Exal Garcia-Carrillo; Rodrigo Yáñez-Sepúlveda; Guillermo Cortés-Roco; Rodrigo Ramirez-Campillo & Mikel Izquierdo
Anthropometric characteristics, including body size, shape, and composition, can have a significant impact on sports performance due to their influence on various physiological and biomechanical factors. However, limited research has been conducted on the anthropometric characteristics of highly trained throwing para-athletes. The purpose of this study was to describe the anthropometric characteristics, handgrip strength, and upper limb bilateral asymmetries of highly trained Chilean shot put para-throwers. Five male Chilean shot put para-athletes (average age of 38.8 ± 7.7 years) were assessed for their anthropometric characteristics, including skinfold thickness at six anatomical sites, girth at five sites, and bone breadth at two sites. Handgrip strength and bilateral asymmetries were also measured. The body mass and height of the athletes were found to be 90.5 ± 5.1 kg and 179.1 ± 8.9 cm, respectively. The athletes were found to have an endo-mesomorph somatotype (4.4-6.9-1.0) with high levels of fat mass (25.7 ± 2.8 %) and skeletal muscle mass (39.1 ± 3.7 %). The handgrip strength of the athletes was found to be 66.4 ± 6.7 kg with a bilateral asymmetry of 6.5 ± 6.2 %, with the dominant hand showing greater strength. The results indicate that the shot put para-athletes have a somatotype characterized by increased muscularity and body fat, along with a considerable stature. Although handgrip strength was found to be high, the athletes showed bilateral asymmetry, which requires further investigation to determine the cause and implications.
KEY WORDS: Body Composition; Somatotypes; Sports for Persons with Disabilities; Adaptive Sports; Para-Athletes.
GARCIA-CARRILLO, E.; YÁÑEZ-SEPÚLVEDA, R.; CORTÉS-ROCO, G.; RAMIREZ-CAMPILLO, R. & IZQUIERDO, M. Anthropometric characteristics, handgrip strength, and upper limb asymmetries in highly trained Chilean shot put para-athletes. Int. J. Morphol., 41(4):1123-1127, 2023.
