Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading non-traumatic cause of mortality in athletes under 35, most often due to inherited cardiomyopathies or primary electrical disorders that may remain silent until a fatal event. The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is the most accessible and cost-effective screening tool, yet its early use was hampered by poor specificity and high false-positive rates, mainly due to non-standardized interpretation and limited awareness of physiological adaptations.