Pacing Profiles and Performance in 800 m Meeting Races During a New Technological Era: Influence of Wavelight Technology

Background: Wavelight technology (WT) has recently been introduced in international track meetings as a pacing aid designed to enhance consistency and performance. This study aimed to analyze the influence of WT on mean race speed and pacing profiles in 800 m Diamond League (DL) races and to compare its effects between men and women. Methods: Official results from 800 m DL races held between 2018 and 2025 (excluding 2020) were examined. A total of 689 performances (364 men, 325 women) were included, of which 403 used WT. Split times, each 200 mm, were extracted and expressed relative to mean race speed (%RS). WT implementation was confirmed through official race broadcasts. Results: Mean race speed differed significantly across years in both sexes (p < 0.001), with faster performances in 2024–2025 for men and in 2025 for women. In years where WT and non-WT races coexisted, WT was associated with higher mean speed in both men (7.60 ± 0.11 vs. 7.54 ± 0.14 m·s−1; p = 0.007; small d = 0.47) and women (6.71 ± 0.09 vs. 6.67 ± 0.08 m·s−1; p = 0.023; small d = 0.40). Regarding the pacing profiles, WT increased %RS in the first split (106.0 ± 1.7 vs. 104.9 ± 2.8; p = 0.014) and decreased it in the last split (96.5 ± 2.5 vs. 98.4 ± 4.4; p = 0.006) in men, whereas women showed no differences between conditions. Conclusions: WT was associated with faster mean race speeds in DL 800 m races and with more homogeneous pacing in men. However, WT modified pacing strategy only in men—inducing a faster start and slower finish—while women maintained similar pacing profiles regardless of WT use. WT thus enhances absolute performance but does not influence effort distribution equally across sexes.