Maximal 20-m sprints
The running speed of participants was evaluated with a 5- and 20-m sprint effort using photocells (Racetime2,Microgate®, Bolzano, Italy). The timing gates were posi- tioned 5- and 20-m cross-wind from a pre-determined starting point. Participants were instructed to run as fast as possible along the 20-m distance from a standing start. Subjects started the test in their own time from a static position 30 cm behind the photocells, with timing starting once the beams of the first timing gate (0 m) were broken. The fastest time obtained from three trials was used in data analysis. There was a 2-min recovery period between trials. Time spent to cover 20-m was measured to the nearest 0.001 s.