Kinematic characteristics of elite men's and women's 20 km race walking and their variation during the race

The aim of this study was to analyse the important kinematic variables in elite men's and women's 20 km race walking. Thirty men and 30 women were analysed from video data recorded during the World Race Walking Cup. Video data were also recorded at four points during the European Cup Race Walking and 12 men and 12 women analysed from these data. Two camcorders operating at 50 Hz recorded at each race for 3D analysis. The two main performance determinants of speed were step length and cadence. Men were faster than women because of their greater step lengths but there was no difference in cadence. A reduction in step length was the initial cause of slowing down with later decreases in speed caused by reductions in cadence. Shorter contact times were important in optimising both step length and cadence, and faster athletes tended to have longer flight times than slower athletes. It was less clear which other kinematic variables were critical for successful walking, particularly with regard to joint angles. Different associations were found for some key variables in men and women, suggesting that their techniques may differ due to differences in height and mass.