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KoempelLabs OP t1_jaygtjm wrote

Tools: R, the GIMP

Data source: Tables from worldathletics.org

Background:

Dutch athletics has been growing by leaps and bounds over the last ten years or so. Two weeks ago another landmark was set by superstar Femke Bol, just before her 23rd birthday. At the humble Dutch national indoor championships Bol shattered the 41-year old 400m indoors world record, slingshotted by her close friend Lieke Klaver who herself improved her personal best and became the (at that moment) 15th fastest woman ever.

These two ladies just won gold and silver at the European indoor championships in Istanbul, and we made use of the occasion to plot Bol's record against the best performances of the last decades. The former record was set by Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1982.

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KoempelLabs OP t1_jb0muvq wrote

Oh, I forgot to explain: the times are concentrated in thin, horizontally separated strands because the yearly athletics indoor season only lasts from January to March. If the competitions would be held throughout the year one would see a much more uniform cloud.

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anonkitty2 t1_jb22i6g wrote

If the athletic season is only from January to March, you don't need to include April to December at all. Though that would mean a different type of chart...

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KoempelLabs OP t1_jb24mg1 wrote

There are a couple of exceptions: for some reason a few competitions were held much later in the year in 1990 and 2005 and I didn't want to exclude them. Plus, I liked that by keeping the other months the seasons are automatically easily visually distinguishable.

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Clear-Ad9879 t1_jcbnojm wrote

The data show the strong advances both Bol and Klaver have made in the last few years - they are taking full seconds off their PB each year outdoors (where there is more data). It also shows the big improvements generally from 2018 onwards (with a short interruption due to COVID) which we would attribute to improved shoe technology. Something which has also clearly benefitted Bol/Klaver. Also interesting is the improvement in times in 2005-2006 which then disappear - perhaps a result of a temporary hole in PED testing. The improvement in times in the early 80's are generally attributed to PEDs prior to he widespread introduction of testing.

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