An investigation of the sprint performance of senior elite camogie players during competitive play

Purpose: The current study aimed to investigate the sprint performances of senior Camogie players between halves of play and between positions. Methods: Forty-three (n = 43) elite female Camogie players (23 ± 5 years; 174 ± 5 cm; 68 ± 9 kg) wore 10-Hz GPS devices (STATSports, Apex) to record data in 20 competitive matches during the 2018–2020 season. The total sprint distance (TSD), number of sprints (NOS) < 20 m and ≥ 20 m, and the NOS 80–90% and > 90% of the player’s peak speed, the mean sprint duration, and between-sprint duration were analyzed. Results: The TSD was 162 ± 102 m accumulated by 9 ± 5 NOS. The NOS < 20 m and ≥ 20 m was 7 ± 3 and 3 ± 2, respectively. The NOS 80–90% and > 90% was 6 ± 3 and 3 ± 3, respectively. The mean sprint duration and between-sprint duration was 3 ± 1 s and 6:29 ± 3:12 min:sec, respectively. A second-half decrease was observed for TSD (ES = − 0.24), NOS (ES = − 0.33), NOS < 20 m (ES = − 0.50) and ≥ 20 m (ES = − 1.00), and NOS > 90% (ES = − 0.63). Full-backs accumulated less TSD and NOS than half-backs (ES = − 1.07, − 1.21, respectively), midfielders (ES = − 1.54, − 1.41, respectively) and half-forwards (ES = − 0.91, − 0.92, respectively). Midfielders and half-forwards had a longer mean length of sprint (ES = 0.88, 0.92, respectively) and mean sprint duration (ES = 0.66, 0.60, respectively) compared to full-backs. Half-backs performed a greater NOS < 20 m than full-backs (ES = 1.17). Conclusion: The current results provide a sprint profile of Camogie match-play, where positional differences should be considered in training.