# Genome-Wide Association Study of Vertical Jump Performance Among Elite Badminton Players

## TL;DR

This study uses genome-wide analysis to explore the genetic basis of vertical jump performance in elite Turkish badminton players.

## Contribution

The study is the first to use a genome-wide approach to investigate explosive lower-limb performance in elite badminton players.

## Key findings

- Thirteen SNPs showed suggestive associations with vertical jump performance traits.
- Results suggest a polygenic basis for explosive performance involving regulatory and signaling pathways.
- No genome-wide significant variants were identified.

## Abstract

Vertical jump performance is known to be a moderately heritable trait. However, previous studies on sport genetics have largely relied on candidate-gene approaches, which do not adequately reflect the polygenic nature of explosive performance, particularly among elite badminton players. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify genetic variants associated with lower-limb explosive performance, assessed via vertical jump measures, among elite Turkish badminton players using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach. The present study included 90 elite male (n = 47) and female (n = 43) badminton players, and 557 non-athletic controls sourced from a public database. Performance-related traits were evaluated through countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), and their differential. Genome-wide genotyping was performed using DNA microarrays, and associations were examined using linear mixed models fixed for sex/gender, body mass index, and sport experience. Although no variants reached genome-wide significance (p < 1.00 × 10−7), 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) exceeded the suggestive threshold (p < 1.00 × 10−5). CMJ-associated variants were rs4905767, rs2911702, rs10246591, and rs9842454; SJ-associated variants were rs55817650, rs62318127, rs115197840, rs78317172, and rs35930589; and CMJ–SJ-associated variants were rs34638064, rs6679342, rs4931233, and rs9442615. The present study provides preliminary evidence that lower-limb explosive performance among elite badminton players is polygenic, involving regulatory and signaling pathways rather than single performance genes.