The Relationship Between Athleticism And Cognitive Ability In Junior Track And Field Athletes

PURPOSE: Adolescent athletes are at a critical stage of growth and development, and their performance is affected in many ways. There are two main concerns about it: the influence on track and field performance, and the factors contributing to better on-the-spot results for performance. Focusing on these two questions, the purpose is to study the relationship between the 100 m, standing jump, shot put, and 800 m scores of young track and field athletes and their overall results, and whether their cognitive ability has an impact on each achievement. METHODS: This research tested 84 male junior track and field athletes, aged 15-18 years. This study employed an athletic ability test, including 100 meters, standing jump, shot put, and 800 meters. The scores were converted into a 100-point scale. Additionally, cognitive testing was employed to assess the cognitive abilities of the subjects. Statistical analyses, including Pearson correlation analysis and significance testing, were executed using SPSS 26 for comprehensive data processing. RESULTS: The results showed that the accuracy of the Stroop test was significantly correlated with the time of 100 m and the height of standing triple jump (r = -0.265, p = 0.015; r = 0.268, p = 0.015), and the response time of the Stroop test was significantly correlated with the heigh of shot put and the composite 100- point score (r = -0.230, p = 0.035; r = -0.223, p = 0.041). There was a significant correlation between the time of 100 m and 800 m (r = 0.298, p = 0.006). In addition, the time of 100 m of the junior track and field athletes was highly negatively correlated with the length of standing triple jump (r = -0.766, p < 0.001). There was a high positive correlation between the height of standing triple jump and shot put, and the composite 100- point score (r = 0.891, p < 0.001; r = 0.685, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: To a certain extent, maybe the cognitive test Stroop can reflect the quality of the shot put and the comprehensive 100- point scale of young track and field athletes. Cognitive testing may be applied to sports selection in the future.