Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 60m sprint results and reaction times in athletes who took part in the World Indoor Athletics Championships. The reaction times and 60m sprint results were compiled for 483 sprinters (253 male, 230 female) who performed 60m sprint event. Corresponding data were obtained from archives of the official website of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). The relationship between reaction time and 60m sprint results were calculated using Pearson correlation coefficient. Additionally, the Independent Samples T-Test was used to compare athletes’ reaction times and 60m sprint results. Positive moderate correlation was found between mean values of all 60m sprint results and reaction times, which were analyzed together in all categories (r=.436, p<0.01). Moreover, significant differences were also found between male and female finalists based on the 60m sprint times and reaction times respectively (t=-27.98, p<0.01; t=-3.26, p<0.01). As a result, it can be concluded that reaction time has great importance on 60 m performance. The best reaction time is related to the higher performance of 60m sprint in both male and female athletes. Moreover, this is also similar for round 1, semifinal and final categories. Coaches and athletes may consider improving reaction time to achieve better 60m performance.
Highlights
Reaction time is a term described as the time between the impulse and movement (Badau et al, 2018) and in athletics, it is defined as the signal of a start coordinator and the pressure that athletes apply on the starting block
If an athlete starts to move before the starting signal, it is deemed a false start according to the rules set by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) (Moravec et al, 1988)
The main finding of this study was that there was a significant correlation between reaction time and 60 m performance results
Summary
Reaction time is a term described as the time between the impulse and movement (Badau et al, 2018) and in athletics, it is defined as the signal of a start coordinator and the pressure that athletes apply on the starting block. A reaction time less than 0.100 seconds is considered a false start (IAAF, 2017). Performance during short distance races depends on athlete’s start, acceleration, reaching and keeping maximal speed. Reaching maximal speed is especially important for sprint distances and dependent upon an athlete’s acceleration (Moravec et al, 1988). Insufficient acceleration and inability to reach maximal speed due to weak start reaction make it impossible for athletes to optimize their stride length (Smajlovic and Kozic, 2006). This poses great importance for 60 m races, the shortest race in athletics. When pondering world-class sprinters, the lack of observational data still prevents us from completely understanding the factors affecting sprint performance (Morin et al, 2012)
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