Endurance in Speed Skating: The Development of World Records

European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 148, No. 2, pp. 293-301, July 2003

Posted: 9 Sep 2008

See all articles by Gerard H. Kuper

Gerard H. Kuper

University of Groningen - Faculty of Economics and Business

Elmer Sterken

University of Groningen - Faculty of Economics and Business; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Date Written: July 2003

Abstract

We analyse the development of world records speed skating from 1893 to 2000 for both men and women. The historical data show that it is likely that the relation between skating speed and distance of the various events is non-linear and converges to a limit value. We pay special attention to technical innovations in speed skating, especially, the introduction of the klapskate in the 1996/1997 season, and its impact on the long-run limit value. We focus on endurance and we estimate lower bounds for world records given the current technological state of the art. We illustrate the forecasting properties of our model using the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games results.

Keywords: Forecasting, Athletic Performance

JEL Classification: C33, O31

Suggested Citation

Kuper, Gerard H. and Sterken, Elmer, Endurance in Speed Skating: The Development of World Records (July 2003). European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 148, No. 2, pp. 293-301, July 2003, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=480023

Gerard H. Kuper (Contact Author)

University of Groningen - Faculty of Economics and Business ( email )

Postbus 72
9700 AB Groningen
Netherlands

Elmer Sterken

University of Groningen - Faculty of Economics and Business ( email )

Postbus 72
9700 AB Groningen
Netherlands

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

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