A Holistic Vision of the Academic and Sports Development of Elite Spanish Track and Field Athletes

Eva Asensio Castañeda, Rafael M. Navarro (), José L. Chamorro and Jonathan Ospina-Betancurt
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Eva Asensio Castañeda: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Rafael M. Navarro: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
José L. Chamorro: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Jonathan Ospina-Betancurt: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Combining sports and studies could be stressful, but beneficial for the athletes’ career development. This study explores resources and barriers in the combination of the sports and academic life spheres during the lifespan of elite Spanish track-and-field athletes. Methods: Seven elite Spanish track-and-field athletes participated in a semistructured interview about their experiences to establish a dual career combining sports and studies/work. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) followed to analyze data. Results: Findings show that elite Spanish track-and-field athletes face educational and institutional barriers to developing a dual career. Time management, social support, and additional resources could play a key role in the success or failure to develop a dual career. Conclusions: This study shows that, to overcome dual-career barriers, athletes are resourceful if social support is provided at both the micro (coaches, families, etc.) and macro (political and educational institutions) levels. It also shows that pursuing an academic career can help in alleviating inherent tensions to athletic life and in finding personal balance.

Keywords: athletic career development; career transition; dual career; high performance; sport (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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