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Current world records (ratified)

At four very representative and popular distances, we find very similar ratios in world records.

Distance ___ men ___ women

100 m ______ 9.46 __ 10.54 (sec)

400 m ______43.03 __ 47.60 (sec)

1500m ____3:26.00 _ 3:49.11 (min,sec)

mara ____ 2:00:35 _2:14:04 (hr,min,sec)

Percentage differences are very similar at all distances, women are 11% slower at all four (rounded).

It is easy to see how sub-elite male runners could easily dominate women’s track events.

Same ratios apply to golf at elite levels. Average drives on men’s PGA tour nowadays are around 300-305 yards, for women, 260 is about average. Golf differs from some sports in that a large component of performance is based on fine motor skills (short game aspects like putting and chipping) and from my own observation I would say the sexes are virtually equal in those aspects. It is only the longer distance shots that show a gender-based difference.

Team sports have seen very few direct comparisons (because it would not likely be close), just very subjectively I would expect a national men’s team in soccer for example, to defeat a national women’s team by scores like 6 or 7 to 0 or 1, and I would expect time of possession to be in the 2:1 to 3:1 area. One elite woman player could possibly participate as a near-equal in a men’s game but given the different strength factors, entire teams would see a significant difference. And soccer could be a bit “closer” to equality than football, ice hockey or basketball.