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The Real Science of Sport Podcast
Exclusive: Is Australia's New Sprint Sensation the Next Usain Bolt?
Gout Gout is a sprint phenom. At only 16, he recently broke the Australian men's 200m record with a stunning 20.04s, second on the all-time list for under-18 sprinters. That followed 10.04 (wind-aided) and 10.17 100m clockings, as the Australian teen continued his meteoric rise to elite adult performances. The manner of his performances, with astonishing finishing speed, has created huge excitement, with anticipation of Bolt-like times and achievements in his future. But, teen prodigies come and go, many falling short of fully delivering on their exceptional promise. In this exclusive interview, his manager and agent James Templeton opens up about Gout's past, present and future, and shares the vision and specific plans he and Gout's coach have for one of the most exciting talents ever seen in the sport. Along the way, we discuss talent identification concepts,and learn lessons from David Rudisha's career about the dangers and traps that can ambush a young athlete, and how they plan to navigate those for Gout. We also discover how Gout Gout is handling new-found fame and being prepared for the hype, with the ultimate goal of taking on the world of sprinting in 2025 and beyond.
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Video of Gout Gout's 200m Australian record of 20.04s
The wind assisted 10.04s that Gout ran, with special emphasis on the final 50m
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Science of Sport Spotlight 3: You Are Not Simon Yates. But You Can Learn From Him
01:07:40|In this episode, Simon Yates, carbohydrates and the applicability of sports science research to the masses are in our Spotlight. In an interview earlier this week, pro cyclist Simon Yates described a paradigm shift that has changed nutrition and training in the sport. Instead of five hour rides on "two eggs" and "water in the bottles" leaving him feeling exhausted, he talks about 120g/h of carbohydrates in training and racing leading to less fatigue, greater enjoyment, and significantly better performances. That's not new, of course - more carbs has been the name of the game for the elites for some time, as we've discussed in previous shows. Now, Gareth and Ross explore the extent to which elite practice and behaviours should guide what the rest of us 'mortals' do, and whether the pendulum of advice has swung too far? To do so, we use a recent paper by Louise Burke and her team to explain that sports science research, often done on recreational or moderately trained athletes, often fails to add value to elite athletes. Conversely, we discover that what elites do is not necessarily directly applicable to the rest of us, and that while Yates and others demonstrate important principles of nutrition (yes, you need those carbs for harder training), we need to understand context and circumstances in order to understand exactly how to apply their behaviours to our own situations, and to get the specifics right. Ultimately, we may all be bound by the same (physiological) rules, but we're often playing a different game. We explain how to translate and apply research to practice, and vice-versa.Plus, a brief look back at the Australian Open, how tennis analytics doesn't quite do justice to the 'adversarial' nature of the sport, and why players shouldn't be too fussed with perceived crowd and media hostility.Show notesThe tennis website Gareth mentioned, full of stats and analytics on performanceJoin our Fantasy League for the upcoming Men's Six Nations. Once clicked, you'll need a League ID - 142233 : SoS Discoursers, and a password: DWIVM"No bonks". Here is the interview with Simon Yates that reveals the carbohydrate shift in elite cycling, the main subject of today's SpotlightThe excellent article by Burke et al that describes why elite practice and research doesn't translate to us mortals, and vice-versaJoin DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.2. The Role of the Modern Physio: Lessons from the Royal Marines
01:39:02||Season 7, Ep. 2Richard Hales has spent the last 22 years fixing Royal Marines at the Command Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) Lympstone in the UK and is the Clinical Lead within their bespoke Exercise Rehabilitation Centre. So he knows a thing or two about the role of physiotherapy in a pressurised physical environment. The team delve into the role of a physiotherapist in both prevention and recovery; explains how data drives much of the research, why old-school physio techniques are questionable and whether biomechanics make a difference in causing chronic injury.Hales graduated with a Sports Science degree from Liverpool University in 1992 before qualifying as a Chartered Physiotherapist from Bath University in 1996.Having chosen to specialise in musculoskeletal rehabilitation his roles have included six years as Physio with Exeter Chiefs Rugby Union Club, and clinical co-ordinator for Amputee rehabilitation within ‘Adventure Rehab’, as well as Out-Patient work in both the UK and New Zealand before joining the military.He has just written a book about his time working with the Royal Marines entitled The NOD Fixer which is due out in Easter 2025.Join DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.Science of Sport Spotlight 2: Can We Trust Experts in Fitness and Health?
57:49|Can we trust "experts" in the fitness and health industry? We put this question under the Spotlight this week, inspired by a combination of Gareth's fell running exploits and virus scare, his quest to replenish carbohydrates after racing, and a fascinating insider Discourse chat about the credibility of the fitness industry. How can fitness, health and sports enthusiasts know who to trust, and can they ever be assured of credible, effective advice from personal trainers and fitness influencers whose intentions may be good, but whose knowledge is not always where it needs to be?Show notesJoin DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.1. What Will Sport Look Like in 2050?
01:27:25||Season 7, Ep. 1A lot has changed since 2000 in sport but not everything predicted at the start of the Millennium has happened by 2025. So what may sport look like in 2050? Hosts Mike Finch and Prof. Ross Tucker - along with the Chief Sports Writer of The Guardian, Sean Ingle - look back at what was predicted in 2000 and what could happen 25 years from now. From age-defying world beaters to astonishing tech and the likely future and popularity of sporting events, sport looks set for some radical changes in the second quarter of this century.SHOW NOTESSean’s article looking back at the 2000 predictionsSean’s article predicting sport in 2050Another article by Sean in which he discusses the case for an Olympics every two yearsThe article that predicts that most records will reach a plateau by 2027Example of how digital twins are being used in sportSpeaking of digital twins, Des Linden has one, as explained in this articleAn article on how AI is changing sport.Science of Sport Spotlight 1 of '25: Festive feedback
49:27|Gareth and Ross kick off 2025 with a brief Spotlight episode that looks back on the Festive season's interesting sports science news stories, and our own Christmas and New Year exercise achievements and sports-watching highlights. Discourse hummed along at its usual pace, with stories on doping, low cadence, cycling safety, and exercise challenges, and Gareth and Ross tackle those subjects in this 2025 'ice-breaker'.Show notesJoin DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.Articles on topics discussed in this showIndependent scientific experts call China's conclusions on their 23 TMZ swimming cases "intellectually dishonest"Canadian coach calls for doping reform amid doubts over Women's Marathon WR, including bans for countries with more than 10 doped athletesNorway's Mountain Running World Champion accepts a doping ban after claiming contamination for a positive test25. The 2024 Sports Year In Review
02:10:21||Season 6, Ep. 25Who were the superstars, and what were the unforgettable moments of 2024? Who failed to launch, and who exceeded expectations? What are your hopes for sport and sports science in 2025? We draw a spectacular sporting year to a close with a look back at the highlights, lowlights, newsmakers and big stories of 2024. In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek "Sporting Awards" show, Mike, Gareth and Ross pick out their winners and losers, and the achievements that got us talking and debating. Inspired by the contributions and nominations from our Discourse community, we make our selections in categories ranging from the Moment of the Year to the Biggest Anticlimax of the last twelve months, with sports science insights and the big sports science stories covered in between.Join DiscourseIf you fancy sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community.Podcast highlights: Some of the podcasts from 2024 that came up in this show:Dr Joe Warne on the scientific theme of 2024: Can we trust sports science?The Skeptics guide to sports science - Dr Nick Tiller joined us to talk about how marketing undermines sports science, with a little help from sports scientistsAs Gareth noted on the show, the podcast topic that generated the highest volume of Discourse chat was VO2max, your most important training metricProf Louise Burke joined us to talk about why carbohydrates and not fats power most endurance athletes to better performanceProf Stuart Phillips on weight training - the one that changed Mike's exercise training routines.The science of hydration - this is the one that led to a really lively Discourse discussion about the scientific 'robustness' of hydration claims made on this showThe Olympic Controversy podcast recorded at the time of the DSD controversyRuth Chepngetich smashed the women's World Record, and the debate kicked off. We did a podcast on it in OctoberWe named BJSM as "Worst Team of the Year". This is the podcast we did on their shameful stance on women's sport and loss of scientific credibilityElite Sport's Race to the Bottom, and Anti-Doping's Scramble for Higher Ground
01:02:09|In this Spotlight edition, Gareth Davies and Ross Tucker dive ever deeper into the abyss of sport's Talent Identification and Development inefficiencies. With a nod to our most recent podcast on Gout Gout's meteoric rise and anticipated trajectory to sprint dominance, we discuss how elite sport 'farms' talent in a 'race to the bottom' that characterises the ruthless pursuit of champions. We discuss the costs this creates, both financial and human, using talent pathway practices in cycling, football, rugby and tennis to illustrate why lost young athletes and inefficiencies are features of the system, rather than 'bugs'. We also discuss the latest developments in the world of anti-doping, where WADA have announced changes to contamination cases and accidental doping, and where the UCI have moved to ban carbon monoxide use for performance enhancement, but not measurement.SHOW NOTES:Join DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.The article discussing the retirement of junior cyclists and the ruthless efficiency with which they are replacedA research article exploring how U23 performances predict elite cycling performance, perhaps not surprisingly, as discussed in the showMy 2019 article on the curse of the precocious athleteThe Gout Gout podcast referenced in our Talent discussionsThe very interesting Discourse topic in which Gareth and others talk about the changes in professional cycling (Discourse members only)A news article on WADA's announcement about intended changes to the Anti-Doping Code, including the discussed changes to contaminated product and accidental doping rulesThe UCI "bans" carbon monoxide use for performance enhancement, but not for measurement. Quite how is anyone's guess.23. What Tennis' Latest Scandal Teaches Us About Doping
58:04||Season 6, Ep. 23World Number Two tennis player Iga Swiatek's positive test for a little-known product called Trimetazidine raises the issue of whether drug testing is going too far. Should there not be a threshold for the level of prohibited substances found in the body? Is there a performance advantage? What fault lies with the athlete? No matter the final outcome, an athlete remains tainted no matter their potential innocence, which could affect performance and sponsorship agreements. In this Spotlight episode, the team discuss the case, its similarities and differences compared to tennis' other high profile doping case, Janik Sinner, and what it means for anti-doping.SHOW NOTES:Join DiscourseIf you fancy a bit of the coaching, sports science and sports news conversations with our amazing members, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going.The ITA decision statementBBC story on Swiatek's one-month banSwiatek's statement on InstagramThe timeline of Swiatek's doping caseResponse from the manufacturer of the drugArticle on Jack Burke's KOMsWhen Burke broke the Alp d'Huez KOMJack Burke's Strava account