<span class="word">Competitive <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Anxiety <span class="word">as <span class="word">a <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Predictor <span class="word">of <span class="word">the <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Occurrence, <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Quantity, <span class="word">and <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Severity <span class="word">of <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Injuries <span class="word">in <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Young <span class="word">Cuban <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Athletes

Previous studies suggest that elevated competitive anxiety may increase the likeli-hood of injury. The present research aims to examine the role of competitive anxiety as a predictor of injury occurrence, frequency, and severity. A cross-sectional, correlational de-sign was conducted with 131 athletes, (mean age = 16.49 years), predominantly male. In-juries data were obtained through medical record review, and competitive anxiety was assessed using the Competitive Anxiety Inventory-2. Empirical frequency distributions, descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, and logistic and ordinal regression models were employed. A high incidence of injuries was observed, although most were minor. Competitive anxiety was characterized by elevated levels of cognitive anxiety and self-confidence. Injured athletes exhibited greater overall competitive anxiety (r = .31, p &lt; .001), with higher levels observed among those who sustained more injuries (ε² = .12, p = .001), and a very large effect was found in relation to injury severity (ε² = .17, p &lt; .001). The occurrence of injury can only be predicted in 10.9–14.7% of cases through increased cogni-tive and somatic anxiety, whereas an increase across all dimensions of competitive anxi-ety predicts a greater number (13–14%) and severity (20.3–21.8%) of injuries. These find-ings underscore the importance of developing skills to manage competitive anxiety, par-ticularly its cognitive dimension and maintaining optimal levels of self-confidence in young athletes.