Anthropometric characteristics of elite male junior rowers
- Jan Bourgois1,
- Albrecht L Claessens2,
- Jacques Vrijens3,
- Renaat Philippaerts2,
- Bart Van Renterghem3,
- Martine Thomis2,
- Melissa Janssens3,
- Ruth Loos2,
- Johan Lefevre2
- 1Centre of Sports Medicine, University Hospital Gent, Belgium
- 2Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
- 3Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gent, Belgium
- Correspondence to: Dr J Bourgois, Centre of Sports Medicine, University Hospital Gent, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
- Accepted 24 November 1999
Abstract
During the 1997 Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron World Junior Rowing Championships, anthropometric data on 383 male junior rowers were assessed. With 430 participating athletes, the sample represented 89% of the population. In addition to age, 27 dimensions were measured: body mass, six heights or lengths, four breadths, 10 girths, and six skinfolds. The elite male junior rowers were tall (187.4 (5.8) cm; mean (SD)) and heavy (82.2 (7.4) kg), with larger length, breadth, and girth dimensions than a nationally representative sample of Belgian boys of the same chronological age. A rowing specific anthropometric profile chart with norms was constructed. The stature of the junior rowers is similar to that of adult heavyweight elite rowers, except that the junior rowers are lighter. Compared with non-finalists, finalists are heavier (but still lighter than the adult heavyweight elite rower) and taller, with greater length, breadth (except for the bicristal diameter), and girth dimensions.
