A pilot study on the importance of forefoot bone length in male 400-m sprinters: is there a key morphological factor for superior long sprint performance?

OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between the forefoot bone length and long sprint performance in well-trained 400-m specialized sprinters. The total lengths of the forefoot bones of the big and second toes in 25 male 400-m sprinters and 25 male non-sprinters were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. The forefoot bones of each toe were totaled to assess overall forefoot bone length and then normalized to the maximum foot length. RESULTS: The relative total lengths of the forefoot bones in the big and second toes were significantly longer in 400-m sprinters than in non-sprinters (P < 0.05 for both). The relative total length of the forefoot bones of the second toe, but not of the big toe, in 400-m sprinters was significantly correlated with personal best 400-m sprint time (r = − 0.441, P = 0.028). These findings demonstrated that longer forefoot bones are related to higher long sprint performance in well-trained 400-m specialized sprinters. Therefore, the present study is the first to determine that morphological factors such as long forefoot bones may play an important role in achieving superior long sprinting performance.