http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-015-0354-3Age of Peak Competitive Performance of Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review
Results
For both sexes, linear trends reasonably approximated the relationships between event duration and estimates of age of peak performance for explosive power/sprint events and for endurance events. In explosive power/sprint events, estimates decreased with increasing event duration, ranging from ~27 years (athletics throws, ~1–5 s) to ~20 years (swimming, ~21–245 s). Conversely, estimates for endurance events increased with increasing event duration, ranging from ~20 years (swimming, ~2–15 min) to ~39 years (ultra-distance cycling, ~27–29 h). There was little difference in estimates of peak age for these event types between men and women. Estimations of the age of peak performance for athletes specialising in specific events and of event durations that may best suit talent identification of athletes can be obtained from the equations of the linear trends. There were insufficient data to investigate trends for mixed/skill events.
Conclusion
Differences in the attributes required for success in different sporting events likely contribute to the wide range of peak-performance ages of elite athletes. Understanding the relationships between age of peak competitive performance and event duration should be useful for tracking athlete progression and talent identification.
