Pulmonary function measurements of Olympic speed skaters from the U.S

Abstract

Pulmonary function measurements were made with nine members of the United States Olympic Speed Skating Team and nine skaters who failed to make the team. The measurements included static lung volumes, lung spirometry and pulmonary diffusing capacity (DL_CO). The Olympic skaters had significantly larger FRC, RV, TLC, FVC, and FEV_1.0 values than the Olympic candidates. However, when normalized for age and body size only the RV and TLC remained statistically significant. The DL_CO during rest and its changes during exercise were similar for the two groups. Pulmonary function tests of well trained speed skaters were similar to those reported for most other groups of athletes except swimmers.