The impact of event group and gender on the relationship between sport anxiety and performance in track and field athletes

This study investigated the impact of precompetition anxiety on athletic performance in track runners. It was found that the nature of the event (sprint, mid-distance, long distance) differentially predicted the relationship between precompetitive anxiety and performance. Results showed that the interpretation of anxiety intensity as either facilitative or debilitative, the 'directional' component of anxiety, is a more sensitive predictor of performance than anxiety intensity alone. Findings indicated that best predictor of performance for sprinters and distance runners were their somatic anxiety direction. The performance of the mid-distance runners was best predicted by self-confidence direction. The results are interpreted as lending support to the multidimensional model of anxiety.