TY - JOUR AU - Arribas-Galarraga, Silvia AU - Cecchini, Jose Antonio AU - Luis-De-Cos, Izaskun AU - Saies, Ekaitz AU - Luis-De Cos, Gurutze PY - 2020/12/01 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Influence of emotional intelligence on sport performance in elite canoeist JF - Journal of Human Sport and Exercise JA - J. Hum. Sport Exerc. VL - 15 IS - 4 SE - Articles DO - 10.14198/jhse.2020.154.05 UR - https://www.jhse.ua.es/article/view/2020-v15-n4-influence-emotional-intelligence-sport-performance-e SP - 772-782 AB - <p>Several studies support the hypothesis that emotions are linked with sport performance. However, only a few studies have addressed the direct relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and sport performance. In order to address this question, emotional intelligence was assessed in 50 elite male canoeists from a total of fourteen countries. The sample was divided into two groups based on the number of medals achieved at world championships [Expert level Group 1, had won 1 - 3 medals (n = 33), and Expert level Group 2 had won more than 3 medals (n = 17)]. As a secondary goal, the influence of years of practice on sport performance was examined. Results indicate that the Level 2 expert athletes scored higher in empathy (<em>p</em> &lt; .05), emotional recognition (<em>p</em> &lt; .05), emotional control and regulation (<em>p </em>&lt; .001) and years of practice invested in their preparation (<em>p </em>&lt; .01) than the Level 1 expert athletes. These findings make a valuable contribution to answering some key questions regarding high performance sport and the role of EI in elite sport performance.</p> ER -