Szulc AM; Faculty of Health Sciences and Physical Education, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Balatoni I; Przybylski G; Chesy A; Busko K

British Journal of Sports Medicine. 60(16):1250-1258, 2026 Aug 16.

PURPOSE: Research on deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes suggests
sensorimotor trade-offs from neuroplasticity. We tested divergent
adaptation in elite female soccer players, hypothesising a phenotype with
cardiorespiratory/repeated-sprint deficits with enhanced explosive power
(H1), respiratory-perceptual fatigue (H2) and a sensory-endurance gradient
(H3).

METHODS: This cross-sectional study compared 18 elite deaf (Polish
National Team) and 21 hearing (top-tier) players. Assessments included
cardiopulmonary exercise testing with maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max)
verification, Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) and
countermovement jump (CMJ) with allometric scaling. Analysis of covariance
controlled for body fat and training experience.

RESULTS: Supporting H1, hearing athletes had higher adjusted VO2max (50.3
vs 45.8 mL/kg/min, p=0.016) and RAST peak power (7.2 vs 6.1 W/kg,
p<0.001), while deaf athletes generated greater allometrically scaled CMJ
peak power (115.8 vs 107.4, p=0.011). Supporting H2, deaf athletes had
shorter time to exhaustion (TTE) (12.35 vs 14.83 min, p<0.001) and lower
attainment of respiratory exchange ratio >1.0 (33% vs 90%, p=0.0002), with
dyspnoea cited as the limiting symptom (56% deaf vs 71% leg fatigue in
hearing). Partially supporting H3, deeper hearing loss correlated with
shorter TTE (r=-0.64, p=0.005) but not CMJ power.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings evidence a neuro-respiratory trade-off in elite
deaf female soccer players: cardiorespiratory and repeated-sprint deficits
with an explosive power advantage. Fatigue appears governed by
respiratory-perceptual factors rather than metabolic acidosis. This
phenotype, likely from developmental neuroplasticity, necessitates
individualised dual-track training.