Assessing Maximum Sprinting Speed in Female Team Sport: The Role of Sprint Distance and Timing-Gate Configuration

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Athletic Performance

Background:

• Accurate measurement of maximum sprinting speed (MSS) is crucial for evaluating athletic performance in team sports.
• Different sprint distances and split intervals may influence MSS outcomes.
• Understanding measurement reliability is key for consistent athlete assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare maximum sprinting speed (MSS) in female team-sport athletes using varying sprint distances (30m vs. 40m) and split intervals (5m vs. 10m).
• To assess the intertrial reliability of MSS measurements across different methods.
• To investigate the relationship between sprint acceleration distance and peak sprinting speed.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-two elite and subelite female Gaelic football players participated.
• Forty-meter sprints were conducted with timing gates at 5-meter intervals.
• Four methods determined MSS: 5m/40m, 5m/30m, 10m/40m, and 10m/30m splits.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in MSS were observed across all measurement methods (P < .001), with 5m/40m yielding the highest values.
• All methods demonstrated high reliability (ICC: .97-.98; CV: 1.0%-1.2%).
• A moderate positive correlation (ρ = .41) was found between MSS and acceleration distance.

Conclusions:

• The 5-meter split over 40 meters provided the highest estimate of maximum sprinting speed (MSS).
• All tested measurement methods exhibited excellent reliability for assessing MSS.
• The study recommends using 5-meter splits over approximately 30 meters for consistent MSS assessment in female team-sport athletes using timing gates.