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General view of the London Stadium during day ten of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 13, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
While the IAAF’s testosterone limit is stated as being higher than most females (range 0.12 to 1.79 nmol/L), compared to most males after puberty (7.7-29.4 nmol/L), the new rule applies to any Athlete with Differences of Sexual Development recognised ‘at law either as female or as intersex (or equivalent)’.
Further, it was observed that ‘natural testosterone levels may prove to be more important in the ability to produce acute explosive power; a variable that is a determinant of performance in sprint, jumping and throwing events’.
Observers of performance enhancing drug use can also confirm the benefits of testosterone (and related anabolic steroid derivatives) for female athletes in virtually all power and speed athletic events.
Data collected over a four year period indicates that GDR female performance in shot-put improved 4.5–5m; Discus throw 11–20 m; Javelin throw 8–15m; 400 m 4–5 sec; 800m 5–10 sec; and 1500m 7–10 sec.
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While the throwing events speak for themselves given the importance that strength plays in overcoming heavy external resistance, especially with regard to the shot put given that projected improvements represent around 30 per cent of the 1987 world record (22.63m) still standing today, the GDR data indicates great benefit to all observed events.
An anonymous national coach also observes substantial benefit to female athletes from anabolic steroid and testosterone use. Whether from one decent cycle or a period of two to three drug cycles over 6-8 months, he observed 0.5-0.8 second gain for the 100m; 0.8-1.4secs 200m; 2.5-4 seconds 400m; 8-10 seconds for the 800m; 60cm-1m long jump; 1.6m-2m Triple Jump; 20cm-25cm High Jump; 8m-16m Javelin; 2.2m-3.6m Shot Put; 8m-16m discus; and 8m-15m hammer throw.
In the end, many people in track and field can verify how testosterone helps virtually all events, thus prompting the question to why the IAAF did not seek anonymous advice from coaches in the know.
The problem with the IAAF using data analysis is that qualitative factors have not been considered.
With the ongoing dominance by the USA and Caribbean athletes in the 100m and 200m, other female athletes may focus on longer distances races where aerobic fitness factors has greater influence.
There may be a whole range of reasons why female athletes target certain events, an aspect which cannot be picked up by any reliance on an examination of results data.
While the IAAF is eager to prevent females succeeding with said masculine advantages, as was the case when Stalislawa Walasiewicz (later known as Stella Walsh) won the 100m in 1932 and was found to have ambiguous genitalia at autopsy in 1980, it is absolutely silly to target certain events over others given that higher testosterone levels help all power events.
