Elite long jumpers with below the knee prostheses approach the board slower, but take-off more effectively than non-amputee athletes.

ABSTRACT: The use of technological aids to improve sport performance ('techno doping') and inclusion of Paralympic athletes in Olympic events are matters of ongoing debate. Recently, a long jumper with a below the knee amputation (BKA) achieved jump distances similar to world-class athletes without amputations, using a carbon fibre running-specific prosthesis (RSP). We show that athletes with BKA utilize a different, more effective take-off technique in the long jump, which provided the best athlete with BKA a performance advantage of at least 0.13 m compared to non-amputee athletes. A maximum speed constraint imposed by the use of RSPs would indicate a performance disadvantage for the long jump. We found slower maximum sprinting speeds in athletes with BKA, but did not find a difference in the over

SUBMITTER: Willwacher S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5700183 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature