Gennaro Boccia1, Paolo Riccardo Brustio2, Paolo Moisè3, Alberto Franceschi3, Antonio La Torre4, Federico Schena5, Alberto Rainoldi2, Marco Cardinale6. 1. NeuroMuscularFunction | Research Group, School of Exercise and Sport Sciences, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Italy; CeRiSM Research Center "Sport, Mountain, and Health", University of Verona, Italy. Electronic address: gennaro.boccia@unito.it. 2. NeuroMuscularFunction | Research Group, School of Exercise and Sport Sciences, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Italy. 3. School of Exercise & Sport Sciences, SUISM, University of Turin, Italy. 4. Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. 5. CeRiSM Research Center "Sport, Mountain, and Health", University of Verona, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement, University of Verona, Italy. 6. Aspire Academy, Qatar; University College London, Department of Computer Science and Institute of Sport Exercise and Health, UK; University of St Mark & St. John, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the performance career trajectories for Italian athletes that participated in sprint, hurdles, discus throw, and shot-put athletics events. DESIGN: Retrospective study, data collected between 1994 and 2014. METHODS: A total of 5929 athletes (female: n=2977, 50.2%) were included in the study. The age of entering competition and personal best performance was identified in the official competition records. Personal best performances were ranked in percentiles and top-level athletes were considered those in the highest 4% of the performance distribution. RESULTS: Overall, when controlling for the age of entering competition, top-level athletes reached their personal best later (i.e., around 23-25 years old) for all events compared to the rest of the athletes. Moreover, regression analysis showed that entering competitions later was linked to better performances during adulthood. Also, only 17%-26% [90% CI] of the top-level adult athletes were considered as such when they were 14-17 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these findings suggest that early sport success is not a strong predictor of top-level performance at senior level. Entering sport-specific competitions later and lengthening the sports career at beyond 23-25 years of age may be important factors to reach top-level performance in sprint and throwing events.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the performance career trajectories for Italian athletes that participated in sprint, hurdles, discus throw, and shot-put athletics events. DESIGN: Retrospective study, data collected between 1994 and 2014. METHODS: A total of 5929 athletes (female: n=2977, 50.2%) were included in the study. The age of entering competition and personal best performance was identified in the official competition records. Personal best performances were ranked in percentiles and top-level athletes were considered those in the highest 4% of the performance distribution. RESULTS: Overall, when controlling for the age of entering competition, top-level athletes reached their personal best later (i.e., around 23-25 years old) for all events compared to the rest of the athletes. Moreover, regression analysis showed that entering competitions later was linked to better performances during adulthood. Also, only 17%-26% [90% CI] of the top-level adult athletes were considered as such when they were 14-17 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these findings suggest that early sport success is not a strong predictor of top-level performance at senior level. Entering sport-specific competitions later and lengthening the sports career at beyond 23-25 years of age may be important factors to reach top-level performance in sprint and throwing events.
Authors: Pascal Edouard; Andy Richardson; Laurent Navarro; Vincent Gremeaux; Pedro Branco; Astrid Junge Journal: Front Sports Act Living Date: 2019-07-31
Authors: Paolo Riccardo Brustio; Gennaro Boccia; Paolo De Pasquale; Corrado Lupo; Alexandru Nicolae Ungureanu Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-12-30 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Eduard Bezuglov; Anton Emanov; Zbigniew Waśkiewicz; Nadezhda Semeniuk; Mikhail Butovsky; Maria Shoshorina; Daria Baranova; Kristina Volodina; Ryland Morgans Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2022-06-02