Optimising Pre-race Physical Preparation for Sprint Events at Major Championships Under New Rule Changes and Competition Formats

Abstract Championship sprint outcomes are often decided by margins as small as hundredths or even thousandths of a second, placing great importance on optimising every aspect of race-day preparation. At major championships, the interval between warm-up and race start includes time in a designated Call Room and can exceed 50 min, long enough to compromise the physiological benefits of the warm-up. Whilst this delay is not new, recent World Athletics technology regulations prohibit heated garments in the Call Room, and athletes must now enter the track wearing only their race kit, making muscle temperature and neuromuscular readiness harder to maintain. The addition of mixed relay events further increases exposure to repeated pre-race transition periods. This leading article therefore reviews the determinants of sprint performance most sensitive to the pre-race period and evaluates acute strategies that may help preserve or restore readiness on the day of competition. Particular attention is given to evidence-informed strategies that complement the main warm-up and can be implemented within current competition regulations. Passive heat maintenance and plyometric conditioning activities appear to offer the greatest practical relevance within current Call Room constraints, with maintenance of muscle temperature an important consideration for preserving sprint and power performance. While there is relevant supporting research, no study has simulated the exact demands of a major championship sprint event, and recommendations therefore rest on mechanistic rationale and applied practice as well as direct evidence. These include a same-day priming session ~ 4–6 h before competition, passive insulation to attenuate muscle temperature decline during the transition period, and a brief plyometric or short acceleration stimulus 8–16 min before race start, with athletes encouraged to establish their individual responses in training and simulated competition.