“Only a select few had access to Maurten’s bicarbonate in the last couple of years, while it was in the testing phase. Now it’s available to everyone.” That’s what Nick Willis wrote in an X message after Olympic silver medalist at 800 meters, Marco Arop, had commented that he started using it during the Paris Games. Willis himself is a silver and bronze winner in the 1500 meters at the Olympics. He has expressed several times that the development on the equipment front – and now also on the nutrition front – is one of the contributors to middle-distance running being faster than before. OLYMPIC MEDALIST: Nick Willis, here with the bronze from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: ERIC FEFERBERG / AFP The trend remedy he is referring to can be found in the kitchen. It is best known as baking soda and is found in baking powder. Intake of sodium bicarbonate counteracts the acid formation that takes place when the body does not get enough oxygen. To have an effect in top sport, large doses are needed. It puts a heavy burden on the digestive system and can lead to vomiting and a loose stomach, but now there are new supplements on the scene. The new supplements transport the substance in a more gentle way in the body, which leads to fewer of the unwanted side effects. Willis speculated that the successful On Athletics Club team was not as successful as in previous years because more people had access to bicarbonate. Dismisses the theory: – The stomach hurt It happened after several of the team’s athletes faced challenges in the elimination rounds of 1,500 metres. Yared Nuguse, who later took Olympic bronze, struggled on. He believes it is unlikely to be due to bicarbonate. – I personally have never been a fan of it and have never taken it. If you take it and don’t feel so good, like I do, then you shouldn’t take it. If it helps, then just continue with it, says Nuguse, who believes that it was a big talking point in the environment throughout the 2023 season. He experienced more negative than positive effects of the product: – My stomach and body felt strange and not quite good. I just wasn’t happy. I want to feel calm, relaxed and ready. Instead, I felt strange and my stomach hurt, explains Nuguse. DISAGREE: Yared Nuguse and Narve Gilje Nordås fought for the victory in London last season. Neither supports the theories of Willis. Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP Willis has repeatedly mentioned the product, which news wrote about during the Olympics. He believes that – in addition to leveling the field – it has an effect on the times run. “Grumpy old man about the effect of (new) spiked shoes/bicarbonate: 10th place in the women’s semi-final of 1500 meters runs 3.59. 3.57 does not qualify for the final. Add 3-4 seconds to everyone’s time and it matches previous games. I think the effect is even greater in the championship than in the regular season, because the knock-out rounds drain your strength”. news has tried to get Willis to elaborate. He has seen, but not answered, our inquiry. Nordås does not believe in the theory When asked what Narve Gilje Nordås thinks about the fact that the use of bicarbonate has leveled the fields, he replies dismissively: – There were more reasons than that for that. The vast majority had it last year as well. I don’t think that was the reason, says Nordås to news. – What do you think the effect of that type of intake has on a 1500-meter? – There are a few tithes there. It depends a bit on who you are and how you respond. It cannot possibly be more than a few tenths. My purse is set without bicarbonate, just so it is said, says Nordås, who has a personal record of 3.29.47 from the Bislett Games in 2023. BEST WITHOUT: Narve Gilje Nordås’ personal record was set without having consumed bicarbonate. Photo: Anders Skjerdingstad / news Jakob Ingebrigtsen didn’t think Willis was up to anything important either, when he was asked by news in Poland. He believes access has been there for those who want it long enough. – Another tool World champion and Olympic silver winner in the 800 metres, Marco Arop, used it for the first time during the Olympics in Paris. Before the semi-final and final, he took a dose, which he believes had a surprisingly good effect. – Unfortunately, I didn’t have it today, and I think I would have felt a little better if I had. I think it’s another tool we can use, said Arop to news, after running to a blistering 1.41.72 after a messy race in Lausanne. – Do you want to use it further as part of your race strategy? – I want to use it a little more often, it’s just a question of when not to use it, because I don’t want to become too dependent on it and use it too much. I will therefore choose which race based on where it is most needed. CANADIAN STAR: Marco Arop. Photo: JEWEL SAMAD / AFP Arop also did not use bicarbonate when he won the 800 meters in Chorzów at the end of August. PS! Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Narve Gilje Nordås end the season with the Diamond League final in Brussels on Friday, a competition you see on news. Published 13.09.2024, at 06.15
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Nick Willis believes trend means are behind changes – the theory is dismissed by the stars – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
