Physiological characteristics of female 100 metre sprinters of different performance levels

The purpose of this study was to compare physiological characteristics of three different levels of 100 m female sprinters. The 30 subjects in this study (20 female track athletes and 10 recreationally trained females) were assigned, according to their 100 m running time, to one of three different groups: "Fast" (11.8 +/- 0.1 sec), "Average" (12.7 +/- 0.1) and "Slow" (14.2 +/- 0.1 sec). All subjects were tested for performance in the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT), strength (squat exercise), fat % (hydrostatic weighing), reaction time, flexibility (sit-and-reach test), aerobic power (peak VO2) and running skill. The data was analyzed by one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with post-hoc Tukey test, which was performed on each variable to find differences between the groups. The ANOVA indicated significant differences among all three groups for performance in the Wingate Anaerobic Test and relative strength. Significant differences in fat % and running skill were found between the fast and the slow groups and between the average and the slow groups. However, no significant difference in fat % and running skill existed between the fast and the average groups. The differences in reaction time were significant only between the fast and the average groups. No two groups were significantly different from each other for flexibility and peak VO2. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were calculated to determine the relationships between the 100m running time and each of the variables tested. Significant and negative correlations were found between the 100m running time and skill, relative strength, and performance in the WAnT. Significant and positive correlations were found between running time and fat %. No significant correlations were found between running time and peak VO2 reaction time and flexibility. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that the combination of performance in the WAnT and strength provided the most efficient (R = 0.92) prediction of 100 m run times. This study demonstrated that the main difference among female sprinters of different performance levels lies in their ability to produce muscular power, strength and running technique. Other physiological components, such as flexibility, peak VO2, and reaction time do not differ among female sprinters of different performance levels as represented in the tested groups.