’s authors, Amandine. Aftalion, to Agence France-Presse.

Data on Jakob Ingebrigtsen's 1,500m run in Munich in 2022 was retrieved as a result of Roglander being fitted with a GPS sensor under his tracksuit in Munich.

Among other things, the sensor gave researchers access to the speed that Ingebrigtsen maintained throughout his path to gold. His position on the field was measured ten times per second.

“It is the first time that this model also takes into account variation in motor control, that is, the role of the brain in the process of producing movement,” the researchers wrote.

Help coach?

They were also able to access the physiological parameters of the runners, especially oxygen consumption and energy expenditure during the race.

“Thanks to the quantification of costs and benefits, the model provides immediate access to the best strategy for the runner to perform in an optimized manner,” the CNRS wrote.

The study was intended to specifically document Jakob Ingebrigtsen's ability to quickly reach and maintain maximum oxygen consumption throughout the race.

This peculiarity enables the Norwegian to “run at a higher pace than competitors throughout the entire race, even if the numbers show that he does not always open the race quickly,” as co-author Aftalion explains to AFP.

The mathematical model the researchers have now developed could be used in the future to create a computer program that can help coaches adapt “an athlete's running strategy to the runner's physiological profile,” they concluded.