In these sports, women can compete with men

In almost all sports, men at the top of the world keep records. They run faster, jump higher, continue throwing. They have an advantage over women: larger, a lower body fat percentage, more muscle mass, more overall body force. And they last longer: male hearts are larger, so the muscles can better supply oxygen when loaded. In addition, there is often significantly more money in men’s sport. Male athletes are promoted more and can concentrate better on their career in top sport.

So do women just have to give up? Not up!

Because there are sports in which you can easily keep up with the male competition. Women have advantages, especially when ultra endurance, technology and mental strength are required.

The longer the distance and the more extreme the conditions, the better chances women have to beat men. There are various reasons for this: women often have a higher proportion of body fat, which serves as an energy reserve for extremely long runs and is likely to contribute to better endurance performance. And: Studies and experience reports show that women in ultrarunning often show a better strategy for speed and a more even division of racing and act less riskily in the race. When swimming open water, there is also the fact that your higher fat content protects you from cooling down in the water. So you can remain efficient for longer.

In other sports, muscle strength and endurance are less important. When riding, for example, technical skills and a good relationship with the animal are needed. In dressage, men and women also compete against each other at the Olympic Games – and women often occupy the podium. It is similar when sailing. At Olympics, women and men have long since formed teams together. And with the biggest regattas in the world, more men traditionally sail around the victory, but women keep mixing up the field.

In mental strength and concentration, women can also compete with men – or even put them in the shade. This can be seen in many shooting sports, especially in the precision disciplines. In the case of biathlon, for example, men are faster, but women meet much better when shooting: when shooting the hit is about 2.2 percent above that of men, and 5.7 percent when it comes to standing shooting. Studies show that women calmer and concentrated than men.