Can machine learning distinguish between elite and non-elite rowers?

A major challenge for sports coaches and analysts is to identify critical elements of athletes’ movement patterns. A potentially relevant tool is machine learning, useful because of its ability to extract patterns from data. In the current study, we employed various deep learning frameworks, including Gated Recurrent Unit networks (GRUs), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), and Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs), to search for differences between elite and non-elite rowers using a rowing ergometer. The MLP model achieved an accuracy of 100% when using all input features, indicating that the problem is suitable as a machine learning task. Our research focused on using a limited amount of the data. Despite using fewer input features, the models managed to classify skill levels with reasonable precision, reaching a best performance of 77% accuracy for the model combining GRU and CNN architectures, 78% for the GRU model, and 94% for the MLP model. From a rowing perspective, the results suggest that movement coordination between upper and lower body limbs, as represented by different feature combinations, is informative in distinguishing between elites and non-elites. The current work suggests that machine learning may supplement human experts in sports coaching, analytics, and talent identification.