Unlocking the Fast Track: Exploring the Interplay between Body Composition and Athletes’ Performance in the 100 m Sprint

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential association between body composition and 100-meter sprinter performance. Eight athletes' body composition parameters were measured using an InBCA (IN-F500) body composition analyzer and compared to their performance time in the 100 m sprint. The study participants (five males and three females) range in age from 21 to 25 years old and are the champion team of the Bangladesh Inter University Athletic Championship 2022. In addition, questionnaires were used to collect participants' demographic information, training history, and dietary habits. The comparison reveals that Athletes' 100 m sprinting performance is highly linked with their body composition characteristics, particularly the appendicular lean mass (R² = 0.7625, p < .001) and skeletal muscle mass (R² = 0.7932, p < .001). However, a weak and insignificant correlation was found with the body fat mass (R2 = 0.029, p > .05). The study's findings reveal that body composition characteristics influence the 100 m sprinting performance of both male and female athletes. We anticipate that these findings will contribute to our understanding of sprinters' body composition and have implications for athlete-specific training, performance improvement, and nutritional strategies.