Age of peak performance in elite male and female Ironman triathletes competing in Ironman Switzerland, a qualifier for the Ironman world championship, Ironman Hawaii, from 1995 to 2011

Purpose: This study investigated (1) the transition rate of elite world-class throwers, (2) the age of peak performance in either elite junior and/or elite senior athletes, and (3) if relative age effect (RAE) influences the chance of being considered elite in junior and/or senior category. Methods: The career performance trajectories of 5108 throwers (49.9% females) were extracted from the World Athletics database. The authors identified throwers who had reached the elite level (operationally defined as the World all-time top 50 ranked for each age category) in either junior and/or senior category and calculated the junior-to-senior transition rate. The age of peak performance and the RAE were also investigated. Results: The transition rate at 16 and 18 years of age was 6% and 12% in males and 16% and 24% in females, respectively. Furthermore, elite senior throwers reached their personal best later in life than elite junior throwers. The athletes of both genders considered elite in the junior category showed a large RAE. Interestingly, male athletes who reached the elite level in senior category also showed appreciable RAE. Conclusions: Only a few of the athletes who reach the top 50 in the world at 16 or 18 years of age manage to become elite senior athletes, underlining that success at the beginning of an athletic career does not predict success in the athlete’s senior career. Moreover, data suggest that being relatively older may confer a benefit across the whole career of male throwers.

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Comparison of European and American Athletes in Jumping Events in Terms of Competition Season Variables: Different Continents, Different Education of Coaching

Journal of Educational Issues ◽

10.5296/jei.v6i2.17468 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 139

Author(s):

Işık Bayraktar ◽

Tuncay Ors ◽

Berfin Serdil Örs

Keyword(s):

High Efficiency ◽

Scientific Basis ◽

Peak Performance ◽

Study Group ◽

Male And Female ◽

Final Performance ◽

The World ◽

Competition Period ◽

Similarities And Differences ◽

Pole Vault

It is predicted that athletes can achieve high efficiency levels when training contents are applied within the scope of annual plans prepared on a scientific basis. Annual plans consist of preparation, competition and interim periods. Topics such as determining target competition where the peak performance will be revealed during competition period are examined under periodization title of training science. This study was carried out to determine the variables of the competition seasons of American and European athletes in jumping events and to identify the similarities and differences between the variables. The study group consisted of elite American and European athletes, who had ranked in the top 100 in the world charts of the 2018 season. The differences between athletes were determined by Mann Whitney U-Test. In terms of the number of competition season days, number of days between competitions and final performance value of season, statistically significant differences were found between the athletes in favor of the American male long jumpers and male triple jumpers (p < 0.05). Significant differences were determined between the European and American high jumpers in terms of number of days between competitions in both genders (p < 0.05). In the pole vault event, the total number of competitions participated by both male and female European athletes were higher than total number of competitions participated by American athletes (p < 0.05). As a result, it was thought that the differences determined between the groups such as the number of days between competitions may be due to the differences in the perception of periodization and different coaching educations embraced by continents.

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Age of peak performance in 50-km ultramarathoners – is it older than in marathoners?

Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.2147/oajsm.s154816 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol Volume 9 ◽

pp. 37-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Pantelis Nikolaidis ◽

Beat Knechtle

Keyword(s):

Peak Performance ◽

Age Of Peak Performance

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Optimal Interval for Success in Judo World-Ranking Competitions

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance ◽

10.1123/ijspp.2016-0375 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 707-710 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Emerson Franchini ◽

Monica Y. Takito ◽

Rodrigo M. da Silva ◽

Seihati A. Shiroma ◽

Lance Wicks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Female Athletes ◽

Olympic Games ◽

Male Competition ◽

Male And Female ◽

World Championship ◽

Independent Variables ◽

Optimal Interval ◽

Competition Level ◽

World Ranking

Purpose:To determine the optimal interval between competitions for success in the different events of the judo world tour.Methods:A total of 20,916 female and 29,900 male competition participations in the judo world-tour competitions held between January 2009 and December 2015 were analyzed, considering the dependent variable, winning a medal, and the independent variables, levels of competition.Results:There was an increased probability of winning a medal when the interval was in the 10- to 13-wk range for both male and female athletes competing at Grand Prix, Continental-Championship, and World-Championship events, whereas for Grand Slam, only men had an increased probability of winning a medal in this interval range. Furthermore, men had increased probability of podium positions in Continental Championship, World Master, and Olympic Games when the interval was longer than 14 wk.Conclusion:Optimal interval period between successive competitions varies according to competition level and sex; shorter intervals (6–9 wk) were better for female athletes competing at the lowest competition level (Continental Open), but for most of the competitions, the 10- to 13-wk interval was detected as optimal for both male and female athletes (Grand Prix, Continental Championship, and World Championship), whereas for the ranking-based qualified male competitions (ie, Masters and Olympic Games), a longer period (>14 wk) is needed.

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Peak Age and Performance Progression in World-Class Weightlifting and Powerlifting Athletes

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance ◽

10.1123/ijspp.2019-0093 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (10) ◽

pp. 1357-1363 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Paul A. Solberg ◽

Will G. Hopkins ◽

Gøran Paulsen ◽

Thomas A. Haugen

Keyword(s):

Individual Performance ◽

Peak Performance ◽

Performance Improvements ◽

Quadratic Curve ◽

Performance Trends ◽

World Class ◽

Age Of Peak Performance ◽

The Difference ◽

Performance Development ◽

And Performance

Purpose:To quantify age of peak performance and performance improvements in the years preceding peak age in elite weightlifting and powerlifting athletes using results from powerlifting World Championships in 2003–2017 and weightlifting World Championships and Olympic Games in 1998–2017.Methods:Individual performance trends were derived by fitting a quadratic curve separately to each athlete’s performance and age data. Effects were evaluated using magnitude-based inferences.Results:Peak age (mean [SD]) was 35 (7) y for powerlifters and 26 (3) y for weightlifters, a large most likely substantial difference of 9, ±1 y (mean, 90% confidence limit). Men showed possibly higher peak age than women in weightlifting (0.8, ±0.7 y; small) and a possibly lower peak age in powerlifting (1.3, ±1.8 y; trivial). Peak age of athletes who ever won a medal was very likely less than that of nonmedalists in weightlifting (1.3, ±0.6 y; small), while the difference in powerlifters was trivial but unclear. Five-year improvements prior to peak age were 12% (10%) for powerlifters and 9% (7%) for weightlifters, a small possibly substantial difference (2.9, ±2.1%). Women exhibited possibly greater improvements than men in powerlifting (2.7, ±3.8%; small) and very likely greater in weightlifting (3.5, ±1.6%; small). Medalists possibly improved less than nonmedalists among powerlifters (−1.7, ±2.3%; small), while the difference was likely trivial for weightlifters (2.3, ±1.8%).Conclusion:These novel insights on performance development will be useful for practitioners evaluating strategies for achieving success.

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No Trends in the Age of Peak Performance among the Best Half-Marathoners and Marathoners in the World between 1997–2020

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina57050409 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 57 (5) ◽

pp. 409

Author(s):

Mabliny Thuany ◽

Thayse Natacha Gomes ◽

Thomas Rosemann ◽

Beat Knechtle ◽

Raphael Fabrício de Souza

Keyword(s):

Selection Process ◽

Endurance Athletes ◽

Peak Performance ◽

Clear Trend ◽

Significant Difference ◽

National Citizenship ◽

Age Of Peak Performance ◽

The Mean ◽

Ranking Position

Background and Objectives: We examined the possible trend in the age of peak performance in elite endurance athletes according to sex, continent of athletes’ national citizenship, and ranking position. Since performance is a multifactorial trait, this information can be used to guide the long-term training and to plan the strategies related to the selection process of athletes. Materials and methods: Information of 1852 professional athletes, classified as top 20 performance of each year in marathon and half-marathon events between 1997 and 2020 were considered. Analysis of variance was computed to test differences in age between sex, continent, and rank position. Results: A significant difference between groups in the mean age of peak performance was observed (F (3, 1884) = 42,31; p < 0.001). For both sexes, half-marathoners were younger than marathoners (male, 25.6 ± 3.6 years vs. 28.0 ± 3.9 years; female, 27.5 ± 4.4 years vs. 28.4 ± 4.1). Female half-marathoners in 2004 presented the highest mean age (31.1 ± 4.8 years) compared to their peers in the years 1997, 2001, 2018 and 2019; among male half-marathoners, those in 1999 presented the highest mean age when compared to 2011, 2018, and 2019. Differences between the continents of athletes’ national citizenship were observed (F (4, 1884) = 62,85,601; p < 0,001). Asian runners presented the lowest mean age (26.5 ± 3.7 years), while their European peers presented the highest (31.1 ± 3.9 years). No significant interaction between sex and ranking position was verified. Differences were observed between sexes for categories “4th–10th positions” and “11th–20th” (F (1, 1879) = 23,114; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Over the last two decades, no clear trend was observed in the changes in the age of peak performance among endurance athletes of both sexes, but, in general, female half-marathoners tended to be significantly older than their male peers.

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