Key Takeaways from the European Athletics Coaching Summit on High Performance and Wellbeing

I was recently given the opportunity to take part in the European Endurance Conference, part of the European Athletics Coaching Summit Series, looking into High Performance Science and Practice in Women’s Endurance Events. Within this conference, held at Headingley Campus, insights into research were showcased across all four domains of sport science, including physiology, psychology, nutrition and biomechanics. One session allowed us to see live data being collected in terms of looking into an athlete’s running technique, while another looked into different psychological interventions and narratives on how an athlete might deal with injury.

From an academic perspective, the conference allowed me to gain a broader understanding of how skills I have learned throughout my Sport & Exercise Science degree can be put into action in a real-life environment and how beneficial they are within this setting. This opportunity also gave me insights into how I could use different research to help others with their performance. I was able to broaden my knowledge and understanding of certain topics, which I can now take back and use within my course and further my knowledge of them as I progress. 

As a female athlete myself, the sessions gave me confidence in knowing there is a continued increase in research and influence in improving female athlete’s performance, wellbeing and injury prevention. Presently, this domain of research within endurance-based sports is very male-dominant, leading to less valid information for female athletes and coaches, causing a less positive experience for those within the sport. This conference gave me great insights into how athletes and their coaches can use different strategies to improve one’s enjoyment, and how support can allow them to continually perform across all standards of sport.