Tracking 25 years of judo results from the World Championships and Olympic Games: Age and competitive achievement

Para Powerlifting Performance: A Retrospective Analysis Considering Origin of Impairment, Sport Classification, and Sex

OBJECTIVE

We analyzed the retrospective performance of para powerlifters over 8 yrs considering sex, the origin of impairment, and sport classification of para powerlifting.

DESIGN

This retrospective study analyzed data from 6791 (4613 and 2178 for male and female, respectively) individual results from 1634 athletes' performances. We collected absolute load (in kilograms), relative load (in kilogram/body mass), chronological age and origin of impairment (acquired or congenital), and sport classification (leg length difference, limb deficiency, range of movement, impaired muscle power, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, and short stature of para powerlifters.

RESULTS

Males were stronger than females thorough the years with acquired impairment being stronger than congenital impairment. Para powerlifters with acquired impairment were older compared with congenital impairment over the years. Acquired impairment males won 60% more medals than the congenital group. There was a significant association between competition achievement and sports class classification, with a higher number of medals for limb deficiency than other sports classes.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that the sex, origin of impairment, and sports classification influence performance of athletes in para powerlifting. Thus, this information can help athletes, coaches, sport managers, and sport institutions involved in the sport of para powerlifting.

Cadet and Junior Performance Is Associated With Senior's World Championship and Olympics Achievement in Judo

Purpose: We determined whether cadet and junior Judo World Championship participation and medal achievement would predict senior performance at World Championship (WC) and Olympic Games (OG). Methods: We analyzed retrospectively a total of 7780 athletes who competed at the OG and WC in the cadet, junior, and senior between 2009 and 2021. Results: There was an increase in the probability of winning a medal in the senior category (WC and OG, and only WC) ranged from 4.3 to 4.5 for medal-winning cadets compared to non-medalists and this probability remained around 3.3-3.8 for medalists in the male and 5.3-5.4 for the female medalists in cadet WC. Moreover, the chance of winning a medal in the senior category (WC and OG) was 8.1-8.5 times greater for medalists when compared to non-medalists in the junior WC. In turn, the probability of winning a medal in the senior (WC) was 1.5-1.7 times greater for athletes who did not compete in the junior WC. In the OG, the probability of winning a medal was 3.5 greater times for medalists when compared to non-medalists at cadet and junior WC. Conclusion: Thus, being a cadet or junior WC medalist increases the probability of winning a senior WC or an Olympic medal.

Analysis of Olympic and World boxing medalists from 1904 to 2019: The role of age, height, weight categories and nationality

Study aim: To investigate the role of age, height, and weight categories on the performance of top nations and boxing medalists in Olympic Games (OG) (1904–2018) and World Championships (WG) (1974–2019).

Material and methods: Data were collected from 1,806 athletes using the website of International Boxing Association (AIBA), International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Wikipedia.

Results: The average age of medalists was ~24yrs with an increase of age (medium effect) across this 115 years period. Height was 1.76m and the super heavy category had significantly higher values by age and height compared to the other weight categories. The top medalists were three men with triple gold medals on OG and 13 over three on WC. Performance was associated with nationality (p < 0.01, medium effect), where a dominance of Cubans (211 medals) was observed.

Conclusion: These findings highlighted the importance of the long-term development and specialization of talent athletes for peak performance in elite competitions.

Relative and Chronological Age in Successful Athletes at the World Taekwondo Championships (1997-2019): A Focus on the Behaviour of Multiple Medallists

The aims of this study were to investigate the relative and chronological age among taekwondo world medal winners (by gender, Olympic 4-year period, Olympic weight category; N = 740), and to study the behaviour of multiple medallists (N = 156) to monitor changes in weight categories and wins over time. The observed birth quartile distribution for the heavyweight category was significantly skewed (p = 0.01). Female athletes (22.2 ± 3.5 years) achieve success at a significantly younger age (p = 0.01) than their male counterparts (23.6 ± 3.3 years). In the weight categories, female flyweights were significantly younger than those welterweights (p = 0.03) and heavyweight (p = 0.01); female featherweights were significantly younger than those heavyweights (p = 0.03). Male flyweights and featherweights were significantly younger than those welterweights and heavyweights (p = 0.01). When a taekwondo athlete won a medal several times, he/she did so within the same Olympic weight category group and won two medals in his/her career (p = 0.01). Multiple medallists of the lighter and heavier groups did not differ in the number of medals won but in the time span in which they won medals (p = 0.02). The resources deployed by stakeholders to achieve success in these competitions highlight an extremely competitive environment. In this sense, the information provided by this study can be relevant and translated into key elements.

When Taekwondo Referees See Red, but It Is an Electronic System That Gives the Points

Previous studies in taekwondo have considered the use of the manual scoring system or the electronic system with only the use of the electronic body protector. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between the color protectors and success in 1,327 taekwondo matches from six World Grand Prix Series of two 4-year Olympic periods when electronic body and head protectors are used. In the total sample, the results did not show a relationship between the match outcome and the color of the protectors (p = 0.97, C = 0.001). For the individual six editions, the results showed a positive and strong relationship between wearing blue protectors and winning matches and one between wearing red protectors and winning matches (p = 0.001, C = 0.19; p = 0.001; C = 0.19). Regarding the weight categories, 8 and 5 of 48 showed higher percentages of blue and red winners, respectively. Regarding sex, male competitors showed a positive relationship between blue color and winning the match in 6 of 24 weight categories, and wearing red and winning the match was shown in 2 of 24 weight categories. Female competitors showed a positive relationship between blue color and winning the match in 2 of 24 weight categories, and wearing red and winning the match was shown in 3 of 24 weight categories. When it comes to the influence of being a seeded athlete, the results did show a significant confounding effect on the color of the protectors worn by the winner of the match in 2 of 13 weight categories in which a color effect was observed (p = 0.02, C = 0.28; p = 0.02, C = 0.28). In conclusion, wearing red does not provide a higher chance of winning the match. It seems that seeing red has a stronger effect than wearing red, especially in male contenders. Moreover, being a seeded athlete does not explain the result of the match. It seems that the introduction of the electronic helmet protector, in addition to the electronic body protector, made the scoring system more objective, decreasing the advantage of wearing red in winning matches.

Exploring the age of taekwondo athletes in the Olympic Games: an analysis from Sydney 2000 to Rio 2016

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to quantify the age at which taekwondo athletes competed in the Olympic Games and to provide initial insights into weight category changes over time.

METHODS

For the first analysis, the study included all 611 taekwondo athletes who competed in the Olympics between 2000 and 2016; for each sex, a three-way ANOVA (edition of Olympic Games, competitive achievement, weight category) was performed to detect differences in the age of athletes. For the second analysis, we considered all 109 taekwondo athletes who took part in more than one edition of the Olympics between 2000 and 2016; chi-squared goodness of fit tests were performed to study the number of participations and changes in weight category of these athletes.

RESULTS

Female athletes, with a mean age of 23.8 ± 4.1 years, are significantly younger (p=0.001) than their male counterparts, with a mean age of 25.1 ± 3.9 years. In weight category, lighter athletes being younger than heavier ones in both females (22.7 ± 3.7 vs 24.5 ± 4.2 yrs., p=0.04) and males (23.6 ± 3.8 vs 26.7 ± 3.8 yrs., p=0.001; 24.2 ± 3.5 vs 26.7 ± 3.8 yrs., p=0.001). When an athlete reaches Olympic competition several times, he/she generally competes in the same weight category (p=0.001) and takes part in two consecutive editions (p=0.001). Heavier athletes have greater longevity at Olympic level than lighter athletes (p=0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

The current data provides important information for national federations engaged in the selection of athletes for Olympic competitions.

Effects of acute ingestion of caffeinated chewing gum on performance in elite judo athletes

Purpose

Previous investigations have found positive effects of acute ingestion of capsules containing 4-to-9 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass on several aspects of judo performance. However, no previous investigation has tested the effectiveness of caffeinated chewing gum as the form of caffeine administration for judoists. The main goal of this study was to assess the effect of acute ingestion of a caffeinated chewing gum on the results of the special judo fitness test (SJFT).

Methods

Nine male elite judo athletes of the Polish national team (23.7 ± 4.4 years, body mass: 73.5 ± 7.4 kg) participated in a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled and double-blind experiment. Participants were moderate caffeine consumers (3.1 mg/kg/day). Each athlete performed three identical experimental sessions after: (a) ingestion of two non-caffeinated chewing gums (P + P); (b) a caffeinated chewing gum and a placebo chewing gum (C + P; ~2.7 mg/kg); (c) two caffeinated chewing gums (C + C; ~5.4 mg/kg). Each gum was ingested 15 min before performing two Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) which were separated by 4 min of combat activity.

Results

The total number of throws was not different between P + P, C + P, and C + C (59.66 ± 4.15, 62.22 ± 4.32, 60.22 ± 4.08 throws, respectively; p = 0.41). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA indicated no significant substance × time interaction effect as well as no main effect of caffeine for SJFT performance, SJFT index, blood lactate concentration, heart rate or rating of perceived exertion.

Conclusions

The results of the current study indicate that the use of caffeinated chewing gum in a dose up to 5.4 mg/kg of caffeine did not increase performance during repeated SJFTs.