Comparison between physical fitness of male and female Brazilian Optimist sailors

Dias, Ana Luiza Rêgo; Campos, Anderson Leandro Peres; Muniz, Daniell Lima Costa

doi:10.1590/1980-0037.2026v28e108675

original article • Rev. bras. cineantropom. desempenho hum. 28 • 2026 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-0037.2026v28e108675 linkcopy

Comparison between physical fitness of male and female Brazilian Optimist sailors

Comparação entre a aptidão física de velejadores e velejadoras de Optimist brasileiros(as)

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Abstract The Optimist is a sailing class for children and adolescents aged 8 to 15 years old, considered the initiation in the sport. However, there is limited scientific literature on the physical fitness of these athletes, particularly concerning sex differences. This study aimed to describe the anthropometric and physical fitness profile of Brazilian sailors in the Optimist class and compare variables between sexes. Data were collected on the eve of the Selective Championship for International Competitions in Salvador, BA, including measurements of body circumferences, anthropometry, handgrip strength, medicine ball throw, vertical jump with countermovement, and flexibility of the adductors and dorsiflexion. Sixty athletes (N = 60) were evaluated, with 18 females. Results showed significant differences between sexes in body fat percentage (p < 0.001), arm muscle area (p = 0.001), and waist circumference (p = 0.028). No significant differences were observed in the other variables. It is concluded that the anthropometric profile of Optimist athletes exhibits sex differences, highlighting the importance of conducting further studies to investigate other variables and compare performance between males and females.

Key words:
Water sports; Physical fitness; Body composition

Variable	Central tendency	Shapiro-Wilk p-value
N=60
Age (years)	13	0.002*
Body mass (kg)	51.15	0.002*
Height (m)	1.59 ± 0.11	0.223
WC (cm)	64.42 ± 5.55	0.558
HC (cm)	84.5	0.004*
BF%	19.8	< 0.001*
AMA (cm²)	33.44 ± 8.55	0.366
FM (kg)	9.93 ± 2.92	0.167
HG right (kg)	26.0 ± 7.8	0.485
HG left (kg)	24.52 ± 7.88	0.199
CMJ (cm)	27.44 ± 5.8	0.203
Relative power (W/kg)	36.53 ± 8.26	0.740
MB throw (m)	4.24 ± 0.88	0.272
Right adductor (°)	44.93 ± 10.5	0.610
Left adductor (°)	51.84 ± 11.7	0.659
Right DF (°)	45.29 ± 9.65	0.673
Left DF (°)	44.59 ± 11.2	0.161

Variable	Male mean	Female mean	p-value
Age (years) ᵇ	12.7 ± 1.37	12.6 ± 1.46	0.791	0.08 (-0.47 – 0.63)
Body mass (kg) ᵇ	48.9 ± 9.29	47.0 ± 8.12	0.189	0.21 (-0.34 – 0.76)
Height (m) ᵃ	1.60 ± 0.11	1.57 ± 0.08	0.259	0.32 (-0.23 - 0.87)
WC (cm) ᵃ	65.4 ± 5.63	62.0 ± 4.66	0.028*	0.63 (0.06 – 1.19)
HC (cm) ᵇ	82.3 ± 6.78	82.6 ± 7.32	0.994	-0.04 (-0.6 – 0.50)
BF% ᵇ	19.2 ± 4.02	23.2 ± 3.46	<0.001*	-1.03 (-1.61 – 0.44)
AMA (cm²) ᵃ	35.7 ± 8.24	28.1 ± 6.86	0.001*	0.96 (0.38 – 1.54)
FM (kg) ᵃ	9.46 ± 2.78	11.0 ± 3.02	0.055	0.55 (-1.11 – 0.01)
HG right (kg) ᵃ	25.8 ± 7.93	26.4 ± 7.71	0.787	-0.07 (-0.63 – 0.47)
HG left (kg) ᵃ	24.3 ± 7.95	25.1 ± 7.92	0.724	-0.10 (-0.65 – 0.45)
CMJ (cm) ᵃ	27.3 ± 5.56	27.7 ± 6.47	0.818	-0.06 (-0.62 – 0.49)
Relative power (W/kg) ᵃ	36.6 ± 7.42	36.8 ± 10.0	0.878	-0.04 (-0.60 – 0.51)
MB throw (m) ᵃ	4.18 ± 0.92	4.37 ± 0.79	0.460	-0.21 (-0.77 – 0.34)
Right adductor (°) ᵃ	49.6 ± 10.1	50.7 ± 11.6	0.703	-0.10 (-0.66 – 0.45)
Left adductor (°) ᵃ	52.0 ± 11.9	51.4 ± 11.5	0.864	0.04 (0.50 – 0.60)
Right DF (°) ᵃ	45.5 ± 9.11	44.8 ± 11.0	0.788	0.07 (-0.48 – 0.63)
Left DF (°) ᵃ	45.7 ± 11.5	42.1 ± 10.4	0.262	0.32 (-0.23 – 0.87)

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[1] Note: *p<0.05. WC: waist circumference; HC: hip circumference; BF%: body fat percentage; AMA: arm muscle area; FM: fat mass; HG: handgrip; CMJ: counter movement jump; MB: medicine ball; DF: dorsiflexion.