Sex-Based Differences in the Representation of Top Youth Athletes

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2025

Publisher

American College of Sports Medicine

Source Publication

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Source ISSN

0195-9131

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003681

Abstract

Although emerging research demonstrates that male athletes outperform female athletes before puberty, the effect of these sex-related advantages on ordinal ranking of top performances remains unclear.

Objectives

Among overall top performances of youth track and swimming athletes, we aimed to determine 1) the proportional number of male compared with female athletes represented and 2) at what age females are no longer represented.

Methods

Finishing times and sex of the top 10 and top 100 performances of youth runners and swimmers between 5 and 18 yr were abstracted from online U.S.-based databases for four running (100 m–800 m) and six freestyle swimming events (50 m–1500 m).

Results

Males represented a greater proportion of the top 10 performances starting at 7 yr in running (P = 0.023) and 12 yr in swimming (P = 0.023) (averaged across events). Males represented a greater proportion of the top 100 performances starting at 6 yr in running (P < 0.001) and 7 yr in swimming (P < 0.001) (averaged across events). Females were no longer represented within the top 10 performances starting at ~12 yr in running and ~13 yr in swimming and no longer represented within the top 100 starting at ~14 yr in running and ~15 yr in swimming.

Conclusions

In elite youth athletes, there was a greater proportion (representation) of males within the top 100 running and swimming performances beginning between 6 and 7 yr of age, with females no longer represented between 14 and 15 yr of age. Our findings suggest males are more likely to be represented “on the podium” in open sporting events (not categorized by sex) than females starting at 6 yr of age.

Comments

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Vol. 57, No. 7 (July 2025): 1523-1529. DOI.

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