Anxiety as a Trait in Junior Sprint Athletes

The study presents aspects related to the correlation between the practice of athletics at junior level and the manifestation of trait anxiety.It is known that stress and competition anxiety are major problems faced by a large proportion of competitive athletes.The aim of the study is to investigate anxiety as a trait in junior athletes according to performance and type of sprint events (100 m flat -female and male outdoor, and 60 m hurdles female and 60 m hurdles male indoor, respectively).Sixty adolescents, aged between 14 and 19 years participated in the study and the inclusion criterion was a minimum of 3 years of competitive experience.The study was based on EMAS-T and SAS-T questionnaires, that measure different types/facets of trait anxiety.Statistical processing of the data revealed that there was no statistically significant relationship between physical danger anxiety, separation anxiety, anxiety in new situation, respectively anxiety in socially evaluative circumstances, and sports performance (athletes' personal record), in the case of the four speed events.Data analysis revealed, also, significant differences (Mann-Whitney test was used) in terms of perceived anxiety, between athletes.Female athletes practicing 100m flat have significantly higher anxiety in new conditions than 60m hurdlers.The observed differences were discussed.