{
  "abstract": "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.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Health Sciences and Physical Education, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland"
      ],
      "name": "Adam Michał Szulc"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Clinical Centre, University of Debrecen Clinical Centre, Debrecen, Hungary"
      ],
      "name": "Ildikó Balatoni"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Oncology, and Tuberculosis, Faculty of Medicine, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum, Bydgoszcz, Poland"
      ],
      "name": "Grzegorz Przybylski"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Health Sciences and Physical Education, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland"
      ],
      "name": "Andrzej Chęsy"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Health Sciences and Physical Education, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland"
      ],
      "name": "Krzysztof Buśko"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Dual-pillar phenotype of elite deaf female soccer players: reduced aerobic capacity and repeated-sprint ability coexisting with enhanced explosive power",
  "uid": "d43bfc2f-0e28-57c8-bb56-3b39d25cf4d3"
}