Racket sports have been popular worldwide for over a century (Lees, 2003; Robertson et al., 2018) and studies have shown that practicing racket sports such as tennis, table tennis, badminton, and squash can improve the brain's ability to coordinate movements of the body, which can lead to better hand-eye coordination, reflexes, speed, endurance, flexibility, agility, and overall physical fitness (Jaworski et al., 2020; Schaefer & Scornaienchi, 2019). Racket sports are similar in that they all require players to use a racket to hit a ball or shuttlecock over a net and involve bursts of high-intensity exercise (Faber er al., 2016; Pluim, 2004). However, there are some key differences between racket sports, such as the swinging patterns used, the size of the court, and the speed of the ball (Ak & Koçak, 2010; Akpınar et al., 2012). For instance, tennis players have more time to anticipate the placement of the ball and react accordingly to the speed and spin of the shots, as the ball travels slower and has a larger trajectory than in other racket sports, whereas table tennis players have less time to react to the speed and spin of the shots, as the ball travels much faster and has a much shorter trajectory (Ak & Koçak, 2010).

Developing effective training programs for young athletes relies on a profound understanding of how growth and maturation impact a child's development (Balyi & Hamilton, 2004; Balyi et al., 2013; Ford et al., 2011). To ensure that young athletes receive training that fosters their overall growth, it is imperative to fully grasp these two biological processes since they play pivotal roles in a child's development and significantly influence their physical, mental, and emotional well-being (Beunen & Malina, 2007). Despite often being used interchangeably and mistakenly perceived as referring to the same concepts, it is crucial to recognize that growth and maturation are separate biological processes (Cameron, 2022a; Malina et al., 2004). Maturation pertains to the progression of the body's skeletal, sexual, and somatic systems towards adulthood, while growth involves alterations in size and body composition that occur as individuals age (Baxter-Jones et al., 1995; Baxter-Jones et al., 2005; Cameron, 2022b; Malina et al., 2004).

In the context of youth sports, research on the relationship between growth, maturation, and sports performance is important for talent identification and development (Malina et al., 2004). During the last decades, there has been a lot of research on this topic, especially in team sports like soccer and basketball. However, there is a gap in knowledge about this relationship in racket sports, particularly table tennis, badminton, and squash (Coelho-e-Silva et al., 2021). A recent study by Coelho-E-Silva et al. (2021) found that most young male table tennis players were early maturing based on skeletal age and average maturing based on somatic indicators. Their heights and body masses were above the reference medians from 10 to 13 years, and their skeletal ages were generally advanced relative to chronological age. Another study by Doherty et al. (2018) showed that there were significant correlations between actual performance rating and age at peak height velocity (APHV), sprint test, years of practice, positive refocusing, self-regulation in learning, and evaluation in elite youth male table tennis players. The study also found that APHV, sprint test, years of practice, self-monitoring, and evaluation were significantly correlated with progression scores.

The research on growth and maturation in racket sports has mostly focused on tennis, with only two studies on table tennis (Coelho-E-Silva et al., 2021; Doherty et al., 2018). Both table tennis studies were conducted with male players, and they did not report any information about medal-winning or ranking status. This study is original in the sense that it investigates the relationship between growth and maturity status and the medal-winning status of young competitive table tennis players at consecutive ages. Therefore, the purposes of this study are: (1) to determine the growth and maturity status of young medal-winning table tennis players, and (2) to compare these players with their non-medal-winning counterparts. The study hypothesized that medal-winning players were expected to have a more advanced growth and maturity status compared to non-medal-winning players.

Means and standard deviations for chronological ages, height, sitting height, body mass, BMI, height z-score, height percentile, body mass z-score, body mass percentile, BMI z-score, BMI percentile, APHV, and maturity offset are presented by five age groups (U11, U12, U13, U14, and U15) in Table 2.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the mean values of height, body mass, and BMI for each age group, along with the corresponding percentiles within a reference population.

Figure 1 Mean height and corresponding percentiles by age group ¹

Figure 2 Mean body mass and corresponding percentiles by age group ²

Figure 3 Mean BMI and corresponding percentiles by age group ³

The mean height percentiles of players are shown in Figure 1. Female players had heights between the 45^th and 57^th percentiles, with the lowest mean values in U15 girls and the highest mean values in U12 girls. Male players had heights between the 54^th and 69^th percentiles, with the lowest mean values in U14 boys and the highest in U11 boys. The percentiles of other age groups for female players were mostly around the 50^th percentile mark, while the percentiles of other age groups for male players were between the 60^th and 65^th percentiles.

The mean body mass percentiles of players are given in Figure 2. The body masses of the female players were between the 40^th and 65^th percentiles, with the U11 girls having the lowest mean values and the U14 girls having the highest. The other age groups had percentiles between the 44^th and 56^th. The body masses of the male players were between the 49^th and 74^th percentiles, with the U12 boys having the lowest mean values and the U14 boys having the highest. The other age groups had percentiles between the 55^th and 64^th.

The mean BMI percentiles of players are given in Figure 3. The BMI values of the female players were between the 37^th and 62^nd percentiles, with the U12 girls having the lowest mean values and the U14 girls having the highest. The other age groups had percentiles between the 39^th and 55^th. The BMI values of the male players were between the 48^th and 80^th percentiles, with the U12 boys having the lowest mean values and the U14 boys having the highest. The other age groups had percentiles around the 55^th.

Table 3 shows a comparison of medal-winning and non-medal-winning players. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test results indicated no significant deviations from normality, suggesting that the data were normally distributed. There were no significant differences between the two groups of girls in any of the variables measured. Among boys, there were no significant differences between the two groups in any of the variables measured except for training age. Medal-winning boys had significantly more experience in regular table tennis training than non-medal-winning boys (p < 0.05).

This study aimed to determine the growth and maturity status of young medal-winning table tennis players and compare them with their non-medal-winning counterparts. The study hypothesized that medal-winning players were expected to have a more advanced growth and maturity status compared to non-medal-winning players; however, the findings of the study failed to support this hypothesis. The main findings of the study highlight that, compared to normative references for the same age and gender, both boys and girls exhibited mean height, body mass, and BMI percentiles above the 37^th percentile. Notably, there were no significant differences in any variable between medal-winning and non-medal-winning girls, whereas the only significant difference observed among boys was in training age.

The research revealed that female table tennis players had heights that fell between the 45^th and 57^th percentiles, while male players had heights ranging from the 54^th to the 69^th percentiles. Additionally, the study noted that female table tennis players had body masses spanning from the 40^th to the 65^th percentiles, whereas male players had body masses ranging from the 49^th to the 74^th percentiles. In terms of BMI percentiles, the study indicated that female table tennis players had BMI values ranging from the 37^th to the 62^nd percentiles, while male players had BMI values ranging from the 48^th to the 80^th percentiles. These findings are consistent with previous research conducted in racket sports (Baxter-Jones et al., 1995; Coelho-E-Silva et al., 2021; Erlandson et al., 2008; Myburgh et al., 2016; Söğüt et al., 2019; Söğüt et al., 2023).

Parallel with the findings of the present study, in their study conducted on male table tennis players aged between 10 and 14, Coelho-E-Silva et al. (2021) displayed that the mean heights exhibited a range between the 75^th and 90^th percentiles for players aged 10 to 13, while U14 players had mean heights approximately at the 50^th percentile. As for body masses, the mean values were around the median for both U10s and U14s, whereas for U11, U12, and U13, the average body masses were around the 75th percentile. Similar to table tennis, the study by Söğüt et al. (2019) on competitive U12 tennis players showed that both male and female players were taller than average children of the same age and gender. Additionally, the body masses of both boys and girls were above the 45^th percentile, and the BMI percentiles of male and female players were higher than the average. In another study conducted on U14 competitive tennis players, Söğüt et al. (2023) found that the mean heights and body masses of both male and female players were above the 60^th percentile. Moreover, the BMI percentiles of male tennis players were slightly below the median, whereas the BMI percentiles of female tennis players were above the median.

In terms of performance, there were no significant differences observed between girls across any of the variables. However, among boys, no significant differences were identified except for the training age. It was found that boys who won medals had significantly more experience in regular table tennis training compared to those who were not able to win medals. Consistent with the findings of the present study, a prior study by Söğüt et al. (2019) revealed no association between maturity status and rankings, whereas significant associations were found between factors like experience, training volume, and motor performance with rankings in both boys and girls. Conversely, another study by Söğüt et al. (2023) presented different findings. Their research found no notable disparities in all parameters among the three groups (national team, main draw, and qualifying) for boys. In contrast, among girls, both national and main draw players were observed to be significantly more advanced in terms of maturation and exhibited higher BMI values in comparison to qualifying players.

This study has several limitations that should be acknowledged. Firstly, the exclusion of tactical, technical, and psychological performance indicators limits the ability to gain a comprehensive understanding of the overall performance of the players. These factors are known to play a significant role in table tennis performance and should be included in future studies to provide a more well-rounded assessment. Secondly, it is important to note that the sample in this study is confined to young Turkish table tennis players aged between 10 and 15 years. This limited sample size and geographical focus may restrict the generalizability of the findings to a broader population of table tennis players from various regions and age groups. Including participants from diverse backgrounds would enhance the representativeness and inclusivity of analyzing physical growth and maturity in table tennis. Furthermore, the study primarily employs a cross-sectional design, offering a snapshot of the characteristics of the participants at a specific moment in time. Longitudinal studies are crucial for gaining a comprehensive understanding of the development and long-term implications of physical growth and maturity in table tennis. Long-term follow-up studies that track participants into young adulthood would provide valuable insights into the trajectory of physical growth and maturity and their influence on performance. Given these limitations, future research should encompass a broader array of performance indicators, diversify the participant pool, and utilize longitudinal designs with extended follow-up periods. Such efforts would contribute significantly to a more comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted nature of table tennis performance and the enduring effects of physical growth and maturity.