Comparing Speed Progression in Pre-Adolescent Girls: A Developmental Analysis

Background: Speed progression in pre-adolescent girls highlights physical development during late childhood, characterized by growth in motor skills, strength, and coordination. Sprint performance varies with age, yet little research exists on sprint abilities in school girls from rural Bangladesh. Study Purpose: This study aimed to assess sprint performance differences among 9-, 10-, and 11-year-old schoolgirls from rural areas in Jashore, Bangladesh, to understand age-related progression in short-distance speed. Materials and Methods: Sixty school girls participated in the study, with 20 in each age group: 9, 10, and 11 years. Speed was assessed through 10m and 50m sprint tests under dry, low-wind conditions, with a digital stopwatch capturing times at the 10m and 50m marks. Each participant completed two trials, and the best times were recorded. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were computed for each group. A one-way ANOVA followed by an LSD post hoc test evaluated significant differences in sprint performance across age groups at a 0.05 significance level. Results: The 10m sprint showed significant differences among age groups F(2, 57) = 5.06, p = 0.01. Post hoc analysis revealed that 11-year-olds ran significantly faster than 9-year-olds (mean difference = 0.173, p = 0.00), but there were no significant differences between the 9- and 10-year-olds or the 10- and 11-year-olds. For the 50m sprint, no significant differences were found among age groups F(2, 57) = 1.79, p = 0.18. Conclusions: The findings indicate an age-related improvement in short-distance sprint ability, with significant gains evident between ages 9 and 11 over 10m but not 50m. These insights are valuable for developing age-appropriate training programs aimed at enhancing speed in young girls from rural backgrounds.