Table 1.
Characteristics of the 357 included athletes who participated at the 24th European Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2018 and who were included in the present study, as well as their history of hamstring muscle injuries (HMI), preparticipation health problems and in-championships injuries, illnesses and hamstring muscle injuries. Data are presented using mean with standard deviations (±SD) for continuous variables and using number and frequency with percentages for categorical variables.
| Total | Sprints | Hurdles | Jumps | Throws | Combined Events | Middle Distances | Long Distances | Marathon | Race Walking | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | ||
| Athletes’ characteristics | |||||||||||||||||||
| N (%) | 357 (100.0) | 57 (16.0) | 46 (12.9) | 15 (4.2) | 16 (4.5) | 32 (9.0) | 18 (5.0) | 23 (6.4) | 23 (6.4) | 8 (2.2) | 5 (1.4) | 14 (3.9) | 14 (3.9) | 12 (3.4) | 14 (3.9) | 15 (4.2) | 12 (3.4) | 16 (4.5) | 17 (4.8) |
| Age (years) (mean (SD)) | 26.6 (4.9) | 24.8 (3.9) | 25.0 (3.6) | 24.1 (4.7) | 24.6 (2.9) | 25.1 (4.4) | 26.5 (3.8) | 28.3 (4.6) | 28.0 (5.6) | 22.2 (4.0) | 25.2 (2.6) | 25.7 (2.9) | 25.2 (3.2) | 28.7 (4.0) | 26.6 (2.6) | 34.6 (5.0) | 32.7 (4.4) | 28.7 (4.7) | 28.7 (7.0) |
| Height (cm) (mean (SD)) | 177.2 (9.2) | 170.5 (5.7) | 182.5 (6.1) | 173.0 (5.9) | 186.6 (5.8) | 176.7 (6.8) | 187.3 (5.3) | 177.2 (6.9) | 189.4 (6.8) | 172.9 (5.1) | 185.2 (5.7) | 169.3 (3.7) | 181.5 (4.8) | 169.0 (7.3) | 178.9 (7.8) | 165.8 (4.1) | 179.0 (4.8) | 165.8 (8.3) | 179.6 (5.7) |
| Weight (kg) (mean (SD)) | 68.2 (16.7) | 59.2 (5.2) | 75.8 (6.2) | 61.3 (5.9) | 78.0 (6.7) | 61.5 (6.0) | 76.9 (5.7) | 83.9 (14.8) | 110.1 (19.2) | 61.4 (3.5) | 82.6 (4.4) | 53.3 (3.0) | 65.5 (3.6) | 50.4 (5.5) | 63.7 (7.6) | 50.5 (4.7) | 62.1 (5.4) | 50.6 (5.1) | 66.3 (5.2) |
| BMI (kg.cm−2) (mean (SD)) | 21.5 (3.8) | 20.4 (1.5) | 22.7 (1.4) | 20.5 (1.3) | 22.4 (1.3) | 19.7 (1.2) | 21.9 (1.3) | 26.6 (3.6) | 30.7 (5.5) | 20.6 (1.6) | 24.1 (0.8) | 18.6 (1.2) | 19.9 (0.8) | 17.6 (0.9) | 19.8 (1.2) | 18.4 (1.2) | 19.4 (1.4) | 18.4 (0.8) | 20.6 (1.4) |
| Mean training time per week (h) (mean (SD)) | 13.4 (5.1) | 11.3 (3.2) | 10.7 (3.6) | 10.6 (4.9) | 11.8 (4.0) | 11.2 (4.0) | 10.5 (4.8) | 16.9 (4.2) | 17.0 (4.7) | 11.4 (2.6) | 14.8 (10.3) | 15.0 (5.9) | 14.3 (5.7) | 15.9 (2.9) | 18.8 (6.1) | 12.9 (3.8) | 16.3 (5.9) | 15.3 (2.7) | 17.1 (5.8) |
| History of HMI | |||||||||||||||||||
| HMI during the career (n (%)) | 148 (48.2) | 26 (45.6) | 33 (71.7) | 6 (40.0) | 7 (43.8) | 10 (31.3) | 10 (55.6) | 5 (21.7) | 9 (39.1) | 4 (50.0) | 1 (20.0) | 5 (35.7) | 6 (42.9) | 1 (8.3) | 3 (21.4) | 3 (20.0) | 3 (25.0) | 7 (43.8) | 9 (52.9) |
| HMI during the 2017–18 season (n (%)) | 72 (23.5) | 13 (22.8) | 13 (28.3) | 1 (6.7) | 3 (18.8) | 4 (12.5) | 5 (27.8) | 3 (13.0) | 4 (17.4) | 4 (50.0) | 1 (20.0) | 1 (7.1) | 3 (21.4) | 1 (8.3) | 1 (7.1) | 5 (33.3) | 2 (16.7) | 3 (18.8) | 5 (29.4) |
| Reduced or no participation in athletics due to hamstring pain | 27 (8.8) | 4 (8.2) | 3 (7.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (9.1) | 1 (4.2) | 2 (12.5) | 2 (12.5) | 2 (10.5) | 2 (28.6) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (7.1) | 1 (11.1) | 2 (14.3) | 2 (14.3) | 1 (9.1) | 1 (7.1) | 2 (12.5) |
| Preparticipation health problems | |||||||||||||||||||
| Health problem (n (%)) | 111 (32.8) | 16 (28.1) | 9 (19.6) | 5 (33.3) | 3 (18.8) | 9 (28.1) | 10 (55.6) | 11 (47.8) | 12 (52.2) | 5 (62.5) | 2 (40.0) | 4 (28.6) | 5 (35.7) | 2 (16.7) | 1(7.1) | 4 (26.7) | 2 (16.7) | 5 (31.3) | 6 (35.3) |
| Injury (n (%)) | 103 (30.5) | 15 (26.3) | 8 (17.4) | 5 (33.3) | 3 (18.8) | 9 (28.1) | 10 (55.6) | 10 (43.5) | 11 (47.8) | 5 (62.5) | 2 (40.0) | 3 (21.4) | 3 (21.4) | 2 (16.7) | 1 (7.1) | 4 (26.7) | 2 (16.7) | 4 (25.0) | 6 (35.3) |
| Illness (n (%)) | 19 (5.6) | 3 (5.3) | 2 (4.3) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (3.1) | 1 (5.6) | 2 (8.7) | 2 (8.7) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (7.1) | 2 (14.3) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (7.1) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (18.8) | 1 (5.9) |
| In-championship health problems | |||||||||||||||||||
| In-championships injuries (n (%)) | 26 (7.3) | 6 (10.5) | 4 (8.7) | 1 (6.7) | 0 (0.0) | 4 (12.5) | 1 (5.6) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (4.3) | 3 (37.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (7.1) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (7.1) | 1 (6.7) | 2 (16.7) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (5.9) |
| In-championships illnesses (n (%)) | 17 (4.8) | 2 (3.5) | 3 (6.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (6.3) | 1 (5.6) | 1 (4.3) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (7.1) | 2 (13.3) | 1 (8.3) | 0 (0.0) | 4 (23.5) |
| In-championships HMI (n (%)) | 5 (1.4) | 2 (3.5) | 3 (6.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
Note: Data on sex, age, discipline, height and weight were available for all responders (n = 357; 100%). Data on mean time training was available for 93.0% (n = 332), on health problem during the month before the championship for 94.7% (n = 338), and on history of HMI for 86.0% (n = 307). Percentages were calculated on the number of responders.