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Do Height Always Makes Might? Deconstructing the Height Hype in Female

Sprinters.

Airnel T. Abarra*

It is always common maim that the taller the athlete! the better. In a basketball

"anatic#country like the $hilippines! mainstream sport me%ia mostly portray tallathletes on a positi&e light while shorter ones are only get notice% when they ha&e

shown higher points an% still put on a comical perspecti&e when citing the latter's

per"ormance.

In Athletics! ())m sprints has been the gol% stan%ar% "or "astest athlete. For more

than ) years! $hilippines ha&en't won gol% me%al in Asian +ames in the ())m

%ista, race. Do we think that our "emale athletes are short enough not to win the

"emale century %ash in Asia%? -et us try to a mini#meta analysis on %i,erent stu%ies

about the topic.

In relation to anthropometric measurement o" sprinters! th /))01 "oun% out that

there are no optimal height "or sprinters thus being too tall or too short can be a%isa%&antage. 2atts et. al. /)(1 on the other han% pro&e% that the bo%y shape or

somatotype o" the athlete in sprinting shoul% be the basis "or selecting potential

athletes. Shorter athletes ha&e also power"ul stri%es on shorter races an% can mo&e

to a greater "re3uency whereas tall sprinters runs "aster in the longer sprint races.

/Schi,er! ))41

It also implie% that stri%e "re3uency among women which is greater to 5shorter6

sprinters is signi7cant in better per"ormance in the sprints. Stressing that 5shorter

women6 o" stronger buil% per"orms "aster an% suggeste% that coaches shoul% "ocus

their training programs in enhancing the "emale athlete's stri%e "re3uency. /$aru8el#

Dy9a et. al. )):1

The problem o" taller "emale sprinters relies on the ecessi&e lateral mo&ement

resulte% "rom taller structure an% with a wi%er hips causes them more lateral

%isplacement while running an% the center o" the gra&ity tra&els on an 5S6 shape

pattern %uring acceleration thus ha&ing a taller woman sprinter can be a

%isa%&antage e&en i" someone can is as tall like sain ;olt at (4:cm.

The stu%ies re&iewe% shows that height is not always a gol% stan%ar% "or the

success o" "emale sprinter. It is still %epen%ent on the sprinting "orm an% techni3ue

which is roote% to %i,erent principles o" ;iomechanics. It is also seen on the stu%ies

presente% that strength an% con%itioning is more important in impro&ing the

sprinting capability o" an athlete as compare% to paying attention on the athlete's

height.

This 5hype6 "or taller athlete can be trace% as well on how we see our sporting

culture in the $hilippines. The portrayal o" popular culture that being tall as a sign o"

soun% bo%y beats the purpose o" %i&ersity among athletes. As coaches! we shoul%

go away "rom perceptions an% rely on %ata "rom %i,erent stu%ies with %oing talent

i%enti7cation an% organi8ing the training programs especially "or "emale athletes.

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mailto:airnel.abarra@gmail.commailto:airnel.abarra@gmail.com

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e"erences=

$aru8el#Dy9a! M. 2alas8cyk! A. @ Iskra . /)):1 Blite Male an% Female SprintersC;o%y ;uil%! Stri%e -ength! an% Stri%e Fre3uency. Stu%ies in $hysical