Abstract

The results of master athletes have been used previously to examine the age-related differences in aerobic capacity, however, less research has been conducted on the variation of jumping and throwing performances with aging. Therefore, the aim of the present study of elite master athletes was to investigate (a) the age-related differences in throwing (i.e., discus, hammer, javelin, and shot put) and jumping events (i.e., high jump, long jump, pole vault, and triple jump) in 5-year age-group intervals from 35–39 to 95–99 years of elite master athletes, and (b) the trends in performance and sex differences. The top eight female and male finalists for each age group and in each event from 20 European Masters Athletics Championships held between 1978 and 2017 were considered. Overall, 13,673 observations from 4726 master athletes were analyzed. For each event separately, a mixed regression model was performed with sex, age group, calendar year, and interaction terms (sex-age group, sex-year) defined as fixed effects. Performances were improving over time with a linear trend overall for each event. Men had better performances as compared to women, (i.e., in triple jump the estimated difference was 2.58 m, p < 0.001). Performances declined with age for each event (i.e., in triple jump, compared with the age group 45–49 years, performance in the age group 35–39 years was 0.98 m better and performance in the age group 85–89 years was 6.24 m worse). The decline of male performances with age was either slower or faster than the decline of female performances depending on age groups and events.

Highlights

  • Aging in humans has been associated with a decline in a series of physical fitness components such as muscle power

  • Male master athletes achieved a better performance than female master athletes in jumping and throwing events in the European Masters Athletics Championships

  • The sex differences in performance were increasing with age, even if not monotonically, in triple jump and long jump

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Summary

Introduction

Aging in humans has been associated with a decline in a series of physical fitness components such as muscle power. Reduced muscle power has resulted in poor performance in the daily tasks of the elderly [1,2]. To manage this poor performance, it is necessary to understand the age-related differences in physical fitness and the beneficial role of exercise. Master athletes of sports relying on muscle power present an optimal model to use for the study of this topic. Recent studies of running events have shown that master marathoners exhibit a relatively smaller decrease in aerobic capacity with aging as compared to nonathletes [3]. A study investigating the performance in various running race distances

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