Relationship between Anthropometric Characteristics and Sprint Performance in University Athletes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34256/ijk2622Keywords:
Anthropometry, Sprint performance, University athletes, Leg length, Body compositionAbstract
Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between selected anthropometric characteristics and sprint performance in university male athletes. Methods: Thirty university male athletes (age: 20.4 ± 1.6 years) participated in this correlational study. Anthropometric variables including height, body mass, body mass index (BMI), leg length, thigh girth, calf girth, and body fat percentage were measured following standard ISAK procedures. Sprint performance was assessed using a 50 m sprint test. Pearson’s product moment correlation was used to analyze the relationship between anthropometric variables and sprint time. Results: Sprint time showed a significant negative correlation with leg length (r = –0.61, p < 0.01) and thigh girth (r = –0.54, p < 0.01), indicating that athletes with longer legs and greater thigh girth performed better. Body fat percentage showed a significant positive correlation with sprint time (r = 0.58, p < 0.01). Height and body mass showed moderate but non-significant relationships with sprint performance. Conclusion: The findings suggest that lower limb anthropometric characteristics and body composition play a crucial role in sprint performance among university athletes. These variables may be considered in talent identification and training program design.
References
Esparza-Ros, F., Vaquero-Cristóbal, R., & Marfell-Jones, M. (2019). International standards for anthropometric assessment. International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry.
Kamath, S., Adhikari, R., Bawari, B., Easow, J., Kale, U., Wong, F. Y., & Pullinger, S. A. (2024). Investigating anthropometric characteristics and somatotypes in elite Indian track and field athletes. International Journal of Kinanthropometry, 4(2), 33–43.
Petri, C., Campa, F., Holway, F., Pengue, L., & Suarez-Arrones, L. (2024). ISAK-based anthropometric standards for elite male and female soccer players. Sports, 12(3), 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports12030069
Slawinski, J., Bonnefoy, A., Ontanon, G., Leveque, J. M., Miller, C., Riquet, A., Chèze, L., & Dumas, R. (2010). Segment-interaction in sprint start: Analysis of 3D angular velocity and kinetic energy in elite sprinters. Journal of Biomechanics, 43(8), 1494–1502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.01.044
Stachoń, A., Pietraszewska, J., & Burdukiewicz, A. (2023). Anthropometric profiles and body composition of male runners at different distances. Scientific Reports, 13, 18222. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45064-9
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nishant Singh, Surendra Kumar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Articles published in the International Journal of Kinanthropometry are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the source.
