Relations Between Previous Sport Participation and Performance by Developmental Level in University Track and Field Sprinters
Abstract
In response to research calls, the aim of this study was to discover levels of previous sport participation as a function of developmental level in university track and field sprinters and how that was associated with their sprinting performance. Data was collected using an online survey of 42 university varsity 60m sprinters (aged 18 – 23 years) from Canada and the United States. Each athlete’s performance results (times) were accessed from the U-Sport ranking database. Results revealed that sprinting had the highest previous sports participation (especially after age 13), overall previous sports participation dropped significantly by developmental level, sprinters were somewhat less prone to participating in other sports (especially before age 18), and previous sports participation did not statistically relate to or predict sprint performance overall or by developmental level. The findings affirm previous research suggesting that track and field sprinting is generally a late specialization sport.
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