Abstract
Sprinting with a lower-limb amputation over 100 m has taken place in the Paralympic Games for over three decades. The aim of this paper is to statistically evaluate the performances and participation levels of such athletes during this period. The level of performance improvement over a 36-year period was proposed to be significantly greater than the able-bodied equivalent. Coupled with this, a major spike in amputee running performance improvement was shown to occur from 1984–1988. This supports previously recorded accounts of a major technological change being made at this time. Finally, whilst the average performance of the medallists has increased consistently over the 36-year history, the overall participation in the event fell significantly after 1988 and did not recover until 2012.
Highlights
IntroductionThe first Paralympic Games took place in 1960 [1] and a specific event for lower-limb amputee sprinting began in 1976
Whilst other competitions such as World Championships and the Paralympic World Cup both offer competitive opportunities for athletes with a disability, the longest recorded and best known event is the Paralympic Games.The first Paralympic Games took place in 1960 [1] and a specific event for lower-limb amputee sprinting began in 1976
It has been demonstrated that of a typical historical performance improvement change, some of this can be attributed to clothing [8] or the social impact of war [10], but the able-bodied athlete’s data over the same evaluated time period do not reflect similar sudden increases in Performance Improvement Index (PII) that the amputee sprinting group demonstrated
Summary
The first Paralympic Games took place in 1960 [1] and a specific event for lower-limb amputee sprinting began in 1976. The sprint running distances of 100, 200 and 400 m for both male and female athletes all exist within the Paralympic programme. Only the male 100 m has consistently taken place since 1976. Whilst an amputation is a disability, the level and type of any limb amputation will affect the performance of an athlete differently [2]. As a result, such athletes are classified based
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