Award-winning work
ASSESSMENT OF REACTION TIME IN SPRINTERS WITH AND WITHOUT HEARING LOSS: APPLICATIONS FOR INCLUSION
Drawing on the personal experience of one of the authors as a high-performance athlete, the aim is to bring light to the study of reaction time in sprinters with and without hearing loss, with a view to the future development of inclusive sporting competitions. A priori, athletes with hearing impairment compete at a disadvantage right from the start, when the race begins after a gun being fired due to the significant influence of the visual and auditory stimulus at this initial moment and during the course of the competition.
The applications of this work will allow for modifications in the form of training and competition support for the coach, or the starting judge in the competition, which are deemed necessary to provide hearing loss sprinters with adequate assistance at the line-up, especially in inclusive sporting situations in which athletes with and without disabilities compete.
Reference: Soto et. al. (2017): “Assessment of the reaction time in sprinters with and without hearing loss: applications for inclusion”. FIAPAS Journal, April-June 2017, No.161, FIAPAS Special.