INTRODUCTION: Para sports became more publicly relevant over the last decade, which can be concluded from an increasing number of athletes competing and a fivefold increase in research (Lexell et al., 2020). For coaches it is important to have a benchmark that allows them to compare their athletes against. This helps to understand the requirements athletes have to meet to perform at an elite level. This study aims to retrospectively analyze the development of competitive performance of Para Nordic Skiing athletes over the last decade, as well as influencing performance factors (skiing time, shooting efficiency, snow condition), with a focus on athletes competing in multiple sports (cross-country skiing and biathlon). METHODS: Basis for the data analysis are the publicly available results of World Cups, World Championships and Paralympic Games of the 2012 - 2022 seasons. Descriptive statistics, competition density (CD) (Grobler et al., 2015), between-athlete variabilities and within-athlete race-to-race variability of the winner, top-3 and all athletes are calculated for all classes (STAND, SIT, VI) and sex. Generalized linear mixed model of race times are used to estimate variability. Models will be adjusted for effects such as snow conditions, race length, competition terrain and shooting result. RESULTS: Preliminary data analysis showed no clear trend for an increase in competition density over the years. For Top-3 athletes, skiing times showed significant differences in calculated race time (Time) in all classes except VI. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Understanding the level of race performance of starting fields should help coaches to evaluate suitable strategies to enhance performance of their athletes. In Para Nordic Skiing, this is particularly important for newcomers who need targeted training measures quickly due to their advanced age.
© Copyright 2023 9th International Congress on Science and Skiing, March 18 - 22, 2023, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria. Veröffentlicht von University of Salzburg. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. / Übersetzt mit https://www.DeepL.com/Translator