Energetics of best performances in elite kayakers and canoeists.

Purpose: The objectives of this study were 1) to validate a new test to determine maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2max) in kayakers, 2) to calculate the energy cost (Ck) of high-level kayakers and canoeists at submaximal and race speeds, and 3) to correlate individual best performances achieved in practice with those theoretically calculated. These were obtained from the individual relationships Ėr=f(t) and Ėmax=f(t), where Ėr is the metabolic power required to cover the distance in question and Ėmax is the maximal metabolic power. The time yielding Ėr=Ėmax was assumed to yield the best performance time.