The aim of this study was to compare the race characteristics of the start and turn segments of national and regional level swimmers. In the study, 100 and 200-m events were analysed during the finals session of the Open Comunidad de Madrid (Spain) tournament. The "individualized-distance" method with two-dimensional direct linear transformation algorithm was used to perform race analyses. National level swimmers obtained faster velocities in all race segments and stroke comparisons, although significant inter-level differences in start velocity were only obtained in half (8 out of 16) of the analysed events. Higher level swimmers also travelled for longer start and turn distances but only in the race segments where the gain of speed was high. This was observed in the turn segments, in the backstroke and butterfly strokes and during the 200-m breaststroke event, but not in any of the freestyle events. Time improvements due to the appropriate extension of the underwater subsections appeared to be critical for the end race result and should be carefully evaluated by the "individualized-distance" method.

The aim of this study was to develop a new application based on the ''individual distances'' method to analyse swimming races, and to compare it with the traditional ''fixed distances'' method. One hundred and seventy-nine national level 100 m (four strokes) performances obtained from the 2008 ''Open Comunidad de Madrid'' (Spain) were analysed using a twodimensional Direct Linear Transformation (2D-DLT) video analysis system. Average velocities in all race segments (P 5 0.001) were faster using the ''individual distances'' method than when employing the ''fixed distances'' method. Specifically, start and turn times were shorter (P 5 0.001) while free swimming times were longer (P 5 0.001) when using the ''individual distances'' method. Correlations between methods were moderate to high, but several gender and stroke groups showed poor to no correlation, especially during the start and turn segments. Differences between methods were higher in some groups (female swimmers and freestyle stroke) where the start and turn distances were shorter. Measurements with the 2D-DLT technique provide distances and times employed during the race segments, which do not completely agree with times at fixed distances. Therefore, when evaluating swimming races, a combination of the individual and fixed distances methods should be used.

The Olympic Triathlon is a combined endurance sport. It includes back-to-back swimming, cycling, running and the transition between events (T1 & T2). The aim of the current study was to analyse the possible relationship between the Lost Time T1 & T2 and overall performance. The results showed that the percentages of total time corresponding to each part of the race were: 16.2% for swimming, 0.74% for the swimming-cycling transition (T1), 53.07% for cycling, 0.47% for the cycling-running transition (T2) and 29.5% for running. The correlations between each part of the race and the final placing were: r=0.36 for swimming, r=0.25 for T1, r=0.62 for the cycling, r=0.33 for T2, and r=0.83 for the running. Also, values of r=0.34 & r=0.43 were obtained for Lost Time T1 and Lost Time T2, respectively. In conclusion, losing less time during T2 has been demonstrated to be related to obtaining a better final result.

The aim of this study was to examine the match activities of top-class female assistant referees (mean age 34.8 years, s =3.5; stature 1.64 m, s=0.05; weight 58.1 kg, s=7.4; body mass index 21.6 kg • m~2, s=2.4) in relation to the offside line. Computerized match analyses were performed on 14 top-class assistant referees during 10 matches (a total of 20 observations) from the 2006 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) under-20 Women's World Championship held in Russia. In addition, the position of the second last defensive player of both teams was calculated throughout the matches to determine the distance from the assistant referee to the offside line. The total distance covered during a game was 5594 m (s=473), of which 27% was sideways movements (1492 m, s = 135). High-intensity activities (>13 km -bT 1 ) accounted for 1999 m (s=371). Mean distance from the offside line during the entire match was 1.06 m (s =0.26). Total distance covered, high-intensity activities, and distance from the offside line were not different (P > 0.05) between the two halves of the game or consecutive 15-min match periods. Our results show that: (1) the kinematic demands placed on top-class female assistant referees are similar to those of top-class male assistant refereeing except for the amount of high-intensity activities, and (2) assistant referees were able to maintain the distance from the offside line during the match, which suggests an ability to keep up with the pace of the play throughout the match.

In most of the triathlon races, the 10km-run is critical to win and, just a few seconds, may separate the gold and the silver medal. To our best knowledge, no study has analyzed the biomechanical differences among the first qualified triathletes during a top-level competition. The aims of the present study were: (1) to examine the different responses to the previous cycling between the gold medal and the other participants, and (2) to compare the biomechanical profiles during the 10km-run presented by the top-ranked triathletes. 16 women, participants at Madrid 2008 Triathlon World Cup, were analyzed. The first qualified triathlete (gold medal) showed significant differences (p<0.05) with the other participants in many of the analyzed variables. A higher stride length, a smaller stride frequency, a higher and more consistent horizontal distance hip-toe cap and a more extended knee angle of the support-leg at toe-off could explain the differences in 10km-run time between gold medal and the other participants.Key words: triathlon, cycle-run transition, competition, kinematics.Reference Data: Cala A, Cejuela R, Navarro E. Biomechanical analysis of the 10km-run in a triathlon world cup event: differences presented by women gold medal.

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