The second part of the technical statistical analysis of the judgment in the three main races of 2022, reserved for women and some comparisons with men.
Technical/statistical analysis of the judgment in the three major events of 2022
Three important events for the world race walk took place this year:
- Eugene World Championships;
- the Team World Championships in Muscat
- the European Championships in Munich.
We tried to analyse through the Summary the process and the tendency in assigning the yellow and red cards (without distinction between bent knee or loss of contact) and we tried to draw some conclusions on the parity or disparity of judgment between the three competitions.
As for the women's competitions, 14 nations were considered in Eugene and Muscat and 11 at the European Championships in Monaco. The athletes analyzed individually were 19 in Eugene and Muscat and 17 in Monaco.
As for men, only the general part concerning the various nations taken into consideration was analyzed in the commentary. The judgment on the statistics made nation by nation and on the best athletes examined is left to the reader.
Even in women, the work done does not have the presumption of wanting to draw cutting conclusions, much less sentence on the judgments and technique of athletes. The aim was to analyze and try to understand how the valuation trend was in these three competitions.
The aim was to analyse and try to understand how the valuation trend was in these three competitions.
Knowing the statistics has its advantages because they allow you to understand more deeply what happened in the races. They can allow the most attentive readers to draw the appropriate deductions and, consequently, develop their ideas in the best possible way.
The idea is to leave everyone who will have the goodness to read this analisys to form their personal vision and point of view.
Women (20km and 35km)
Yellow paddles analysis:
EUGENE:
In the 20km among the 14 nations taken into consideration, the yellow paddles were: 74 equal to an average of 5.2 yellow paddles per nation.
The average of the 12 nations examined in the 35km is almost identical: 61 yellow paddles equal to an average of 5.1 per nation. (see table 1)
Compared to men there was a different judgment on the yellow palettes by the judges.
In men, the two averages measured were 6.5.
In women, the average is slightly above 5.0.
Evidently the slower pace in women, especially in the 35km, affected this difference.
Even in women from the examination of the yellow paddles it would seem that the infringements (especially that of loss of contact) do not take into account the different speeds between the two races.
MUSCAT:
In the 20km the yellow paddles were 47 out of 13 analysed nations. The average is 3.6 per country.
In the 35 km. (of the nations taken into consideration only 8 nations presented athletes at the start) the yellow paddles were 24 with an average per nation of 3.0. (see table 1).
The comparison and difference in judgment with the average of men is remarkable. In Oman, the average number of yellow in men was 9.9 per nation in the 20km and 8.1 in the 35 km.
MUNICH:
In the women's European championships the yellow paddles were 73 in the 20km with an average of 6.6 per nation.
In the 35km the yellow paddles were 23 with an average of 2.5 per nation. (see table 5)
The high number, and consequently also the average, of yellow cards in the 20km stands out immediately.
This trend also occurred in the men's competition.
In Munich the gap in the comparison of men is quite significant.
In males, the average per nation was 9.0 in the 20 km. and 5.5 in the 35 km.
Examining in the three competitions the diversity of media by nation between men and women, it is worth highlighting the considerable disparity of judgment that occurred in Muscat and Munich between men and women.
Below are the nation averages of the yellow palettes shown:
| | Men 20 km | Women 20 km | Men 35 km | Women 35 km |
| | | | | |
| Eugene | 6,5 | 5,2 | 6,5 | 5,1 |
| Muscat | 9,9 | 3,6 | 8,1 | 3,0 |
| Monaco | 9,0 | 6,6 | 5,5 | 2,5 |
In the table you can see, as mentioned, the considerable diversity with which the three juries have evaluated the technique between male and female athletes. This is probably also a consequence of the lower race speeds in women.
Among the data to be gathered, the high average of yellow paddles in the 20km women of the Europeans in Munich stands out compared to the other two women's races. Furthermore, the averages per nation are always lower than for men.
Ultimately it is understood how very difficult it is to maintain the same conduct of judgment as well as between the two races even between the two sexes.
As for the individual judgment on the individual athletes in Eugene there were no great disparities in evaluation between the athletes who competed in both the 20km and 35km (only 4).
The difference in judgment of some athletes who competed on the same distance in the Eugene, Muscat and Monaco races is more marked.
Red cards analysis:
EUGENE:
The analyzes carried out show that there were 23 red cards in 20km with an average of 1.6 per nation (out of 14 nations taken into consideration).
In 35km there were 21 red cards with an average of 1.7 (out of 12 nations taken into consideration). (see table 2)
As already noted for the yellow paddles, the jury evaluated the technique of the athletes in the two races more or less in the same way.
Comparing with men, there are no particular differences in red cards between the two sexes.
MUSCAT:
The red cards were 15 in 20km with an average of 1.1.
In 35km: just 3 red cards were sent for an average of 0.4 per nation. (see table 2).
Here it should be emphasized that in the 20km the nations considered were 13 while in the 35km only 8 nations among those examined presented athletes at the start.
The comparison with the judgment had in men was very different, where the averages were 3.4 in the 20km and 2.8 in the 35km on the 12 analyzed nations.
MUNICH:
The summaries examined report these data:
in the 20km: 26 red cards with an average per nation of 2.3.
in the 35km. red cards 6 with an average of 0.6.
Averages table of the red palettes posted on DQ board:
| | Men 20 km | Women 20 km | Men 35 km | Women 35 km |
| | | | | |
| Eugene | 1,9 | 1,6 | 2,2 | 1,7 |
| Muscat | 3,4 | 1,1 | 2,8 | 0,4 |
| Monaco | 3,0 | 2,3 | 3,8 | 0,6 |
To underline the very different averages compared to those of men.
In the 20km female the race judged more severely was that of Munich, in the 35km that of Eugene.
For men, the races with the highest average red cards were in Muscat 20km and in Munich 35km.
Also noteworthy are the differences in judgment between men and women between the Muscat and Munich races.
56 athletes, representing the nations analyzed, were examined in Eugene; in Muscat 50 and in Munich 37.
How many yellow palettes have turned into red cards?
A further observation that we want to bring to attention is the relationship and the difference between the yellow paddles and the red cards between the Nations examined.
This ratio allows us to know the attention curve of the individual athlete to the “message of the judge's caution”.
- In Eugene we have an average ratio in the 20km between yellows and reds of 3.2 (for each red there are 3.2 yellows). As for men, the difference in the 35 km is almost the same where the average ratio is 2.9. (see tables 1 and 2)
- In Muscat the average ratio in 20km is 3.1. In 35km the average ratio is 8.0 (only 1 red for every 8 yellow paddles), as you can see, the gap is noticeably different. (see tables 1 and 2).
- In Munich we have these data: in 20km there is an average ratio of 2.8. In 35km the average ratio is 3.8 (see tables 5 and 6).
Table of the average ratio between yellow paddles and red cards between men and women:
| | Men 20 km | Women 20 km | Men 35 km | Women 35 km |
| | | | | |
| Eugene | 3,4 | 3,2 | 3,2 | 2,9 |
| Muscat | 2,9 | 3,1 | 2,8 | 8,0 |
| Monaco | 2,6 | 2,8 | 1,8 | 3,8 |
Finally, as it appears, in 20km there are no huge differences between the three races in the yellow/red ratio between the two sexes.
However, it is necessary to highlight the differences found in Muscat and Munich in 35km.
Other numerical analyses
Making a further calculation between the total of the yellow paddles and the red cards in 20km compared to 35km specifying, once again not on all the athletes present in the competition, but only on the athletes of the nations taken into consideration, we find:
- Eugene had 74 yellow and 23 red pallets (97 total) in 20km. In 35km, on the other hand, the yellows were 78 and the reds 21 (total 99). The total of the interventions of the jury was practically identical in the two races.
- In Muscat these numbers are found: in 20km there were 47 yellow paddles, 15 red cards (total 62). In 35km the yellows were 24, the reds 3 (total 27). There were 35 more calls in the 20km.
- In Munich you can see these data: in 20km the yellow paddles were 73 and the red cards 26 (total 99). In 35km the yellow paddles were 23 and the red cards 6 (total 29). The calls are even 70 more in 20km.
Table of the total of yellow and red on 20km in the three competitions between men and women:
| | Men YP 20 km | Men RC 20 km | Total | Women YP 20 km | Women Rossi 20 km | Total |
| | | | | | | |
| Eugene | 79 | 23 | 102 | 74 | 23 | 97 |
| Muscat | 119 | 41 | 160 | 47 | 15 | 62 |
| Monaco | 72 | 27 | 99 | 73 | 26 | 99 |
The remarkable difference of judgment of Muscat jury between men and women must be highlighted.
Table of the total of yellow and red on 35km in the three competitions between men and women:
| | Men YP 35 km | Men RC 35 km | Total | Women YP 35 km | Women RC 35 km. | Total |
| | | | | | | |
| Eugene | 78 | 24 | 102 | 78 | 21 | 99 |
| Muscat | 98 | 34 | 132 | 24 | 3 | 27 |
| Monaco | 39 | 21 | 60 | 23 | 6 | 29 |
Beyond the different number of athletes taken into consideration, the Eugene jury still took very similar calls (102 and 99).
In the other two competitions in women the interventions of the jury, as already reported, previously were less than men in both the 20km and the 35km.
Let's finish by repeating the final considerations already highlighted for men.
By analyzing the various tables that have been proposed, everbody can indulge in searching and studying all the various situations that have arisen not only by examining the nations that have been analyzed, but by studying and examining the differences between the competitions for each nation and for each athlete.
Also in women there are considerable differences in the judgment of the individual athletes between the three competitions.
As for men, it is quite inexplicable that some athletes who, in the opinion of several coaches from various nations, have presented various technical problems have practically never been or little sanctioned.
This raises attention to the problem of disparity of judgment in particular in the various continents that are appearing more and more forcefully on the international scene.
Now we haven’t no more the Race Walking Committee, which gave, at least, a small guide-line. Unfortunately, we are moving towards a non-uniform and univocal judgment.
Many people had expected the "cure-all" offered by technology (project insole) but nothing more was known about this.
Something and some new idea to reach a univocal judgment you will have to somehow, for the sake of the specialty, try to implement.
Comments are appreciated on our Facebook page: Marcia dal Mondo Friends
For statistical tables: click here
Takahata 2022: turning point shot by Seiya Nagaoka - JPN
(from left: 9 Koraro Wake; Serena Sonoda; 10 Tatsuya Tanaka; Toshikazu Yamanishi, 4 Satoshi Maruo)