Are there sex-based differences in the representation of top youth athletes in running and swimming?
Males are more likely to be represented in the top 100 performances in open sporting events starting at 6 years of age, with females no longer represented by age 14-15.
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.
James et al. (2025) studied this question.