Sprint start kinetics: Comparison of amputee and non-amputee sprinters

The purpose of this study was to observe relationships between reaction forces measured with an instrumented force starting block, start performance (normalized average horizontal block power) and 100 m personal record times in 142 male and female able-bodied sprinters. Further, start kinetics of 7 amputee sprinters and able-bodied sprinters of similar 100 m performance level were compared. Amputee sprinters showed a reduced starting performance, which seems to be related to their lower capacity of creating high peak forces with their rear (affected) legs. In able-bodied athletes, starting performance was related to peak force production in the front and rear blocks, but also to the ability to apply these forces in a horizontal direction. The obtained dataset offers a strong potential for the use in performance diagnostics and feedback training.