INTRODUCTION: In sprint kayaking, a tenth of a second can separate those who win a medal (e.g. male 200m finals at the 2020 Olympics). Therefore, practitioners need a comprehensive understanding of the variables which influence sprint kayaking performance (e.g. physiological and physical characteristics). Although studies have investigated how physiological and physical attributes may influence sprint kayaking performance, there is currently no review study conducted to draw the literature together. The aim of this study was to critically review the physiological and physical determinants of sprint kayaking performance. A secondary aim was to inform future research and provide guidelines for practitioners. METHODS: The studies included for review were gathered according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (Page et al., 20211). After initial searches, twenty-five studies were included that met the inclusion criteria. In brief, these were observational studies that sought to examine the relationship between various types of physiological or physical variables and sprint kayak performance. RESULTS: The relationship between VO2max/peak (200m r range = -0.71 to -0.86; 500m r range = -0.22 to -0.82; 1000m r range = -0.21 to -0.90) and anaerobic threshold (200m r range = -0.54 to -0.74; 500m r range = -0.52 to -0.89; 1000m r range = -0.71 to -0.83) with race performance is stronger as the race distance increased. However, the relationship between peak power, anaerobic capacity and aerobic threshold to race distance was unclear, and did not show an obvious trend. There is a plethora of literature (n = 11 studies) suggesting the importance of both upper-body pulling and pushing strength in improving sprint kayak performance and kayak ergometer power output. However, the literature concerning the relationship between lower body strength and sprint kayak performance is lacking. CONCLUSION: The current literatures suggests that VO2max/peak and anaerobic threshold supports sprint kayak performance. Moreover, sprint kayakers should increase upper-body pulling and pushing strength and power to support their performance. Currently, the data regarding peak power, anaerobic capacity, aerobic threshold and the relationship between lower body strength on sprint kayak performance is unclear. Therefore, future studies should look to do this; in particular, work surrounding lactate threshold, transition from heavy-severe domain which is particularly lacking currently.
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