Background: The performance of the long jump depends on the effective conversion of high approach velocity into ballistic flight during brief take-off contact. This process requires rapid force production, efficient stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) function, and precise neuromuscular coordination. The approach speed is widely recognized as key determinant of jump distance. The specific kinematic characteristics which distinguish closely matched high-level athletes under real competition conditions remain unclear. Thus, this study was intended for the identification of key kinematic characteristics associated with take-off performance in elite and sub-elite male long jumpers using competition-based two-dimensional motion analysis. Methods: Twenty-four male long jumpers who performed valid jumps in national-level outdoor competitions were analyzed. The athletes were divided into elite (8.00-8.20 m; n=11) and sub-elite (7.80-7.99m; n=13) groups. High-speed video recordings (100 Hz) was used for quantification of late-approach spatiotemporal parameters of penultimate and last strides, center-of-mass (COM) velocity components at touchdown and take-off. In addition, velocity utilization ratio (STO/STD), and sagittal-plane hip, knee, and ankle joint angles at touchdown (TD), maximum braking (MB), and take-off (TO) were also recorded. Between-group differences were examined using independent-samples tests with Cohen`s d effect sizes. Results: Elite jumpers demonstrated significantly greater horizontal velocity at take-off than sub-elite athletes (8.63 ± 0.68 vs. 7.77 ± 0.91 m·s-¹; p = 0.018; d = 1.05). Resultant take-off velocity and velocity utilization ratio showed moderate-to-large effect sizes but were not statistically significant (p = 0.055-0.057). No significant differences were observed in stride parameters or sagittal-plane joint angles. Conclusion: Elite long jump performance appears primarily associated with the ability to preserve higher horizontal velocity during take-off, rather than differences in take-off technique. These findings highlight the importance of velocity maintenance and stretch-shortening cycle efficiency during the take-off phase.
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