Mediation of achievement motivation in the relationship between sports identity and athletic performance of adolescent athletes

The aim of this study was to mediate the role of achievement motivation in the relationship between sports identity and athletic performance of adolescent athletes. The research was a descriptive correlational study based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the present study included all male adolescents aged 15 to 18 years in Gorgan and 220 adolescent athletes were selected as sample. Data collection tools included three questionnaires to examine research variables. Findings showed that there is a significant positive relationship between sports identity and achievement motivation with sports performance and the research model was confirmed in general 41% of sports performance can be explained by sports identity and achievement motivation. Also, the variables of sports identity and achievement motivation have a significant direct effect on sports performance. The results of this study emphasize the need for the role of identity and motivation and ultimately sports performance in athletes.