Background and Study Aim: The relationship between mental toughness (MT) and perfectionism has not been established to date. The main aim of this study is: knowledge about MT, perfectionistic strivings, and perfectionistic concerns of judo athletes by achievement level and age; relationship between MT and perfectionism dimensions. Material and Methods: A total of 118 judokas (24 females) aged between 16 and 69 years (mean age = 28.73 ±13.96) were divided into sub-elite (national medallists), elite and veterans (both international medallists). The Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ) was used to measure MT. Following Gotwals and Stoeber`s guidelines, perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns were measured by using different subscales from two questionnaires. Results: Veterans scored higher than elite and sub-elite athletes on MT (F(2.115) = 14.59; p<0.001; ²p = 0.20), showing that MT is age-dependent but does not seem to discriminate between judokas exceeding a certain competitive-level threshold. Perfectionistic strivings global scores only differed between veterans and sub-elite groups (F(2.115) = 7.08; p = 0.001; ?²p = 0.11), specific analyses of the personal standards subscale showed that veterans and elite athletes scored higher than sub-elites, whereas on the strivings for perfection subscale, veterans scored higher than both elite and sub-elite athletes. Linear regression models showed that MT is positively associated with perfectionistic strivings (B = 0.39; SE = 0.05; p<0.001), and negatively associated with perfectionistic concerns (B = -0.25; SE B = 0.04; p<0.001). Conclusions: These results seem to indicate that some perfectionism characteristics could be trainable. Future studies could determine how MT improvements impact on perfectionism dimensions.
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