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This case study demonstrates how research at the University of Bath on athlete technique and performance in sprinting and hurdling events has been translated back to the end users in order to improve their performance. The primary pathway to impact is via Dr Salo's involvement in applied work with virtually all top British sprinters and hurdlers and their coaches over the last 5 years (including all those who have represented Britain in major Championships). As a consequence of his research since 1998, Dr Salo has helped specific athletes to win medals, brought new insights to coach education and practice, instigated changes to routine practices within UK Athletics and also translated his expertise to other Olympic sports.
The impact of the research by Professor Gleeson on immune responses to exercise and predictors of infection risk in athletes has altered practice of sport science support personnel, coaches and athletes in several areas including: immunoendocrine monitoring procedures, training prescription and the use of nutritional interventions to reduce exercise stress responses and minimize risk of infection. In this way, the research conducted during 2008-2013 at Loughborough University has impacted internationally upon the ways in which sports scientists operate, and athletes and games players are prepared for competition.
We have developed, and applied, an approach to help athletes view the psychological stress of competition as a challenge (positive) rather than a threat (negative). This approach either has been, or is shortly to be, used in professional football, professional cricket, international rowing, international Futsal, as well as being applied to the workplace and in education. Central to this approach is a protocol, underpinned by theory, for assessing cardiovascular responses to the psychological stress of competition that indicates a challenge or threat state. Based on this protocol feedback is provided which is used to identify, and support, those who may need to develop a challenge approach. The impact of this work is disseminated through public engagement events and invited talks.
Research conducted at Swansea University has helped transform the pre-competition strategies of elite sport. This research has focused mainly on the application of post-activation potentiation (PAP), manipulation of warm-up variables and morning priming for enhanced performance. This work has had significant impact on the recent successes of elite skeleton bobsleigh athletes at the 2010 Winter Olympics (e.g. ~4% improvement on their key performance indicator) and a number of other British sports during London 2012 (e.g. British Cycling who won 12 medals). The research continues to impact elite sports and is being embedded into athletes' pre-competition routines for Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.
Sudden cardiac death causes 4.5 million deaths worldwide each year many of which could be prevented by implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), but these also carry risks. Research in the groups of Huang and Grace has led to diagnostic assays offering three times the predictive accuracy of current approaches in guiding cardiologists concerning indications for ICD implantation. The assay has been clinically trialled; since 2008, through the trial, the lives of three patients identified by the assay as at high risk were saved. Further work led by Grace and colleagues provided an improved, subcutaneous ICD (SICD); Grace also participated in a US-based clinical trial (NCT00399217) providing the evidence required for FDA approval supporting also later inclusion into NICE guidance. Since 2008 the SICD has been implanted in over 2500 patients in 16 countries.
The research outlined below concerning medico-physiological issues in distance runners has directly informed medical policy, investigations and therapy strategies applied to elite distance runners, and raised the profile of issues relating to the Female Athlete Triad for coaches such as those within British Athletics and England Athletics.
The research findings have been disseminated via several avenues, such as the education of Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) doctors (through content for lectures delivered on SEM programmes at bachelors and masters level), and via CPD workshops for coaches and SEM practitioners, thus with the capacity to directly affect medical practice.