The application of principal component analysis to distinguish the kinematics parameters of hammer throw technique among athletes of varying levels participating in the European Throwing Cup for the years 2018 and 2022

The hammer throw is a complex discipline event in track and field sports, where Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been applied as a key tool to analyse the details of movement patterns and identify crucial factors that affect performance. Therefore, this study aimed to use the PCA to analyse the hammer technique considering the age and performance. Thirty-nine male and thirty-two female hammer throwers who competed in the European Throwing Cup in 2018 and 2022 participated in the study. Three-dimensional kinematic analysis was used to process temporal and kinematic parameters associated with the hammer technique. The best throw from each athlete was chosen for analysis. The PCA facilitated the reduction and connection of the analysed parameters. In both groups except women U23, we observed higher correlations in velocity increase, hammer amplitude, and timing variables (double support, single support, and total time) in Turn 4. Lastly, differentiation factors were identified for each group. It was observed that a low initial velocity during Turn 1 was common in both men's and women's categories. Under 23 men should minimise the single support in Turn 2, and women should improve the velocity increase in Turn 4 to increase throw performance.