A longitudinal analysis of morphological characteristics and body proportionality in young elite sprint paddlers

Introduction: There are certain anthropometric attributes common to most high-level paddlers and among the determinants for optimal performance consecution in senior categories.Objective: The present investigation aimed to determine the evolution of morphological characteristics of elite paddlers during adolescence and to compare them with the values exhibited by Olympic competitors.Methods: In a longitudinal study, thirteen young elite paddlers (seven boys and six girls) completed a battery of anthropometric tests (heights, weight, girths, lengths, and sum of skinfolds) and on-water performance assessments (200 and 500 m) during three consecutive years.Results: Body mass and upper body sizes significantly change over the years (p < .05), especially in boys. Both male and female paddlers presented significant differences and large effect sizes in muscle mass and skin mass values (η²_p > .64) whereas bone mass and fat mass remained stable from the 1st to the 3rd year. Proportionality analysis revealed girths and breadths differences in arm and chest variables as well as large effect sizes in biacromial breadth among all years (η²_p > .62; p < .05), particularly in boys. Similarly, significant improvements in 200-m performance times were observed for both sexes.Conclusions: The findings of the current investigation might suggest a tendency towards a leaner and more robust morphological profile of elite paddlers in the transition from young to senior categories. In addition, the presence of superior relative body dimensions from young categories seems to be paramount in the evolution to later successful paddling.