Fear of failure is one of the factors of activation in non-adaptive patterns and self-handicapping is the subset of these patterns. self-handicapping is the construction of structures that people use to protect their self-esteem in risky situations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between fear of failure and self-handicapping between athlete students. The current research method is descriptive-surveillance and correlational research design. For this purpose, 245 student athletes (113 women and 132 men) who are members of the national and university teams from universities in Tehran were selected by convenience sampling method and were asked to answer fear of failure and self-handicapping questionnaires. The results of multiple linear regression showed that the fear of losing important people and the fear of having an uncertain future can significantly predict self-handicapping. Moreover, based on independent t-test, men compared to women and similarly individual athletes compared to team athletes experienced more shame and embarrassment, fear of losing important people and overall fear of failure. In addition, individual sports compared to team sports experienced more fear of self-esteem reduction. In sum, the current research findings confirm the role of the fear of failure construct in predicting the ways of self-handicapping in specific performance conditions such as sports.