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.
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