In order to assess the performance of subjects with sickle cell trait (SCT) during
brief and explosive exercise involving mainly alactic anaerobic metabolism, the percentage
of athletes with SCT was determined in Ivory Coast track and field throw and jump
champions, both men and women, for the period 1956-1995. Thirty-four (27.8 %) sickle
cell trait carriers (SCTC) were identified among the 122 national champions that we
were able to contact. These 34 SCTC had won 78 national titles (24.5 %) and established
37 national records (43.5 %), distributed among the throw and jump events. These percentages
were significantly higher than the prevalence of SCT in the general Ivory Coast population
(12.0 %). The women's high jump and men's shot put events had the highest percentages
of SCTC record holders (90.9 % and 87.5 %, respectively). Moreover, the two top national
record holders and title winners, one man and one woman, were SCTC athletes, and their
hemoglobin S percentage (HbS: 39.1 % and 39.4 %, respectively) and mean corpuscular
volume (MCV) excluded an associated alpha-thalasse-mia. We conclude that the significantly
higher percentage of SCTCs among Ivory Coast track and field champions, as compared
to the percentage in the general population suggests that SCT may be a determinant
factor for success in brief and explosive track and field events involving mainly
alactic anaerobic metabolism.
Key words
Sickle cell trait - track and field - champions - anaerobic metabolism - alpha-thalassemia
