Sex differences in speed and sub-technique selection in elite sprint cross-country skiers: a time-trial qualification analysis
Øyvind Sandbakk, Jan Kocbach, Rune Kjøsen Talsnes, Thomas Losnegard · 2026
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Description
Øyvind Sandbakk and co-authors present a 2026 analysis of sex differences in sprint cross-country skiing. Thirty elite skiers, fifteen women and fifteen men, raced a classical time trial. The qualification run covered 1.3 km on snow. Satellite and motion sensors tracked speed, technique choice, and cycle features.
Men averaged about 14 percent faster than the performance-matched women. The gap was largest uphill, at 19 to 20 percent on those sections. It shrank to 6 to 9 percent downhill in the same race. Men spent more time double poling, about 61 percent against 53 percent for women. Women used diagonal stride more often. Men's cycles ran 9 to 11 percent longer, while rates were similar. The authors say equal distances pose distinct demands by sex.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Øyvind Sandbakk, Jan Kocbach, Rune Kjøsen Talsnes, Thomas Losnegard |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 31545 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |