Data from: Lower body symmetry and running performance in elite Jamaican track and field athletes

In a study of degree of lower body symmetry in 73 elite Jamaican track and field athletes we show that both their knees and ankles (but not their feet) are – on average – significantly more symmetrical than those of 116 similarly aged controls from the rural Jamaican countryside. Within the elite athletes, events ranged from the 100 to the 800 m, and knee and ankle asymmetry was lower for those running the 100 m dashes than those running the longer events with turns. Nevertheless, across all events those with more symmetrical knees and ankles (but not feet) had better results compared to international standards. Regression models considering lower body symmetry combined with gender, age and weight explain 27 to 28% of the variation in performance among athletes, with symmetry related to about 5% of this variation. Within 100 m sprinters, the results suggest that those with more symmetrical knees and ankles ran faster. Altogether, our work confirms earlier findings that knee and probably ankle symmetry are positively associated with sprinting performance, while extending these findings to elite athletes.本研究针对73名牙买加优秀田径运动员的下肢对称性水平展开分析，结果显示，其膝关节与踝关节（而非足部）的对称性平均水平显著高于116名来自牙买加农村地区、年龄匹配的对照人群。在该优秀运动员群体中，参赛项目涵盖100米至800米赛事；其中参与100米短跑的运动员，其膝关节与踝关节不对称程度低于参加含弯道长距离项目的运动员。不过，在所有参赛项目中，膝关节与踝关节对称性更强（足部对称性无此关联）的运动员，其成绩相较于国际赛事标准更为优异。纳入下肢对称性、性别、年龄与体重的回归模型，可解释运动员成绩变异的27%至28%，其中对称性因素约贡献该变异的5%。在100米短跑运动员中，研究结果同样显示，膝关节与踝关节对称性更强的运动员跑步速度更快。综上，本研究证实了此前的结论：膝关节（或踝关节）对称性与短跑成绩呈正相关，并将该结论拓展至优秀运动员群体中。