Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Italy; NeuroMuscularFunction Research Group, School of Exercise & Sport Sciences, University of Turin, Italy.
Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Italy; NeuroMuscularFunction Research Group, School of Exercise & Sport Sciences, University of Turin, Italy. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/gennaro_boccia.
J Sci Med Sport. 2024 Sep;27(9):646-653. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2024.05.006. Epub 2024 May 20.
With the aim to better identify talented Track & Field performance development, this study estimated the relationships between chronological (decimal) age with 60-m sprint, high jump, triple jump, and pole vault performance. Then, to mitigate against expected Relative Age Effects (RAEs), Corrective Adjustment Procedures (CAPs) were applied to an independent sample.
Mixed-longitudinal design examining public data between 2005 and 2019.
The performances of 5339 Italian sprinters and jumpers (53.1 %) spanning 11.01-17.99 years of age were examined, with trendlines between chronological age and performance established. Related to an independent sample (N = 40,306; female 45.5 %), trendlines were then utilised to apply CAPs and adjust individual performance. Considering raw and adjusted performance data, RAE distributions were examined for the top 25 % and 10 % performers.
For all male and female events, quadratic models best summarised the relationships between chronological age and performance (R = 0.74-0.89). When examining independent athletes in similar event, RAEs were more pronounced in males (Cramer's V = 0.35-0.14) than females (Cramer's V = 0.29-0.07). For both sexes, RAE magnitude decreased with age and increased according to performance level (i.e., Top25%-Top10%). However, following CAP applications, RAEs were reduced or removed within annual age groups and performance levels.
With RAEs prevalent across Italian youth Track & Field events, findings validate CAPs as a strategy to account for the influence of relative age differences on athletic performance. CAPs help establish a more equitable strategy for performance evaluation and could help improve the efficacy of long-term athlete development programming.
为了更好地识别田径运动人才的发展潜力，本研究评估了年龄（十进制）与 60 米短跑、跳高、三级跳远和撑杆跳的关系。然后，为了减轻预期的相对年龄效应（RAE）的影响，对一个独立样本应用了修正调整程序（CAP）。
混合纵向设计，研究了 2005 年至 2019 年期间的公共数据。
研究了 5339 名意大利短跑运动员和跳跃运动员（53.1%）的表现，他们的年龄在 11.01-17.99 岁之间，建立了年龄与表现之间的趋势线。对于一个独立的样本（N=40306；女性占 45.5%），利用趋势线应用 CAP 并调整个人表现。考虑原始和调整后的表现数据，检查了前 25%和 10%表现者的 RAE 分布。
对于所有男性和女性的比赛，二次模型最好地总结了年龄与表现之间的关系（R=0.74-0.89）。当在类似的比赛中检查独立运动员时，男性的 RAE 更为明显（Cramer's V=0.35-0.14），而女性的 RAE 则不太明显（Cramer's V=0.29-0.07）。对于两性，RAE 随着年龄的增长而减小，并随着表现水平的提高而增大（即前 25%-前 10%）。然而，在应用 CAP 后，RAE 在年龄组和表现水平内减少或消除。
在意大利青少年田径比赛中普遍存在 RAE 的情况下，本研究的结果验证了 CAP 是一种考虑相对年龄差异对运动表现影响的策略。CAP 有助于建立更公平的表现评估策略，并有助于提高长期运动员发展计划的效果。
