Olympics study exposes a critical gap: What we don't know about female endurance athletes
A major review of endurance performance ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics reveals that scientists understand how elite male athletes' bodies work, but lack comparable data on women. The gap has real consequences for training programs, equipment design, and competitive fairness—areas where sports organizations and equipment manufacturers are investing billions.
Originaltitel: A Review of Central and Peripheral Limitations to Endurance Exercise Performance on the Road to the Milano‐Cortina 2026 Olympics
ABSTRACT Performance in endurance sports reflects a complex interplay between physiological, biomechanical, neuromuscular and psychological factors, nutrition, and environmental conditions. This review focuses on physiological factors, particularly on the determinants of maximal oxygen uptake (O 2max ), its fractional utilization during competition, and examines how these interact with sport‐specific demands and conditions anticipated at the Milano‐Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. We highlight that systemic O 2 delivery, determined by the product of cardiac output and arterial O 2 content, is the primary limiting factor of O 2max in elite athletes . However, invasive data on elite female athletes are scarce, and more research is needed. Well‐developed peripheral characteristics, such as a high mitochondrial density and capillarisation, are important determinants of fractional utilization of O 2max , but also support high muscle O 2 extraction, which may reach values above 95% in elite endurance athletes, including cross‐country skiers. However, most values of fractional utilization of O 2max in the literature are calculated estimates based on performance determinants and race times, and more research with direct, continuous O 2 uptake measurements during simulated competitions is needed. In endurance sports with undulating terrain race profiles (uphill, downhill, flats), such as cross‐country skiing and biathlon, the resulting intermittent exercise intensity creates substantial fluctuations in external power output. As a result, O 2 demands may reach 100%–160% of O 2max in uphill sections, facilitated by transient but profound anaerobic energy contributions. Thus, the ability to recover anaerobic energy sources in downhill sections and repeatedly use them throughout the race emerges as a critical performance determinant and an avenue for further research, as well as how these abilities influence fractional utilization of O 2max in intermittent sports. Environmental factors, including moderate altitude (Biathlon will be held in Antholz at ~1650 m) and cold temperatures, exert modest but relevant influences on performance. Understanding these integrative mechanisms is essential for optimizing training and competition strategies for endurance sports at the Winter Olympics and beyond.